The Washington herald., 1914-12-15
Again the Senate Must Save.

The duty again falls upon the Senate to save
the government of the District of Columbia from
hopeless ENHANCEMENT and the Capital of the
United States from being seriously retarded in its
growth and progress. The House yesterday by a
surprisingly large vote and majority adopted the
Ben Johnson amendment to the District appropria-
ton bill, destroying the principle upon whiehsthe
organic act of 1873 erected and providing moth
ing in its place. A casual glance at the vote would
indicate that the maintenance of the Nations Cap
ital upon fitting plane has become party issue,
practically all the votes in favor of the destructive
amendment being those of Democrats, while the
one hundred who opposed it were nearly all on the
Republican side. The real situation was, however,
Just as it was last winter the members who have
been long enough in Congress to inform them
selves to actual conditions voted againsta hasty,
-considered change that means inevitable chaos,
while the statesmen to whom the organic
act is meaningless, followed false leader and gave
approval to his destructive policy.
In the Senate the measure will be debated and
voted upon by men possessing an intelligent
knowledge Of its purport and effect If the states
men of the Upper House conclude that change
in the present half-and-half system is advisable
they will provide for change, but not in such
manner that the entire machinery of the govern
ment of the District and its relations with the
Federal government would be thrown into State
of confusion that could not be remedied in years,
which would be the certain effect of the Johnson
amendment. 1t is incredible that the IS7 members
of the House knew what they were voting for,
unless it be conceded that they deliberately i'm
posed upon the Senate the task of adjusting the
legislation of years, based upon the fundamental
principle of the organic act, to conform to the
Johnson amendment, which sweepingly declares
everything repealed which conflicts with it. In
terms it resembles Villa or a Carranza edict and
its effect would be similar. How many members
of the Senate does Johnson expect to vote for
such measure to be applied TO the Capital of the
United States? A reasonable assumption is it will
never come to vote.
A change in the organic act demands painstak-
ing Investigation and earnest dcliberation before
it can be accomplished with safety and in order
and in this respect the Senate if it believes a
change is justified, may be confidently depended
upon to do its duty. But there is really very little
reason to believe that the Senate will favor the
abrogation of the present law. At the last ses-
sion it emphaticay rejected a far less radical at
tack on the half-and-half principle, a principle
evolved after years of study by some of the ma
tion's greatest statesmen and which has always
been accorded respect and confidence in the SEN
ate Conditions have not changed since last year,
and it is quite reasonable to expect that the wis
dom of the Senate will dictate that it adhere to its
position. Perhaps the fight of last year will be
repeated in conference and, if the worst should
come it would be better for the District to be
left without funds to meet the expenses of the
next fiscal year than that its government should
be wrecked and the Capitals future left to the
spite or caprice of some possible new crop of
statesmen of narrow vision and experience. We
trust and believe that the Senate will never con-
sent to the ruthless overturnng Of the corner stone
upon which this splendid Capital has been erected