The Washington herald., 1914-04-03
women HEAR OF
CAPITAL'SNEEDS
H. b. F. Macfarland and R. B.
Watrous Ask Their Aid
for Organic Act.
COUNTRY'S ANSWER SOON
Washington and Baltimore Audience.
Listen to Explanation of Problem
Now Before Congress.

The National Capitals side Of the legis-
latiye differences which have stirred resi-
dents Of the District and friends of the
Capital all over the country was pre-
sented to two womens organizations yes
terday by members OF the executive COM
mittee OF the citizens committee. Henry
b. F. Mcfarland, chairman Of the eX-
ecutive committee, addressed the Twen-
tieth Century Club at All Souls Church
Of the American Civic Association. spoke
before the Woman's Civic League in
| Baltimore.
Mr.. Macfarland said: Congress as a
whole is Just and wise. Moreover, under
the Constitution II has exclusive control
Of the District. All Senators and Rep
resentatives are under the constitutional
duty to take part in that control.
Therefore. II you share the common
American interest and pride in the COM
mon American Capital. speak to your
personal friends in Congress. write to
others. and write to your friends in the
States to do the same. by exercising the
right of petition against any measures
such as the four passed by the House
with only seventy-five members present,
proposing TO upset the arrangement of
1873. under which the people here pay
half the expenses and all the rest OF
our feIlow-countrymen only the other
| half
We here pay $50 a year each. and the
] rest pay s cents a year each, and there
is no complaint from either. The United
States owns at least half in value Of
the real property and pays no taxes.
The per capita tax levy here. census
bulletin lis. OF 1913 shows. is higher then
in l49 out of 1856 cities having over 30
Ooo population. II is higher than in
number of these cities having much
larger population and far greater wealth
than Washington. The progress. phys
| ical and moral, OF the National Capital
has been made possible by the 'half-and-
half arrangement and will stop IL it Is
directly or indirectly repealed
| The facts are outlined in our execu-
tive committees report and reference
given to the official documents. all pub
lished by Congress and elsewhere. Read
that report and get your friends in Con-
gress and elsewhere to read IL. The
| facts are the argument.
THE only difficulty is TO get busy men
in Congress not directly on the District
committees OF study the question for
| themselves Already many OF them have
done this with excellent results We
should be greatful to those who do. Ths
sentiment OF the country is strongly in
favor OF maintaining the progress Of
the Capital under the present arrange
| ment.
so soon as the dangers now threat
eninG il are known to the country
throuaht the national organizations now
disseminating the facts. the protest nf
the people at large will he heard here "
BaItimorc's Aid Asked.
Mr.. Watrous i'd
The interest of Baltimore in Washing
ton, the Capital City. ought to he very
Pnlf 10 liz GfN ad hN-
hundreds of thousands of people. but ii
| is safe to say that all Of your guests be-
| fore leaving you make II a point TO go
over to their Capital City. and very often
IL is your pleasure to accompany them.
| For that reason your pride in Washing
| ton should he. if anything. a little deeper
| than that OF almost any other city in
the United States.
There is a definite service that you
can do right now. and that is TO COM
municate with your Senators and Rep
| rcsentatives in Congress. telling them just
how strongly you do feel in favor OF the
| largest possible consideration Of the needs
OF Washington and making II clear that
Washington is not city OF the ordinary
type, but as the Capital City. must he
maintained and developed on a larger and
| broader scale than other cities.
1T must be borne in mind always that
TesluenNS OF washington are already pay
| ing their full share Of taxes But they
| are not sufficient TO meet the demands
OF a Capital City, and II would be unfair
to the people to increase the burden
upon them for expenditures that are ma
tional and not local. Representatives in
Congress are very busy men. With some
exceptions. notably so in the case OF Sem
ator Smith, OF your own State, who is
chairman Of the Senate Committee on
District affairs, and who has always
manifested a keen interest in the larger
development of Washington. the Senators
and Representatives are not always COM
plctely advised as to the exact conditions
that prevail. Your message to them
should be that they acquaint themselves
with the history of Washingtons finan-
rial arrangements and that they give
as much time as possible TO informing
themselves. and give their support TO ad
vancing the best interests of the Capital
City"