Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-11


tional obligation in respect to the cap
ital and fixed an annual measure of
equitable participation by the nation
| in capital maintenance and upbuilding,
which should be observed in the years
when Congress, absorbed in national
concerns. cared little one way or the
other. about capital affairs, and would
| be likely to neglect the capital and
cause it to suffer if required to fix
afresh each year the amount of it's
proportionate contribution.
| The evil of congressional exclusive
legislation for the District has been
not so much congressional hostility as
congressional indifference and neglect.
| In the absence of any definite eouita-
BILE rule of degree of participation that
was recognized by Congress the CAPT.
tai was shamefully neglected by the
nation for three-fourths of a century,
and for this period, by reason of the
failure of the nation to meet the hon
orable obligations incurred at the Gre
alton of the city, the capital became
and continued in appearance unkempt
and d1sreputable, in finances a periodi-
cal bankrupt through no fault of its
own-altogether reproach to itself
and shame to the nation.
Since the act of 1878 the nation pur
suing an equitable, clearly defined
| policy (under the half-and-half provi-
sion) has by wise. economical and in
! diligently liberal expenditure built up
one of the most attractive capitals of
| the world, no longer reproach and
shame, but the object of patriotic pride.
Since through lack of this definite
| standard of national contribution the
nation fell far short of meeting it's Ma
| tional Capital obliga ton from 1900 to
| 1878; since the nation since 1873 has
| occasionally fallen short of meeting its
own fixed half-and-half standard; and
since certain legislators of today, con-
spicuous and influential, are earnestly
contending that there should be no ma
tional participation at all in capital
| maintenance, the suggestion that if the
! half-and-half provision were destroy
ed and the percentage of contribution
| left to chance this percentage might be
| increased over one-half is obviously
| delusive. The most supplemented could
! hardly deceive himself or permit him
| self to be deceived by it. Repeal of the
half-and-half provision destroys the
| capitals shield and buckler and leaves
| it exposed, helpless, to the attacks OF
its enemies.
The fiercest assaults upon the half
! and-half provision are made by those
! who contend that local taxation alone
can readily and without injustice raise
much greater revenue than is need
ed for capital maintenance. All Wash
ingtonians know that the alleged facts
cited by these men are 1maSlnatlonS
and that their financial program means
Inevitable bankruptcy for Washington.
If with the aid of thoughtleSs and IN
considerate friends of the District these
enemies of Washington break down
the half-and-half provision. and leave
the amount of national participation to
shift with the caprice OF successive
individual legislators. the capital VIII
have a Damocles Sward hanging over
it continually. to fall at any moment
Change Unnecessary and Untimely.
The substitution of an uncertain for
ticipatfon in capital making, MS pro-
posed in section 8. Is untimely. being
for the prexent Mt least unnecessary.
promising little good and threatening
much harm.
Those who believe Gas Senator Nor
rill believed in the seventies of the last
century, that the United States should
collect from the capital community
reasonable, moderate tax, not excess
sive when compared with the average
tax burden of the American who lives
in city. and should then appropriate
whatever additional amount is required
10 maintain and develop suitably the
nations city with its magnificent ma
tional plan should not disturb the. law
of 1878, for in practice and in actual
application it works out in general &C
cordance with their wishes. The cap
tal enjoys the benefit of fixed. eauit-
able standard OF national participation
in capital-making under the half-and-
half plan and also in it's practical APP
plication a large measure of the fex-
Utility Of the Morrill, plan.
The law of 1878 contemptates care
full statement of the Districts legisla-
tive needs by the Commissioners in the
form of estimates. revision of these
estimates by the Secretary of the
Treasury. an appropriation of the
amount of these estimates to the ex-
tent that Congress approves them, and
then, and not till then, the collection
as taxes from the local community of
precisely one-half the amount of this
appropriations, no more and no less.
But in practice and in fact Congress
imposes reasonable tax upon the cap
ital community in advance of the ap-
preparation, and if it fails thereafter
to appropriate twice the amount of the
tax thus raised in conformity with the
direction of the organic act, it has in
the past disposed as it pleased of the
surplus thus unlawfully created, spend
ing it on the District without duplica-
ton, or diverting it to purposes more
national than local, or (the lawful and
equitable way) holding it to the credit
of the District to be duplicated at some
future time when it is needed.
Thus the nation, while it did not
enact the Morrill, proposition in 1878,
and did adopt the plan of arbitrary an
nual half-and- half division of capital
expenditures, in it's practicaL-aPplica-
ton of the law has drifted into the
use of the Morrill, proposition to the
extent at least of giving lexibility to