The Washington times., 1914-04-08
URGES ABOL|SH|NG
ALF-AND-HALF PLAN
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Che District service. nave taken a par
Sicular appropriation bill and have tried
20 set down in separate columns the
amounts of the appropriation which
ought to he paid by the United States
for national reasons and the amounts
that ought to be paid by the District
for municipal reasons. but have found
that it is utterly impossible 10 make
that separation.
In the projects and services Of the
District government. almost without eX-
Ception. the national element and the
municipal element are SO tnterlocked,
interviewer, and overlapping that the
expenditure cannot be separated into
national and municipal parts.
That being the case, and / know that
il is, don't you see how impossible 1t
becomes to maintain successfully that
the division of expense should be half
and-half?
Is Economically Unsound.
While 1 have given az another rca-
son for abolishing the half-and-half'
thc fact that il is the cause OF the
present controversy. that reason IS
really secondary 10 that which l have
iusl outlined. or rather it is a conse-
uuence The tact that the half-and-
half cannot be justified in equity from
tne standpoint OF either the District or
the United States must inevitably pro-
ducs just such situation as we nave
today.
The hnIf-Hnd-hah Is economically
unsound. 1t Is moi based upon justice
and truth, and, therefore, such things
ss we try TO do I'm Justice and truth
on that foundation, naturally VIII not
stnnd.
another evidence OF the fact that
our trouble is the half and-haf has
been revealed to me by dozens of mem
bers of Congress; l have never yet
TALKED to a member of Congress who
advocated placing the whole cost Of
the District government upon the peo-
pie of the District. Every one of them
has stated that the Government ousht
TO make provision in some form ana
upor som e basis for a contribution to
the support of he District gve.nment,
but almost WITHOUT exception, they have
objected to the half-and-half, because
il does not admit of any tangible e1-
plaDation in justice and equity Tor It's
existence.
Who Pays the Bill?
The manner in which the existence
ef the half-and-half plan has placed
all District affairs on a basis of "whs
pays the bill and has practically made
impossible the consideration OF the mer-
its Of any District question is Illus
trated by the following incident:
d
District Committee on a hill to per
init policemen and firemen to ride free.
on street cars when in uniform, one
member of the committee said:
II do not think the street car COM
panies should be required to render
this service free. nor do l think the
policemen and fremen-the former be-
ing an important instrumcntality for
enforcing the law-should be permitted
10 accept such sratuities. l cannot see
any more reason for allowing the po-
1icemen or firemen to ride free and
requiring the companies to transport
them than for permitting any other
District officers. agents, or inspectors
TO ride free, and to require the COM
panies to transport them. think po-
1icemen and firemen should he on the
same basis as inspectors and others,
who are provided with street car tick
cts whenever thev travel on a street
car on business for the District"
Two members of the committee eN-
claimed:
THAT won't DO at all: you forget
that the United States would pay for
half CT every one of those strcec car
tickets
Situation Inevitable.
Such consideration OF such a GTes-
ton is inevitable so long as the half
and-half plan obtains. The seriousness
of the present situation can be under
stood when it is realized that every
thing pertaining to the District. be It
great or small important or non-im-
portant, is discussed and treated in
similar manner.
In ike manner, the consideration and
discussion by the citizens of the District
Of every question pertaining to the lis-
trfct is based upon the half and-half
idea. On the one ha9,i Is the feIr that
1.-The United States is paying too much
ard on the other hand Is the fear that
the District is paying too much.
In consideration Of how much the
United States should contribute toward
the District Government qnd how it
should contribute it, two obvious facts
should b. realized.
The people of the United States want
the city of Washington 10 he a great,
beautiful, magnificent, wholesome
Capital, conducted on magnificent
scale.
There IL NOT within the District of
Columbia sufficient private property
properly subject TO taxation TO bear
the expense of establishing and main
tanning that kind of city.
II these are ohvious facts, it must be
eGLally obvious that in some form the
United States must pay part Cf the
expense os establishing and maintain
ing this city.
Possible Basis for Relations.
First-The half-and-half plan. by
Nhich Congress, in 1857, provided that
one-half Of the money appropriated
each year for the District Of Columbia
should be paid from the Federal Treas
my. This plan is undesirable, for the
reasons hitherto set forth.
Second-An arrangement whereby the
contribution by the United States should
be fixed at q percentage different from
One-half Every one Of the reasons that
make the half-and-half undesirable