Evening star., 1914-01-23
The District Bill.

trict bill has started work on that meas
ire and it is announced that no time will
be lost in shaping it for presentation to
the Senate. Gratifying reports are re-
ceived regarding the attitude of the SEN
ators who have this bill in charge with
reference to the half-and-half principle,
and there is ground for believing that
this feeling ON their part goes to the ex-
tent of opposition to the two distinctly
Objectionable and dangerous features OF
the House BILL namsiy the so-called Bor-
land amendment. w3rl puts all the cost
of street Improvement on adjacent prop
erty owners in cases q 'treets less than
forty feet in width and raA cost on widths
IN excess OF forty feet to - divided be-
tween the District and the general gov
erument. and the concluding paragraph
of the bill. framed by the House commit
tee and adopted by the House without
challenge or question. turning back into
th,. federal Treasury as miscellaneous re-
ceipts all District moneys not appro-
priated.
Apart from the heavy cuts made in the
District estimates by the House commit
tee. stripping the District bill of practi-
caIIy all new projects of Importance de-
spite the fact that there is in sight an
abundance of District money to finance
them. these two paragraphs are the sole
points of objection against which the Dis
;ifct's voice is now raised. But they
Involve the vital essence of the organic
act. and their elimination--not their mod
iication in any wise, but their complete
removal from the bills to be expected
as an expression of the Senate subcom-
mittee's adherence to the half-and-half
principle The Borland amendment Is
Objectionable primarily because it reduces
the proportionate contribution OF the
United States for the development OF the
streets of the city. 1t Is wholly out of
keeping with the arrangement effected in
1878 for the maintenance of the National
Capital municipality. Furthermore, 1t Is
distinctly and grossly unfair in its ef-
feet upon the taxpayers OF the Dis
trict who live on streets not yet i'm
proved and who have for years been
contributing to the improvement OF
streets in other sections than their own
on the half-and-half basis and under the
Borland amendment will be called upon
to bear unaided the burden of street i'm
provements for their own immediate ben
eft The unfairness of this proposal is
manifest upon a slight consideration OF
the matter. Most Of the streets of the
District more than forty feet wide have
been improved already, these improve
ments having been effected on the basis
of equal division of the cost between the
District and the general government.
Now that the time has come to make i'm
re tn Sfr to In, hQ nnr hon al
southeast. and suburban sections to ac-
commodate the increase of population in
those parts of Washington, it is proposed
to relieve from the burden of proportion
ate contribution the taxpayers of the sec
tions which have already been improved
on the equal division basis and to throw
the cost Of these street pavings exclusive
ly upon the abutting property owners,
There is no justification .or this discrimi-
nation. The obligation of the United
States to bear half the cost Of the i'm
provement OF the streets is unaffected
by the width Of the thoroughfares and
the Borland amendment, which seeks to
establish such a distinction. should be
taken from the bill and resisted to the
utmost in subsequent adjustment.
If the Commissioner estimates for
uccCcQ Improvements ndQ Deen
honored by the House committee there
would have been no possibility Of such a
surplus as that which the committee in
its draft OF the bill proposes to turn into
the United States Treasury as miscella-
neous federal receipts. Strictly speaking.
under the organic act there can be no
such surplus. inasmuch as in theory the
District money Is raised only to the ex-
tent Of so Der cent Of the appropriation.
Thus the concluding paragraph OF the
District bill Is obnoxious in two respects,
in its very terms violation of the act
Of 1875 and rendered . practical menace
against the District welfare by being ac-
companied by the ignoring Of estimates
and recommendations to such an extent
that a considerable surplus Of the Dis
trict money is rendered possible. The
Senate committee should not merely
write back into the bill the projects of
urgently needed public Improvement rec
commended by the Commissioners, but
should cut out the concluding paragraph.
so that even II there should be in the
final writing Of the measure a surplus
os whatever amount. 1t could not possibly
% treated as federal money.