Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-05

nited states mad heretofore assumed
no liability.
In addition. the duty of issuing the
bonds imposed on the sinking fund
commissioners of the District they Were
10 be signed by the secretary and
treasurer of the sinking fund commits
Sloutrs, and CounterSlgned by the con-
troiier of the District, they We're to be
engraved and printed at the expense
Ut the District, and the duty OF issu-
ance imposed on the sinking fund com
nlissioners was to cause to be issued
bonds of the District of Columbia.
The conclusion is inevitable that
these bonds when issued evidenced
primarily debt of the District of
columbia.
The question of the obligations of
the United States with relation to these
bonds. involving both its obligations
To the holders of the bonds and its
obligations to- the District. if any is
not so easy of determination
AS intmated already there. was no
legal obligation on the United States to
pay or to provide for the payment of
the debts of the District for which these
bonds We're issued. Since Congress had
Inc power TO provide Il form of govern
inent for the District and control its af-
fairs in all respects there may have been
an obligation of another kind. and. in
Tact. tn act of 1871 did. apparently con-
template some contribution by the Unit
"a States and did specifically provide for
The payment of the salaries of some Dis
trtCt officers by the United States but
these debts in question We're incurred
under form of government created by
an act which did not in ang manner
make the United States liable either for
their payment or for contribution
thereto.
Form of All Changed.
But To have simply authorized the
sinking fund commissioners to issue
bonds of the District with which to take
mp their outstanding obligations would
probably have accomplished nothing. for
me acceptance of such bonds would have
served but to postpone the maturity of
the debt without adding to the security
Tor lis final payment or the payment of
The interest thereon.
Therefore. presumably for that reason
congress, III section {. pledged the faith
OF the tnited States in the form first in
coFporated i'll that section but amended
by the act of February 10 1875. by the
insertion of the words do So. the amend
ed pledge reading:
And the faith of the United States
Is hereby pledged that the United States
WIN BY proper proportional appropria-
Tons as contemplated in this act and by
causing To lie levied upon the property
within said District such taxes as will
90 50. provide the revenues necessary to
pay Tn" interest on said bonds as the
SAM may become due and PAYABLE. and
create a sinking fund for the payment
We NV p'4Iltipdl lUtitOI dl maturity.
To Clarity Language.
y see no reason for any conclusion
that there was any significance to the
injection of the words do So aside from
the necessity of converting into a perfect
sentence a collection of words which. as
first written, meant nothing Careful ex-
animation of the phraseology develops the
TACT that first written il was said
that the United States will the word
VIII being followed by a comma and by
parenthctical clause without the use of
any verb thereafter in such relation to
viii as TO indicate what the United
States will do. The injection of the
word do so followed by a comma, so
perfected the sentence to make it
complete and made, it say that the
United States will dropping out paren-
thetical clauses provide etc This
amendment. then, should be regarded as |
perfectinS the sentence so as to make |
il say what it was originally intended |
10 say.
But. overlooking apparently the i'm |
perfection in the language originally |
used which required correction to |
make il say anything. it is contended |
that the insertion of these two words |
had another purpose and that not only |
TO them. but to their insertion attaches |
peculiar significance.
The idea is advanced that these |
lad particular reference TO the taxes |
which the United States pledged its |
faith to cause to be levied on the prop |
eFty within the District and the con- |
clusion is apparently drawn that the J
pledge was to provide necessary reve- !
nues for payment of interest and to |
create a sinking fund by causing to |
be- levied on the property within the |
District such taxes as will do so-that
IL provide all the necessary revenues.
This contention would be tenable if.
f"r the sake of the argument, we were
justified in binding our eyes to other |
s,arts of the sentence, but we cannot
verlook the fact that this provision
with reference To causing taxes to be
!"vied is preceded by the conjunction
and which inseparably connects that
which pTecedes with that which fol-
lows. But since this language must
Ie discussed and construed further on
the consideration of the meaning
II the whole sentence. it is passed for
1- present