Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-22

1880. based on the nations undertaking to
meet these expenses itself at the founding
of the city: CD for the repayment to
Washington of whatever it's people had
paid more than the United States. apply
ing to the past the half-and half principle
of the organic act
The second equity has been formally
urged upon Uncle Sam. The tPolandD re-
port of the House committee on the judi
ciary, June. 1874. said: From a state
ment of expenditures by the government
by the Treasury Department Cd to 1871
we find: the total expenditures UP to 1871
for improvements of avenues and streets
by the government but little over
81 900 COG: during which period the local
government Tor the District has eXpend-
cd over nine times that amoInt
i. In explaining to the House the bill
which became the organic act of 1873
Representative Hendee said: "Since the
established in this District. the entire
expenditures OF the United States for
improvements in the District have been
about A.T0,O0O. while the amount paid
by citizens of the District for the same
purpose exceeds the sum of &s4,Nn.o0O. In
other words. the amount taken from the
pockets of citizens of the District and put
into these improvements is about four
times the amount which has been appro
prfatcd by the federal government.
make these statements upon data fur
nished from the Treasury Department
and other departments of the govern
ment, which give accurately the items,
with dates of appropriations, etc.
The report of the Commissioners of the
District for 1878 gives the figures of "thc
exhibit which has been prepared Under
the direction of the Treasury Department
showing all the expenditures made from
the national Treasury for national and
District purposes within the District OF
Columbia from 1890 to 1876 After de-
Quoting from the total expenditure of the
people of the District. SD. 106.G10 of bond
ed debt (one-half of which the United
States has been paying since 1879 the
Commissioners report that there still re-
mains an absolutely paid-up expenditure
by the people of the District greater than
that of the United States by SIG 1aO. 40. "A.
In respect to this amount the Commits
siCners report:
"If an equal division Of the cx-
penditures for the local government he
tween the United states and the Dis
trlct OF Columbia Is just ono, as, Is
now admitted, then the United States
In In equity n debtor to the District Of
Columbia ns above shown"
In the course of newspaper articles
printed in 1888, I elaborated this equita
BILE claim of the District. saying:
The main public expense o, the work
of recreating the city is represented by
present debt of more than $20.00o.ooo.
nearly all of which has been incurred by
officials placed over the affairs of the
District by the general government in
carrying out those magnificent inten-
tfons" concerning the capital, which by
the original plan the nation and not the
District was to execute. If, by any rea-
soning. the citizens of Washington can
be held legally or morally responsible
for this debt, it must be said as was re-
marked by Senator Southland in the SINH;
lar case Of 1880. that they have been
"misled into expenditures which do not
properly belong to them
There can be little complaint of injus-
tce on the part of Congress in it's treat
ment of the capital SO far as OUTLAWS of
the present are concerned. If the Dis
trict has a grievance in this respect it
consists in the fact that the same prin-
ciple of dividing expenses which now pre-
walls has not been applied to previous
OUTLAWS. with the result of reimbursing
the District for past expenditures beyond
its proportion. 1t is difficult to see how.
with justice and consistency. this reim-
bursement can be avoided by Congress-
The general government, by the fact of
planning magnificent capital. covering
a large area and chara cterzed by broad
streets, avenues and reservations to an
extent unsuitable for self-suEoorting
commercial city. and by founding this
capital i'm place comparatively uninhab
tied, as Well as by the terms of the bar
gain with the owners of the soil, and by
the declarations of it's representatives at
the founding of the city and afterward,
showed an intention to build up a ma
tional city. at the nations expense, on a
grand scale. irrespective of the future
population of the District. The capital
was to be primarily q center of federal
action, and the occupation of the ground
by settlers was merely incidental to this
great purpose.
1t was to be meeting place for the
use, convenience and entertainment of
the people Of the entire Union. and the ex-
pense Of it's support and adornment was
not to be limited by The Scanty resources
OF what permanent population 1t might
acquire. Probable favo itism toward this
population was the ground of one Of the
arguments against the ratification of the
clause OF the Constitution which pro-
vides 70. the ten miles square In the
Virginia convention PAtricl. Henry said:
THE people within that place may be
excused from ali the burdens imposed on
the rest of society and may enjoy eX
elusive emolunaents to the great injury
of the rest of the people" And. in the
course of pamphlet discussion respecting
the COVE: nment OF the District protest
was entered against Congress meeting
all of the needs Of the capital on the
ground that the independence and self-re-
spect Of its citizens would be degraded
Congress seems for d 'ong time to have
obeyed this protest SO far as to render no
assistance whatever worthy the name in
the work of capital making For more than
thirty years. during which period 500 GOO
had been realized from the sale OF lots
pledged for the benefit OF Improvements
its expenditures upon streets and ave
nues, which were its exclusive property
were less than 500 per year. and its an
nual appropriations since that time until
Il recent period III the citys history have
been widely varying i'll amount. and at
the best Inadequate. In 1878 the govern
ment which had in the beginning i'm
pliedly undertaken to meet all the eX-
penses OF capital making. and then shift
ed that burden in the main upon private
citizens. decided that justice required it
to pay one-half OF the Districts ex-
penses- The payment of this proportion
by the United States had been urged by