Evening star., 1914-08-06
CARAWAy REPORTS ON
D. c. EMPL0YE BILL
Argues for Civil Service and Nation
Wide Selection of Local
0fficeholders.

Two reports reached the House today
from the District committee of the House
on Representative Caraway's two bills, af-
fecting the appointment TO places under
the District government. and the bill to
wipe out the law which makes 1t neces-
sary that a civilian Commissioner of the
District must be a resident of the Dis
trict.
Although ostensibly given favorable
report by the committee. the Caraway
bills were reported on by Representative
Caraway himself. following a meeting at
which merely a handful of members were
present.
Concerning the bill to allow District
Commissioners to come from any locality
in the United States and island territories,
Representative Caraway says:
THE government of the District of Co
lumbia is not local, but national. The
fathers in fixing the seat of government
in a federal district, under the control of
the federal government desired that the
capital should be national, and should ap-
peal to all the people, and should be a
model in government.
Choice of Commissioners.
This being true, it was neither wise
nor patriotic to limit the choice of Com
missioners of the District to people re-
siding within it's bounds, for it frequently
happens that one is not able to view dis
passionately and in a broad and states
man like manner issues that are purely
local.
1.-The fight now being waged by certain
interests against one of the present Com
missioners because he advocated a fair
readjustment of the proportional tax to be
borne by the federal government is suffi-
cient evidence of this statement. and
makes imperative the demand that this
condition be remedied."
The other bill, to distribute half the
positions under the District government
to the country at large, is commented on
by Representative Caraway in his report
as follows:
1T is manifestly unfair that all the
people should be required to pay SO large
proportion of the expenses OF the Dis
trict government, approNimating S60O0,-
00O annually, and indirectly many mil
lions more, and yet all the benefits de-
rived from the expenditure of these varl-
Gus sums be enjoyed by the comparative
ly few people who reside within the Dis
trict.
All Share in Benefits.
''The contention is constantly put forth
by interests Shirking the burdens of tax
alton that the District of Columbia is the
seat of the national government; that all
the people have just pride in its mainte-
nance, and that all should be taxed for
that purpose. If this is true, it necessari-
ly follows that all should share in what
ever benefits that flow therefrom.
Again, it is asserted that places of en-
ployment in the District of Columbia have
been given to politicians, evidently with
the understanding. expressed or implied,
that influences would be brought to bear
to increase the amount of appropria tions
by the federal government for the bene-
fit of the people residing in the District.
"In other words. that favoritism has
been the rule in appointments to places
provisions of the bill proposed these
places of employment will be filled
through civil service examinations, and
only those qualified for the special work