Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13

\ dSSreSatlnS nllllOnS OIL OOliaTS III value
| with which they have adorned the city
and swelied its taxable property Nearly
| all the work of street improvement and
capital making for three-fourths Of a
| century was done by them. Under tins
| burden they worked themselves into viz
| tuaI bankruptcy in 1875. and SO in re-
! creating the city after 1870 tie main eX-
| pense of the achievement was represent
] ed by the grievouS debt of some S2'Hp
| 900 In both cases they took upon them
| selves national burdens and were led bS-
/ public-spirited motives. as the Senate
! committee reported in 1885, into eXpendi-
! lures which did not properly belong to
/ them.
| TIL. nations obligation of propertioa-
| ate contribution toward the mantena,lc g
and development of the federal Distr. |
| is equitable in its nature. based primarily
on the circumstances % the capitals org
inal crea ton, and sscondarily on present
and continuous conditions enforcing both
the original and renewed obligation
upon the nation as the untaNed owner OF
a large fraction OF Washington real es-
tate and of over 5000 acres of the uE-
plated portion of the federal District
The oblsatio is lust and as binding
today as il was at the beginning o. the
century National recognition of this OBJ
legation is crysia llzed in tte organic q (
Of ISIS That act should be faithfully am!
thoroughly oDeyed and sustained. both III
letter and in Spirit Y should MOI he a.
tackled. directly OF indirectly. Openly ~"
&
peal % by undermining the Law auo 90
stroying il peCemeal as by coninins MS
applica ton to limited porti"n % tha
federal District. or by nuiiifHinS the SPIT |
of the legislation through numerous en-
ceptions in euactiug laws and making
spe, ifiy appropriations hosti. TO ITS m
/ tent.
Maintenance intact Of tho organic act
is not only point Of honor Win the ma
ton bat is stroilgl; urged by { }e dr.
III,
when the national obligation, tardtiy rec
ognized by the organic act IN iN'S. was
neglected. the capital was national
shame. byword ard reproach. Since
the nation has returned even hall way 10
its original obligation the capital has be-
come an object of national affection. III
whose attractiveness and IN whose Wei
fare the whole American people take
pride In place of the discreditabe. stray
Cling neglected village OF the period of
national Indifference there has risen the
capital of today wherein the eye IS pleased
by all that both nature and art have done
to adorn the most beautiful citX on inc
continent In its honest economical and
effective municipal government. in its as
phalt pavementS, in its system OF SHADE
trees in its underground trolley system
of rapid transit. in its broad streets and
avenues almost entirely free of over
head wires. and in its numerous and dl-
versifed parks. il has become model
among the municipalities of the world.
thorough search for equities i'll favo-
of the District. pre-eSisting IN 'S4S or
arising since that date through DIS
obedience of the organic act, should be
made.
To offset the anti-District accountants
whom the District has been compelled to
employ there should be q District ac-
countant who should not only dig up Dis
trict equities prior to 1878. but should
work out carefully the millions due the
District on account of violations by the
United States since 1875 of the half-and-
half provisions of the organic act. The
only District of Columbia taxation author
lied and directed by law is that to raise
one-half of the amount of District appro-
priations previously made by Congress ii
the law is followed there is no possibility
of a surplus of District money. unmatch-
ed by United States dollars Indeed. the
latter are under the law put up first. hut
in practice Congress has repeatedly col
lected more in District taxes than it has
matched either before or after the levy.
and has expended this surplus without
duplication in violation of the law. The
account of such expenditures should be
stated: some one representing the DIS
trict should be among the accountants
and the amount found in equity to be due
the District should be credited to it.
Pleading the Baby Act.
The House District committee standing
4
Washington is concerned. causes Uncle
Sam to say. as trustee and guardian, to
his National Capital ward: las bust
ness man I am a simple. irresponsible
Harold Skimpole sort Of child. In
1s16-7s through my Secretary of Treas
ury, 7 broke the law to advance the
interest on your bonded debt. In the
same years, through my Secretary of
Treasury. in violation of the law. I failed
| to reimburse myself from sufficient funds
| OF yours in my possession. In 1878. when
| the financial relations between us were
| finally settled and adjusted in the COM
promise agreement and pledge OF the or
| ganic act, / stupidity imagined that this
claim or equity of mine was. with all
other claims and equities on both sides,
| merged offset and settled. Being more
than ffty-seven different varieties of a
| fool ] have entertained this silly notion
ever since expressing it by the inaction
OF every Congress since that date and by
| the action and declaration to this erect
| of the controller of the Treasury in the
democratic administration of 1856. and b>
the tacit assent to this doctrine OF an 1875
ministration since 1878
But now | have seen a new light
NAV have been all sorts of fool-and l
confess it-but | am not such simpleton
under my new guidance as not to transfer
10 my own pocket from your trust money
in my possession the amount which !
might have taken from YOU in lSt6-tS and
did not j find that YOU cannot produce