The Washington herald., 1914-04-09

10 De 0OnC WltlOQl DcLo0ndAlL4Gcs H4AAO1t
acrimony and on the highest plane possi-
BILE. our duty is to lay the facts of the
nations relation 10 its Capital before
Congress and before the country, in order
to avert threatened legislation hostile 20
the progress of the Capital The Com
mittee of One Hundred was brought into
being by the danger that such legislation
would be enacted"
An interesting phase to the question
viii come when the various citizens as
sociations In the District begin to debate
the suggestion of the Compissioner and
vote on them. 1t is believed. however.
IA majority of these organizations will
support the half-and-half principle.
speech .carefuIIy Prepared.
= Commissioner Newman did not prepare
hurriedly the speech he made yesterday.
1t was the climax to weeks and months
Of study. In fact, ten days ago a rough
draft of his ideas was placed on the
desk of President Wilson, that the chief
executive might better understand the
situation.
whether or not Mr.. Newman's plans
meet with the approval of the President
remains TO be seen. It can be safely
said. however. that Mr.. Newman did not
speak officially for the administration,
but expressed his personal views &C
quired after exhaustive study.
In his speech at the Commercial Club
yesterday Mr.. Newman said In part:
Trouble Long DevelopinE.
What is the trouble in the District OF
Columbia today? Briefly it Is. this: A
number of members Of Congress, occu-
pying positions of prominence and in
fiuence, believe that the United States
pays too much for the support of the
City of Washington. and a number OF
citizens of Washington. many of whom
occupy positions of prominence and in
fiuence. believe that the United States
is not paying too much for the support
of the City of Washington.
THE present situation has been de-
veloping for twenty years. Each side
has been gathering adherents and de-
veloping feeling Of resentment and bit
terness for the other side. which has now
reached the point where both sides are
angry and where each side Is taking
advantage Of every opportunity to attack
the other.
Because of the controversy between
individuals and interests of the District
Of Columbia on the one side. and certain
members of Congress on the other. 1t has
become impossible for any subject affect
ing the District of Columbia in any way
to be considered, either by the people of
the District or members of Congress,
from any standpoint save that of this
controversy
Il do no. need to remind this gather
ing that the crux of the contest is the
famous half-and-half
why is this half-and-half arrange
ment productive of these two elements?
1 believe that the reason can be found
in the half-and-half itself. BY fixing the
soia on this percentage basis, we have a
system which automatically makes It pos
sible and natural to consider every piece
OF legislation and every one Of the thou
sands of items in the District appropria-
ton bill upon the basis Of how much the
United States pays and how much the
people of the District pay for that par
tichlar thing, instead of upon the basis
Of whether that particular thing is itself
good or bad.
why Not Abolish 1tf
'Tf the half-and-half plan makes 1t nat
ural and inevitable that members of Con-
gress criticise citizens OF the District, and
if it likewise makes IL inevitable that citi-
zens of the District criticise members of
Congress, why not abolish it-remove the
cause OF controversy-and by fixing the
contribution OF the United States upon
different basis make IL natural and posi-
BILE for members of Congress and resi-
dents OF the District to work together
toward = common end.
'In my opinion the half-and-half ought
to be abolished. not only because think
it is. the cause of endless controversy
but because IL cannot be justified in
equity from the standpoint Of either the
United Statss or the District of Colum-
bia- There does not exist any tangible
facts or reesons-real evidence or infor-
which II can be truthfully
and equitably determined that the amount
of the contribution of the United States
should be 80 per cent. Neither are there
any such facts. evidence or information.
upon which il can truthfuIly and equi-
tably be determined that the amount to
be paid by the District of Columbia
should be 80 per cent. Nobody knows
what percentage would represent exactly
that which the District should pay and
that which the United States should pay.
The fact that the half-and-half can
not be justified in equity from the stand
point of either the District or the United
States must inevitably produce just such
a situation as We have today. The half
and-helf is economically unsound. 1t is
not upon justice and truth and therefore
such things as we try to do in justice
and truth on that foundation, naturally.
will not stand.
Question of Contribution.
I'm consideration of how much the
United States should contribute toward
the District government, and how IL
should be realized.
Il. The people of the United States
want the city of Washington to be a
great, beautiful, magnificent. wholesome
capital, conducted on a magnificent scale.
20. There is not within the District of
Columbia sufficient private property SUBJ
ject to taxation to bear the expense of
and maintaining that kind
Of a city.
'If these are obvious facts. it must
be equally obvious that in some form the
United States must pay part of the ex-
pense of establishing and maintaining this
city,
Touching on some possible basis for
fiscal relations between the District and
the Federal government, Commissioner
Newman said:
Il The half-and-half plan by which
Congress in SIS provided that one-haIf
OF the money appropriated each year for
the District Of Columbia should be paid
from the Federal Treasury.
This plan is undesirable for the rea-
sons hitherto set forth.
- An arrangement whereby the con-
tribution by the United States should be
fixed at a percentage different from one
half.
Every one Of the reasons that make
the half-and-half undesirable would ap-
ply with equal force to any other ar
rangement based upon a fixed percentage
3. A contribution to the District of a
fixed lump sum Of money without regard
TO percentages.