The Washington herald., 1913-02-08
SAY ORGANIC
ACT IS SECURE
Macfarland and Truesdell Say
Johnson's Attack Will Be
Without Avail.
BOTH CITE AUTHORITIES
Truesdell Calls to Witness Blackburn,
of Kentucky, Once District
Chairman.
BOTH CITE AUTHORITIES

ganic act dependent upon the decision of
the Comptroller of the Treasury. former
Commissioner Henry b. F. Macfarland.
and Col. George TruesdelI. a prominent
real estate dealer and close student of
the District form Of government, yes
terday came to the defense OF the act.
They pointed out that the District
faces a crisis under is present form of
government. Should II be held that the
local government is in the debt OF the
national government for "loans' to meet
the interest on the 360 bonds. as Is
claimed by Representative johnson.
chairman OF the House District Commit
tee. the Nations Capital would prac-
tICally face bankruptcy. 1t was shown,
however. that close application TO the
laws under which the carly appropri-
ations were made. will show that the
government Is pledged beyond recall TO
pay one-half OF the interest and sinking
J fund on the bonded Indebtedness OF the
District.
Criticism OF Representative Johnson
for the fact that his Investigation had
apparently taken in only one side OF the
| subject was voiced. Mr.. Johnson. II
was pointed out. while probably sincere
in his conviction that the District Is in
debted to the United States, did no push
|
Had he done this, II was stated. he would
have found material to controvert his
previous views.
Attack More Elaborate.
MFR. Johnson's attack on the approPria-
ton providing for the governments share
OF the interest and sinking fund on the
District debt. il was pointed out. was
practically the same as that on two pro
I q
elaborate. but had the same basis.
shortly after his first attack on the
organic act. a report on the financial re-
lations Of the District and national gov
ernmcnt under the organic act was drawn
UP by Col Trucsdel and unanimously
adopted by the Board of Trade. This
report, Col. Truesdell stated last night.
contains data cuIled from the records of
the time when the organic act was
passed and shortly afterward. which en-
tirely controverts the argument OF Mr..
Johnson. Mr.. johnson apparently did not
take the trouble TO study this report.
Former Commissioner Macfarland said
that the District government cannot be
compared to any other. for the reason
of Washington being the site OF the Ma
tional Capital. 1t would be impossible.
he showed, for the comparatively few
residents of their own accord TO main
tain the city in any way beftting the
dignity of capital city. He quoted au-
thorities to defend the half-and-half
plan. showing that so far as human lar
guage could give il expression the franz
ers Of the organic act meant that the
Federal government was to share with
the District government the interest on
the District debt. and that later II was
decided to share in tho sinking fund.
Planned for Nation.
This is tho National Capital. This
fact so familiar. vet sometimes 50 iE-
nored or obscured. is fundamental"
said Mr.. Mcfarland 1T is not OK
ClusivCly the city Of those who live
here. George Washington planned It
as the national city, and II he had not
died untimeIy. It would have hren
maintained in large part by the nation
from the beginning. Certainly the
cnmpa rativcly few people here could
not develop or maintain it on tho scale
of its plan or on any scale suitable
to the wealth. power and dignity Of the
nation. Heroic and self-sacrificing ef-
fort on the part of the people here dur
ing tn" first seventy years Of Compara-
tive municipal neglect by the national
government Slmnst hankrupted the
taxpayers as repeatedly the Congress
sional reports stated. Then Congress.
not the taxpayers. directed the Shep-
herd improvements which began the
redemption OF the shabby city and its
conversion into a real National Capital.
As the official governmental reports
show. the taxpayers had then spent
twice as much as the national govern
ment. The national government was
in arrears not to the taxpayers but
TO the National Capital. from the time
it started in on land given by the orig
inal proprietors. and money loaned by
Virginia and Maryland because of its
poverty.
All intelligent Americans want their
National Capital to be the best on
earth. not simply physically, but in
all the features of the modern city. in
education and health protection quite
as much as in parks and streets. They
would he ashamed. for example. to
have competent critics at home or
abroad hold its death rate up to the
condemnation of the world. They make
no division between what are called
national features and what are called
local features, but regard It as an in
tegral whole. like any other city.
Moreover. as | can testify from
abundant opportunity, such Americans
in all sections of the country approve
heartily all that their Representatives
in Congress have done for their Capt.
tai and wish they would do more.
Easy for District.
When the time comes. II it does to |
argue this question before the COmptrol- |
Ter of the Treasury. the Attorney General
of the United States or in the courts. |
the case of the National Capital, incIud- |
ing the District taxpayers. will be easy
to present for it is founded on n rock, |
and back of it is the desire of the patri- |
otic people of the country.
For ten years. If / may be pardoned |
a personal allusion, / considered it an |
important part of my official duty to |
explain the relations between the nation |
and its Capital to the representative men
and women who met here in national |
gatherings from every Congressional dis |
trict of the country. In that time at |
least one hundred thousand such visitors |
learned the outlines at least of the ar
gument for the National Capital. More |
over. as the same duty before boards |
of trade, bankers associations, and other |
representative bodies in a score of the !
principal cities of the country, present.
ed the same arguments. We have con-
vincing proof In the actions Of Congress |
during that decade that the effort was |
not in vain.
More important than any particular |