Evening star., 1913-12-07
SAYS the District Has Prac-
ticed Extortion Upon the
United States.
REPORT TO CONGRESS
MADE LATE YESTERDAY
Dangerous Measure May Come Up in
the House for Discussion
Tomorrow.

NlIn the CndISe tIidt tlIS bisti itt VI
Columbia has practiced extortion upon
the United States in treating the rent or
the Washington Market Company as a
revenue and having matched by an
equal sum by the United States Treas
ury In appropriations, Representative Ben
Johnson, chairman of the House com-
mittee on the District of Columbia ex-
planned. in a report to Congress made
late yesterday, the merits of his recent
bill exempaing about s5oo.O00 of District
revenues from the principle of the half
and-half plan of appropriation The
District committee Friday ordered the
bill reported. after hearing Mr.. john
sons explanation of his views
Although this bill is the most danger
Gus to the organic act OF the District oI
Columbia of all the legislative pro-
posals that have been aired around the
Capito. recently. no citizen has asked for a
hearing on 1.-THE bill was introduced
and reported almost the first hour the
District committee could get together
This bill may be taken up for discus
sion in the House tomorrow. If it passes
il will be the first inroad Representative
Johnson has Yet been able to make on
the half-and-half plan. but it may be
speedily followed by others.
Provisions of the Bill.
AS explained in The Star on previous
occasions, the bill provides that money
from liquor licenses, market company
rent fish wharf licenses, revenue from
the passage OF cars over the Highway
bridge and from all other licenses and
fees derived from the use OF property IN
which the United States has an interest
shall not be matched by an equal sum
from the United States in appropriations.
For many years" says the report,
made by Ar. Johnson yesterday. the
Commissioners Of the District of Colum-
bia have made their estimates for ex-
penses sufficiently large to annually
exhaust the District treasury Wnen
those estimates are being made up the
actual needs of the District of Columbia
are not given as much consideration as Is
the desire to spend every dollar oota1na-
BILE. In this way the Commissioners
have grown into the habit, not so much
OF estimating the expenses OF the District
of Columbia. but of ascertaining the last
dollar of revenue and then providing for
expenditures Every dollar that comes
into the District treasury is treated as
revenue, which the United states is
asked 10 match with an equal sum.
Whenever the United States becomes
generous toward the District of Column
bia, beyond contributing to the payment
of half of all its expenses. that gener-
osity contribution is treated by the
financial agents of the District as reve-
nue., which must be matched by an ad
ditional like sum of money by the United
States.
Subject TO the unwise lease made
number of years ago OF the property at
1th street and Pennsylvania avenue upon
which stand tile BUILDINGS OF the Wash
ington Market Company the United
States owns the land. The Washington
Market Company, since 1871. has been
paying to the District of Columbia $500
per annum rental for property owned
by the United States. This is a gift pure
and simple from the United States to the
District OF Columbia. Notwithstanding
this fact the District has treated this
$1,000 per annum revenue. against
which the United States has put up $3.50
additional each and every year since 1871.
In other words, the District of Co
lumDia. the beneficiary of the United
States. has so treated this gift as 10 ex-
tort from the United States like sum
annually. When Congress passed this
act making this donation to the ID strict
of Columbia il is reasonably certain that
Congress did not then think the District
of Columbia would handle her finan-
cial accounts as to extract from the
Treasury of the United States double
that amount.