Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-12
JOHNSON PROPOSAL
|SFALSELY BASED
CONTINUED from First PageD

day for wise and economical mainte-
| nance and upbuilding of the capital
! The District Commissioners, in their
recent estimates (for the now current
| fiscal year,. proposed for next year
| (1914-15), an expenditure of the Dis
| tr1ct revenues under the act of lS.S
which provided a maximum of mamie
| nance and a minimum of permanent
development. Great plans of public
| Improvement, like the Great Falls
water power project, were postponed
| because the revenue was not imine-
diately available. The characteristic
| feature of the Commissioners pro-
posals was the fostering OF projects
| for the betterment of conditions at
| fecting the people of the community
| along the lines of health. education,
mental and moral upift.
| The House cut down the Commission
ers estimates BY S3.O00.o00 emitting or
| reducing such items as the following;
! Physical valuation of public utilities
! (Which was carried elsewhere), sllo.-
900: municipal hospital. 100000: inc
briate hospital. $4,000: central store
| mouse, S1S6.00o: municipal market
| ,plans). $1,000: new bathing beaches,
| SSi,3s6: Patterson tract park. S3io-
900; reconstruction of wharves. $5O,o"":
fish wharf and market, Sl23,>oo: Ben
ming road viaduct. $4,000: repaving
part of eth street. 100000: resurfac-
ing approaches to Highway bridge.
Avenue bridge, $60.ooo: Fairgrounds
PRODUCTION of. s65,53o; public con-
venience stations, $4,000: teachers
| longevity pay Creduction). S62,933;
| altering and remodeling public school
buildings and grounds. 100000: new
school buildings (reduction). 100000;
police increase, S2S,595: permanent inn
provements fire department. $4,000:
, improvement of Eastern Branch Hats,
100000.
Proposed Improvements Necessary.
Are not these items all wise and eco
nomical expenditures for the capital?
If any of them are not approved by
Congress is there not Il long list of
crying needs of the District along 9TH
er lines which Congress may in part
substitute for the Commissioners pro-
posals if its best Judgment dictates this
course"
An unwise law prevents the Commits
sioners from suggesting to Congress
any alternative methods of eXpendlng
the District revenues and confines
them to a single line of proposals
within the limits of the probable reve-
nues. The result follows that if Con-
gress disapproves any suggested eX-
penditure there remains an unexpended
surplus of District revenue, unless
Congress substitutes some other wise
expenditure in its place. If Congress
does not substitute some better method
proposed by the Commissioners and re-
jected by Congress. the Districts leg
islature is blamable. The reasoning
which treats this failure of Congress
needs of the District sufficient to alb
sorb the available revenues as proof
of the absence of such needs and of an
excess of local revenue is fallacious
and palpably unjust.
Every dollar of available District
revenue under the act of 1878 is abso-
lutely needed and should be now ap-
piled by Congress % to adequate cur
rent maintenance. bringing neglected
branches up to the mark; (2) to per-
manent public improvements and prof.
ects of development, adding to the
municipal plant for the benefit of pos
ton; and so to payment of the legiti
mate floating debt of the District, in
GLIDING newly discovered Indebtedness
like that in connection with the heavy
additional charge against the District
taxpayers for the care at st. Eliza
bethS of such Of the nations insane as
have been arbitrarily and nominally
treated in the past as hailinG from the
District.
Under the previous local adnlinistra-
ton the amount of District revenue not
absolutely needed for current munic-
ipal maintenance was used largely in
great national projects at the capital,
increasing the attractiveness and incl
dentally improving the health of the
city. Under the preseEt local admin
istration the plan is to utilize the
funds left after current maintenance
needs are met in the physical. mental
and moral betterinent of the people of
the community as distinguished from
the material city. Every dollar raised
is not expended in meeting current
needs is needed and should be spent in
capital development along one or the
other of the two lines above indicated,
N,. . CHI 1Nn nrti hot
them. so that both the city as capital
and the people of the capital commu-
nifty may be benefited
Every Dollar Is Needed.
The truth that every dollar of this
revenue is needed for capital mainte-
nance and development is not altered by
the fact that some Congressman after
cutting down current maintenance ap-
preparations TO the lowest point would
make little provision for capital develop
meHt along either of these lines. and
would seize for the United States the
surplus of District revenues thus un-
lawfully created either on the preteSt
of some imaginary ancient debt or of Il
refunding of some payment alleged to
have been improperly made for the Dis
trict by the nation, or by turning this
unlawful surplus into the Treasury AS
misccllaneous receipts, and thus de-
voting District funds to national uses.
Examination of what has been accom-
plished in past administrations in munic-
ipal betterment by this District revenue
above the cost of current municipal
maintenance and of what the present
Commissioners proposed to accomplish
with it in such municipal betterment and
of the outstanding projects of capital de-
velopment like the Anacostia fats re-
cIama ton. Great Falls power develop
ment and high-pressure fire-ighting sys-
TEN for the business section will con-
vince any unbiased investigator that
much more than the revenues derived
under the organic act can wisely and
economically and in the public interest
be expended ON the wonderfully develop
ing capital.
Since the tax burden imposed upon the
Washingtonian by the present system is
rea sonable, neither too light nor much
too heavy, and since the fund derived
| from this reasonable taxation, when
doubled. will not exceed the amount re-
quired for capital maintenance and de-
velopment no change or disturbance
| of the existing financial relation should
| for moment be considered.
rnrnvnnr ut IT'D ETErTION