The Washington herald., 1914-03-17
APPEAL MADE
FOR DISTRICT
Monday Evening Club Urged
to Help Preserve Half
and-Half" Plan.
SOCIAL WORK AT STAKE
H. B. F. Macfariand Tells Members
Progress of Crusades Is Threatened
by Pending Legislation.

That Congress through the proposal to
abolish the Nhalf-and-ha1f plan threat
ems to halt rapid social and moral prog
ress in the National Capital was as
serted last night by Henry B. F. Mac
farland, chairman of the Citizens Com
mittee OF One Hundred. in an appeal to
the Monday Evening Club for aid in
preserving the present system OF paying
the expenses of Washington.
Mr. Macfarland, former District Com
missioner and author OF the articles on
THE Nations Relations with Its Cap
ital Citsr,' published IN The Washington
Herald. addressed the club at a meeting
in the Public Library and explained how
the purposes for which the club was or
ganized cannot be accomplished II the
half-and-half plan is abolished. He de-
clared proposed dangerous legislation is
due largely TO lack Of knowledge OF ali
facts involved.
Would Destroy Clubs Progress.
"Of the twenty-four items in the social
program for the District adopted by this
club a year ago. said Mr.. Macfarland,
almost every one depends upon an ap-
preparation by Congress. This club IL.
therefore, vitally interested in the ef-
forts now being made TO protect the
progress of the National Capital by pre-
venting legislation intended to destroy
the 'half-and-half arrangement under
which all that progress has been made
during the past thirty-five years. With
cut regular continued contributions Of
Cne-haf by the United States or rather
by the rest of our 95OOO.O0O fellow-coun-
tIymen at the per capita rate of cents
a piece per year that progress will be
halted.
While l was District Commits
sioner. from 1900 to 1910. we recon-
mended all of the items in your social
program which had then been sug-
gested. and that covers more than
two-thirds of them. The rest are
chiefly amendments to laws which
were then secured, like the Juvenile
Court and probation system. child Ia
Dor law. and playground legislation.
We were asked by Congress then to
wait while they paid off too rapidly
the floating debt incurred for the ex-
traordinary improvements OF the dec
ade There was enough money for
both the physical and moral progress
recommended If the debt had not been
paid so rapidly.
Now that il has been paid. the
physical and moral progress of the
Capital is threatened by seven meas
suFes, four of which have passed the
House. destroying the "half-and-half'
arrangement and putting the whole
burden of the Capital on the few peo-
pIe who live here. This is contrary
to the purpose of the founders and to
the wishes of the patriotic people of
the country, none of whom have ever
protested to Congress against the pres
ent arrangement and all of whom ara
proiid of whatever progress has been
made under it.
Facts Are Not Known.
Mt is lack of knowledge of the facts
which is chiefly responsible for this
dangerous legislation II, while We were
asking for social program year ago,
we had also told the new Senators and
Representatives the reasons for the half
and half arrangement, the National
Capital would not now be in peril. As II
is the House in the District appropria-
ton bill provided none of the items rec
commended by you and by the District
Commissioners. The Senate Committee
has provided for four of them.
IF you want these four retained and
if you want other similar items in the
future, work not for them alone. but for
the maintenance of the system which
makes them all possible. We. can trust
the wisdom and justice of Congress when
Congress is informed of the facts Our
duty is to exercise the right of petition
by laying the facts before them indi-
vidually.
This should be done systematically
year after year: otherwise the things
which all patriotic Americans desire to
make their National Capital as nearly
perfect as possible will be lost in the de-
struCtion Of the financial arrangement
provided by the organic act"
resolution commencing those por-
lions of the. District appropriations bill
containing recommendations for addi-
tons TO social work in the District was
adopted unanimously, the club going on
record as especially recognizing the
provision for a new municipal hospital.
school nurses, probation officers, and WIS.,
itors for the Board of ChiIdren's Guard
ians.''
The resolution also authorized officers
and members of the executive committee
If the club ito use all proper means in
an effort to have the Senate amendments
accepted by the corferees and enacted
into law" The club unanimously adopt
ed the following resolution:
Loan Shark Law Amendment.
The Monday Evening Club urges upon
Congress the prompt passage OF the bill
recommended by the Commissioners
amending the loan shark law
THE opinion expressed when the law
was passed that the low rate would keep
capital from going into the business has
been fully confirmed. But one company
has taken out a license, and in spite of
earnest efforts 1t has not only not been
able to secure any additional capital
whatever, but has impaired the capital
/ did have by the loss of several thou
sand dollars in an effort to conform to
az -