The Washington herald., 1914-06-19
TAX PLAN I0BE
FIXED BE BOARD!
Special House Committee viii
Pave Way for Commis-
sion Of Inquiry.
REPORT DUE JANUARY l
Action May End Deadlock Of the Con-
: freres on the Half-and-Half
System in Budget.
NJ JOSEPH ?. ANNIN.

NJ JOSEPH p. ANNIN.
Settlement of the controversy over the
half and half plan Of Federal appropri-
atoms for the District, by . nonpartisan
commission. foiloVing . careful fnvesti-
gation. was proposed by the House Dis
| trict Committee yesterday.
committee Of fye members-Repre-
sentatives Prouty, chairman. and Cara
way. O'Leary. Mapes and Ciaypool-was
appointed to report out . joint resolu-
ton calling for the investigation pro-
posed. The committee will consider res
olutions offered for this purpose BY Rep
resentatives Cooper. Of Wisconsin;
Prouty. Of Iowa. and O'Leary. OF New
York.
Nay Fad Deadlock.
The action Of the District Committee
may result In the early withdrawal Of the
House confreres from their insistence
upon the acceptance by the Senate OF
Section S-of the District appropriation
bill. Section 8 or the Page rider. seeks
to wipe out the existing controversy and
the half-and-half plan At one and the
same time by providing that all excess
revenues Of the District for which Con-
gress fails to nnd use shall be diverted
into the general fund OF the Treasury,
Mr. Page, chairman Of the House CON-
freres on the District bill has contended
strenuously for his legislative rider In
this ha has been backed by the House on
the one occasion when the House con-
freres reported their inability to reach
an agreement and asked for instructions.
However, the action Of the District Com
mittee yesterday throws some OF those
who hitehrso have been Mr.. Pages strong
N air ina
plan for the settlement Of the half-aud-
half controversy.
Pages support weakeacd.
To this extent, Mr. Pages support
obviously Is weakened. Furthermore, as
the committee charged with the direc-
ton of District legislation. and as the
committee which should be looked upon
to initiate any changes In the present
relationship, the District Committee Is
certain to draw to its contention a strong
following, much of which will be taken
from the Page forces
Mr.. Page is not particularly enamored
Of the idea of settling the controversy
by a commission He has always op-
posed investigating commissions whose
functions are to shape legislation. He u
particularly opposed to q commission
made up In part of nonmembers.
The Prouty subcommittee will meet for
the first time Tuesday morning. Un-
less the ideas Of q majority Of its men,
bers change before II will report out a
Joint resolution calling for the appoint
ment Of a commission composed Of mem
bers OF the House and Senate. non
residents of the District to be appointed
by the President, and residents Of the
District. either the Commissioners or to
be appointed by the President.
May Furnish Frnmeworix.
Judge Prouty's resolution probably will
furnish the framework upon which the
committee will work. The Prouty reso-
luton. as now framed. calls for a COM
mission comprising three members. each
of the House and Senate. three nom
residents of the District, to be named
by the President, and the three District
Commissioners.
The o'Leary resolution calls for three
members. each of the House and Senate.
and three residents OF the District. to
be appointed by the President.
The Cooper resolution provides for two
members. each Of the House and Senate,
three nonresident members. and two resi-
dents of the District, the last five to be
appointed by the President
The resolution will instruct the COM
mission particularly to report on the
feasibility. IL 1t Is feasible. Of a self
government orsanization in the District.
1t will also instruct the commission to
ascertain as nearly as possible what
would be fair rate OF taxation for the
District, according to the standards of
other cities. II will instruct the COM
mission. further. to ascertain and report
It's findings as to the extent for which
the United States should be held re-
sponsible for the expenses of the District,
whether there should be Federal con-
tribution and. IL so. whether that Federal
contribution should be a fixed annual sum
or a proportionate part Of the total ex-
penses.
May Report by New Year.
It is probable the resolution will in
struct the commission to conclude its
Investigation and make its report not
later than January /. next.
As there Is strong sentiment in the
District Committee in favor of the settle
ment of the existing controversy only
after q nonpartisan Investigation and
report, II is probable that the Prouty
subcommittee will agree upon the form
Of resolution It will recommend to the
full committee without much trouble.
There will. of course. be a determined
effort to provide for an exclusively Con-
gressional joint committee. II Is prob
able, however. that any movement along
this Vn- u-ill he killed In committee