Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13

Sam arise: ~ For the payment of much
more than one-half of the local commit
nrty's captal-making expenditures from
1890 based on the nations undertaking tc
meet these expenses itself at the founding
of the city. 60 for the repayment t.
Washington of whatever its people hao
raid 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 tPolandl re-
mort of the House committee on the judi
,-iary. June. 1874. said: From a state
ment of expenditures by the government.
nv the Treasury Department IN to y.
We find: the total expenditures 7 20 1871
for Improvements of avenues and streets
10y the government but little over
SlOOO.OOo: during which period the ioca'
government for the District has expend-
I'd over nine times that amo ny
In explaining to the House the bin
which became the organic at Oh iN'S
Representative Hendee said: Since the
seat of government was pernanentis
established in this District. the entiIe
expenditures of the United States 1or
improvements in the District have been
about S9,UOOOO. while the amount paid
by citizeHs of the District for the same
purpose exceeds the sum of s.;i.NnHt IN
other words. the amount taken from the
rockets of citizens of the District and put
into these improvements is about four
times the amount which has been appro-
priated by tho federal government,
make these statements upon data iuF-
-ished from the Treasury Department
ana other departments of the govern
,nenl which give accurately IL" Items,
with dates of appropriations. etc
The report of the Commissioners Of the
District for 1873 gives the figures o. 'the
exhibit which has been prepared p1d, =
tre direction of the Treasury Department
showing all the expenditures made from
ttc national Treasury for national ana
District purposes within tn" District OF
columbia from 1890 TO 1876. Alter De
quoting from the total expenditure of the
people of the District. s22 106,60 of bond
I'd debt tone-half of which the United
states has been paving since 1878, the
Commissioners report that there stu re-
mains an absolutely paid-up expenditure
by the people of the District greater than
that of the United States by SIG 10. 40. a.
In respect to this amount the Commits
sionerS report:
III nm equal division of the rx-
p~pditureS for the local government he
tween the United states nnd the Dis
srIct of Columbia In just one. 49, u
now admitted, then tho I nitcd states
!. In equity n debtor I" the District OF
Columbia above shown"
In the course OF newspapeT articles
printed in lsSS. ! elaborated this "quiti-
ble claim of the District. saying:
The main public expense vi the WORK
Is rccreating the city is represented nE
= present debt Of more than S2n"""5
nearly all of which has been incurred ny
officials placed over the affairs of the
District Ivy the general government IN
carrying out those magnificent inten-
tons concerning the capital. winch oN
the original plan the nation and not 'he
District was to execute. II. By ans rea-
SoninS the citizens of Washington can
ne held legally or morally Responsible
for this debt. il must he said. as Was re-
marked 10y Senator Southland IN the SIM
lar case of 1885,. that they have oeen
'rnisled into expenditures which do NOT
properly belong to them
There can be little complaint of inJus
lice OH the part of Congress i'll its treat :
Ment of the capital so far as outlaEs OF
tho present are concerned. If tn" DIS
trict has 4 grievance i'll this respect II
consists in the fact that the same prln-
ciple Of dividing expenses which now pre-
walls has not been applied 10 previous
OUTLAWS with the result of re!nipursihs
The District for past expenditures beyond
its proportion. 1t is difficult to see how.
with justice and consistency. TINS ieiin-
hursement can be avoided by Congress
The general government. by the tact OF
planning a magnificent capital COVERING
large area and characterized by broiiG
streets. avenues and reservations TO an
extent unsuitable for a self-supportIng
commercial city. and by founding TINS
capital in place comparatively uihhhao-
tied. as well as by the terms OF the par
the declarations of its representatives AT
the founding of the city and afterwaro.
showed an intention to build up ma
tional city. at the nations expense on a
grand scale. irrespective OF the future
population OF the District. The capital
was 10 be primarily a center of federal
action. and the occupation of the ground
by settlers was merely incidental TO this
great purpose.
It was to be meeting place for the
nvrd n
the people of the entire Union. and the ex-
pense of it's support and adornment was
not 10 be limited by the scanty resources
OF what permanent population II might
acquire Probable favoritism toward tnis
population was the ground OF one OF tne
arguments against the ratification of the
clause of the Constitution which pro
Vides for the ten miles square IN the
Virginia convention Patrick Henry said
The people within that place may De
excused from all the burdens imposed on
the rest of society and may enjoy eN-
elusive emoluments to the great injury
OF the rest of the people AND IN the
course of pamphlet discussion respecting
rho government of the District protest
was entered against Congress meeting
NIL Of the needs of the capital, on the
ground that the independence and sef-re
spect of its citizens would be degraded.
congress seems for long time to have
Obcyed this protest so far as TO render no
assistance whatever worthy the name in
he work of capital making For more than
,hirty vcars during which period 500 W9
had been realized from the sale of lots
tledged for the benefit OF improvements.
its expenditures upon streets and ave-
uues. which were its exclusive property,
were less than 500 per year. ard its an
NAL appropriations since that time until
a recent period in the city's history have
been widely varying in amount. and at
the best inadequate. In ISIS the govern
rnent. which had in the beginning i'm
piiedly undertaken TO meet all the eN-
peises % capital making. and then shift
ed that burden in the main upon private
citizens. decided that justice required II
TO pay one-half of the Districts eN-
penses THE payment Of this proportion
by the United States had been urged by
senator Southland in 1850. He also advo-
Gated reimbursement to the District OF
whatetc it had expended in the past be-
yond its Just proportion. Congress has
followed only onc-half Of senator South
ards advice. II justice REQUIRES that the
government should pay certain proper
tion OF District expenses now, both Justice
and consistency demand that il should
pay the same proportion OF the expenses
~ the years Of its indifference and neg
loct \ balance should be struck. and
whatever sum is necessary to make the
expenditures OF the general government
Ypon the capital equal 10 those Of its
citizens for the City's life should be cred
tied To the District.
Restating Nation-Capital Account.
" htle the nation up to 1873 exnctct
~ excessive and oppressive rontribu-
si"a from the local taxpayers townrt
Ihnt date !! ns required NIL that could h.