The Washington herald., 1914-01-06
Score One IN the District.

hC PlCuSC VI thS ShisNo SNot~S IS
good.
When this government promises to
pay, the promise assays one hundred
cents on the dollar.
A microscopic examination of the
fiimsy technical bubbles raised in OPP
position to these steel-clad truths by a
corporars guard in the House of Rep
resentatives last spring fails to develop
substance sufficient to make fodder for
a gnat.
This is a reasonably complete sum-
mary of the decision announced yester-
day by George E. Downey, Comptroller
of the Treasury, to whom was referred
the question whether or not Congress
meant to do what it did in its acts of
1874, 1875, and 1873, that is to say,
assume for the Federal government a
one-half share in the funded indebted
ness of the District of Columbia and
the interest thereon.
No doubt many marveled why Mr..
Downey should have deemed it neces-
sary to consume some twelve thousand
words to prove the nothingness of
nothing. Those who took pains to read
his decision through found the answer
here:
conclusion, since it probably will not be
~aI H. 90, Il he,
question, it may be well to consider, &c.
Claiming no heaven-born gift as
thought readers we care to say that Mr..
Downey was writing thus lengthily his
easy lesson in fiscal finesse for the ben
eft of those few students" on Capt.
tol Hill who won't accept anything that
savors of justice toward the District
of Columbia.
1t was early last year, when the ap-
preparation bill for interest and sinking
fund on the debt of the District was
before the House that these students
urged that the Federal government had
nothing to do with the debt of the Dis
trict or interest, except as guarantor
that the District would pay If, and
that, therefore, the District should re-
fund past payments from the Federal
Treasury. The suggestion aroused just
enough interest to permit the following
timorous and harmless provision to be |
tackled on the appropriation measure:
(Which sum shall be paid out of funds |
and accounted for in accordance with
the acts of Congress in relation
thereto"
This put the question up to the
Treasurer of the United States, cx
officio commissioner of the sinking fund |
of the District of Columbia, who in
turn asked the Comptroller to settle it.
To the ordinary mind it would seem
that Mr. Downey need have gone no
further than to quote from the acts of
1874 and 1875 and then from the or
ganic act of 1873, establishing the half
and-half principle. A clause in the act
of June 20, 1874, as amended by the
act of February 20, 1875, reads:
And the faith of the United States
Is hereby pledged that the United States /
will, by proper proportional appropria-
tons as contemplated in this act, and
by causing to be levied upon the prop
erty within said District such taxes as
will do so, provide the revenue neces-
sary to pay the interest on said bonds
as the same may become due and paw
able, and create a sinking fund for the
payment of the principal thereof at ma
turity. /,
In the act of 1873 Congress, making
good its promise of 1874 and 1875,
adopted one-half as the proper proper
tiona1 appropriation" of the Federal
government. And these acts have been
confirmed in appropriation bills passed
by each succeeding Congress, and
without question until the present chair ,
man of the House District Committee
raised it. He stood almost alone in
the justice of division of
the burden of this indebtedness and
found but little support in his effort to
give his contention standing by means
of technicality. /
Comptroller Downey has disposed ]
of the question of Liability for the Dis I
trictis funded debt finally and complete
". He is entitled to the thanks and
congratulations of District taxpayers
for such conscientious performance of
a laborious task made necessary by the
spirit of hostility to the District man
Tested by the committee of Congress /
which ought at least to give fair ear
10 its rights and just requirements. In
One menace to the District has been t
removed, but others remain with no
Downey in sight to, single-hsnded, lay
hem low. The watchword must be
- 1,.rafsya efort