Evening star., 1914-07-15
Committee Of One Hundred
Gratified That Congress
Saves HaIf-and-HaIf Plan

While regretting the departure from
the method Of uniform Improvement of
the highways Of the District of Column
bia out of the general appropriation fund
as provided in the District appropria-
tion bill agreed to by both houses of
Congress yesterday. the committee of 100
Is rejoicing today that the Borland
amendment in its original form has been
defeated and that the 'half-and-half'
principle has not been violated, accord
ing to a statement made by Henry B. F.
Macfarland, chairman of the executive
committee.
Every intelligent American. here and
elsewhere" said Mr.. Macfarland. will
rejoice in the death of all the measures
which four months ago SO seriously
threatened the life of the .half-and-half'
plan. Patriotic constituents of the sena-
tors and representatives who have de-
feated that hostile legislation will be as
grateful to them as We who live here
and who better understand the danger in
which the National Capital then stood.
We knew that the five measures which
had then passed the House with less than
100 members out of the 435 present in
any one case, and the George-Johnson-
Prouty measures which were just about
to follow would destroy the progress of
the equitable arrangement embodied in
what the United States Supreme Court
called the organic act of 1878 by which
all that progress was made possible.
aenaced Capitals Future.
Now that the danger Is over. it is
easy to minimize it. but 1T was so
threatening in March last that the COM
munity felt that extraordinary efforts
were required, and therefore created the
committee Of one hundred. That COM
haA ~,
carried out the plan submitted March
II by the executive committee which 1t
had appointed March Z. under which the
ment. have been presented to Congress
in the confident expectation stated from
the beginning that it was only neces-
sary to get all the facts before all
the senator's and representatives to in
sure wise and just action.
"By Interviews sought by their per-
eonal friends; by letters from others;
through national civic organizations
having membership of over one million.
and especially through the newspapers
here and elsewhere. including the organs
Of organized labor: the facts were
brought to the attention of every SEN
ator and representative as never before:
A large number of patriotic citizens and
examinations co-Operated in this exer-
else Of the right of petition. All of
this work has been purely voluntary.
or employees. and no receipts, except
from the assessment of 81 apiece on
its members. which has more than suf-
feed for the modest expenditures for
printing. stationery and postage 1t
has declined other contributions.
No Adverse Comments.
1T is a matter Of pride to US all that nc
adverse comment has been made upon
any of the acts of the committee, nor
has any one been able to challenge any
of its statements of fact. The committee
has relied entirely upon the facts drawn
from reports of congressional committees
and bulletin No. 11s of the United States
census, giving all the statistics as to tax
alton of the cities having over 10000 pop
uiation in 1912. This bulletin the onl,
authoritative document on the subject