Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-11
VOTES ON AMENDING
DC. BILL TOMORROW
House to Pass on Rejecting
HaIf-and-HaIf Enact
ing Clause.
CRISP EXPECTS REPEAL
OF THE ORGANIC ACT

Johnson's Proposal Specifically
Changes Plan of Paying District
Government Expenses.
The House of Representatives. intends
10 vote. tomorrow on the amendment of
Representative Johnson of Kentucky,
which is intended to take from the
pending District appropriation bill the
wording Ky which one-half the ex-
penses of the District are paid by the
United states. The vote would have oc-
CURED today had not the House ao-
journed out of respect for the memoir!
.f IN. late REPRESENTATIVE Payne of
New York.
The amendment, drawn after consul
tation with precedents and with the
parIiamentarian of the hhouse.
ruled in order as proper anu ger 49,.
late Yesterday by Representative ~
n.r of Texas. who was acting as chalr
man of the committee of the who,e III
v bi,h tn. hill is discussed before ma
vote. 49,, 1ohn
son amendment is, II is hectSS'i ,;
,.cnc,t The opening words OF the bis
trict appropriation bih- ~ THAT
Thev are: BE it enacted. etc lla'
one-haIf of the following sums:
snectively. are appropriated out OF any
$50. ~ me Treasury not otherwise
,pprorriated and the other hali gu, oi
ihe revenues of the D1strict OF -
1uubja in full for the foiiowihS eA-
DeuSeS of the governments VI ~
rict of Columbia
Johnson's Amendment.
rh Johnson amendment makes 1t
read: ros,.c-
tiveIy. are appropriated in full Tor the
following expenses of the s"VerhuleI'
of III. District of Columbia for the
fiscal year ending June 50, 1915; IIl'
all moneys appropriated Tor the
penses of the government OF the D'S
trict of Columbia shall be PAID OUT VI
the revenues of said District to the eN-
tent that they are available. ana 'ne
balance shall be paid out OF money III
the Treasury of the United states MOI
otherwise appropriated. but the amour
to be paid from the Treasury OF tne
United States shall in no event De as
much as one-haIf of said expenses. ana
all laws in confiict herewith are hereby
repealed
In spite of the fact that Representa-
tive Mann of Illinois pointed out that
the amendment went too far. and that
il was tackled on to the wording OF
single bill with the hope and lnten-
ton that it would repeal existing law
the half-and-half principle OF the
organic act-Chairnan Garner ruled 1T
in order as both gerrnane and as com
ing within the well known Holman
rule which permits OF amendments 10
appropriation bills if the amendments
reduce expenses
Repeats Organic Act.
The contention by which Chairman
Garner upheld the amendment was best
expressed by Representative Crisp Of
Georgia, who, it will be remembered. at
tempted to repeal the half-and-half plan
at the previous session of Congress Mr..
Crisp said in arguing the point of order :
II respectfully contend that this
amendment repeats the act OF 1878. ana
it necessarily reduces the amount OF
money appropriated from the public
funds of the Treasury. of the United
states for the maintenance of the Dis
trict of Columbia, because under the
amendment the amount appropriated
from the United States funds can in no
case be as much as one-haf OF the
total amount of the bill. as the pres
ent law requires :
Representative Johnson and other
members of the House believe the
amendment if enacted into the pending
measure will repeal the organic act.
but on this point there is wide differ
ence of opinion in the House
There will be debate of an hour
and half tomorrow, it is scheduled,
before the vote.
School Inquiry Fereshadewed.
The statement that a congressional
investigation of the school administra-
ton would he made and the expected
Offering of the Johnson-Prouty amend
ments to break down the ha1f-and-
half principle of appropriation were
the developments in the general debate
of the District appropriation bill which
started late yesterday
Representative Page. chairman of the
subcommittee in charge of the bill, is
dissatisfied with the present system of
administration in the schools and, as
has been published in The Star. be
l;eves the schools should come directly
under the District government, and
that the District should bear the whole
cost of the school expense.
Tho subject was brought up in the
House yesterday when Representative
Moore of Pennsylvania presented me
mortal signed by several colored resi-
dents speaking of -deplorable condi-
lions" in the colored schools.
Page to Propose Amendment.
Il will say to the gentleman" replied
Representative Page. that it Is my
District bill providing for Il complete
survey of the school system. it's or
-anization and administration, in the
hope that out of an investigation of
this sort and report made by an i'm
partial tribunal may be able by
legislation to So reorganiZe the ad-
ministration of the school affairs Of
this District that equity and Justice
may he administered to every citizen. -
Further. in answer TO Representative
Moore, Representative Page said he
believes the schools should be under
the Commissioners, rather than indi-
rectly under the supreme Court of the
District. which appoints the mem be rs
of the board OF education 1t was this
answer which aroused the interest of
Representative Serene Payne of new
York. who died suddenly a few hours
later In the evening
Reform Wave Is Recalled.
Representative Payne made "a one
minute speech-his last on the floor OF
the House lie said
Mr.. Chairman. 1 want TO say TO the
gentleman that ! am very much in
tercsted In his discussion of this cues
ton. and also his proposition to inves-
this change was made. during a wave
Nothing could stop It, because some
L.,