Evening star., 1914-10-25


Prouty substitute were both cast
most dramatic. and perhaps the
the District of Columbia in the en-
Unexpended Appropriations.
Parallel to the fight on the George
bill and the Johnson-Prouty substitute
was the attempt to enact section s. OF
the District appropriation bill. This pro-
vided that all District revenues not spent
by an appropriation bill should be turned
over to the United States Treasury. 1t
was thrown out in conference Its au-
thor Representative Page of North Caro-
lima, said many times that the chief value
the section had was to act as sop to
those members of the House who seemed
bent on destroying the relations between
the city and nation; and that if sec
ton remained in the appropriation act
there would be less strength shown In
the fight to overthrow and otherwise
damage the organic act.
Soon after the session opened Repre-
sentative George brought UP his taxation
and assessment bill in the committee on
the District of Columbia. 1t was the
result Of two years investigation into
the taxation and assessment system here,
and the report on the bill charged in
equalities in the assessment and offered
new method of conducting the assessor s
office, together with proposed law for
assessment. of real estate at true value.
Having assessed all the real estate in
the District of Columbia, the Commits
sioners were then to be empowered to
impose a tax rate on that assessment
which would pay the Districts share in
the annual appropriation.
Johnson-Prouty Plan.
There was good and evil In this bill. in
the views Of many students Of the af-
fairs of this city, but it was compare
tive perfection when contrasted with the
bill as eventually appended in the Dis
trict committee. Representative Johnson
of Kentucky and Representative Prouty
of Iowa wrote a section whereby ev-
erything-real estate, personal prop
erty, money. jewelry and all things
tangible and intangible-wouldb be taxed
at their full value at the rate of $3.50
a hundred. This was admitted to be a
method whereby the residents of the
city of Washington would bear a
doubled tax; to make it unnecessary
for the United States to pay anything
for its big properties here. and to un-
dermine the organic act.
The House took lively interest In the
fight, which was led by Representatives
johnson and Prouty against the District
and by Representatives Crosser and
George for the District. Many friends
of the city developed in unexpected quar-
ters during the fight, and it became one
Of the firm beliefs of the conservative
element in Congress that before any fur
ther attempts are made on the organic act
thorough study of the relations between
the District and the United States should
1,o, do hvya atom orS,iS CIn
Burden to Citizens.
While the defeat of proposed legisla-
tion has made a heavy mark in District
history in this session, the passage of
ending June 80, 1915, contains a section
burdening property owners with a par
tial cost of paving and repairing of
streets. This was known as the Bor-
conference and now in the law pro-
vides that street paving and resurfacing
of streets shall be paid for one-fourth
by the United States, onefourth by the
by the owners of adjacent property, in
all cases Of streets up to forty feet in
width. In the paving and resurfacing
Of streets more than forty feet wide
the property ,, owners ne ,o are to TO-. pay their
mafnder to be borne equally by the
District and the United States.
While the appropriation bill was in
conference a provision was inserted to
the effect that owners Of property Inn
proved by the reclamation of the Ana
costa fats would be assessed as bene-
ATS one-half of the value Of the i'm
provement to their property. The total
amount carried In the appropriation act
was s12,172.539.49, which was $685.
500. 40 in excess of the previous act but
was not entirely pleasing to the Dis
trict because of its failure to provide
for many projects necessary in keeping
Municipal ownership of the street car
systems of the District of Columbia
was brought to the form of bill in
troduced and reported favorably to the
mittee led by Representative Crosser
Of Ohio and opposed In a minority re-
port by Representative Winslow Of
Massachusetts,.
loan shark law by raising the legal
rates and thus allow remedial loan
companies to exist.
The House passed a bill to require
real estate transactions to show in the
papers the true consideration passed
between buyer and seller; a measure
for free rides for policemen and fire.
men passed the House.
Representative Igoe's bill requiring the
owners of property to bear the entire
burden Of sidewalk construction and re-
pair passed the House, but not the Sen
ate. The House also passed the bill
changing the compensation of the audi
tor Of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia from a fee to a salary
basis.
Red Light Bill.
The Kenyon "red light bill" was enact
ed in this session. The so-called "alley
BILL" designed to clean up many alley
slums, was enacted in accordance with
the request Of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson q
few hours before her death.
A law limiting the hours of work for
women in the District to eight hours
per day and to six days in the week
was passed at the solicitation of the Ma
tional Consumers League. The same
league obtained favorable report from
the Senate committee on eduction and
labor on q resolution providing for an