Evening star., 1914-02-05
The Districts Battle Shifted
From the House to
the Senate.
NO EXCESS OF REVENUE
BY HALF-AND-HALF PLAN
Our Tax-Burden in 1912 Distinctly
Heavier Than That of Most
American Cities.
No. VI.
BY THEODORE W. MOVES.

4n1oOO'c w. NJ
The main battle for a square
deal for Washington is transferred
from the House to the Senate.
The House. with only small
fraction OF its members in attend
ance. and in two instances with
out objection or word OF discus
sion. has passed at thi, session
four legislative propositions. each
OF which Stabs in a vital part the
haliand-half agreement of 1873;
and the Crisp bill. destroying it
altogether, has been approved by
The House District committee and
1> ready for consideration next
District day by the mere handful
OF members who undertake to per
form their constitutional obliga-
ton OF leglslating for the District.
These four dagger thrusts into
tiie act OF 1873 are IL the pro-
VISION section eight of the
pending District appropriation bill
winch eonlscates as federal rev
enue any portion of the local
taxes which Congress, in violation
Of the law OF 1873, fails to spend
Tor District purposes, coupled
with an equal amount OF appro-
p11atlon from the national treas
urv. and thus in effect repeals
t"r the fiscal year 1915 the half
and-half provision Of the act Of
1873. ~ the Borland amend
nent to the District appropria-
tlon bill. which eliminates entire
]v IN most cases and cuts down
to almost nothing in the remain
ing cases the national half CON
tr1butlor toward street improve
ment, and which incidentally IS
palpably and grossly unfair to the
taxpayers and abutting property
owners on streets which have in
the past been denied their share
III the general street Improvement
fund, to which they have con
tr1buted In taxes; 90 the bill
which exempts from duplica-
ton, under the half-and-half
agreement half million OF
the Districts license revenue.
and - the Johnson-Proutv bill
which contiScates in full from the
District revenues of today two
wears OF interest installnents on
the .3.65 bonds in the seventies OF
the last century; which fishes out
this stale debit item OF a million
dollars from the general account
OF the receivership era of I974-zS.
treats II alone as surviving the
bankruptcy adjustment of 1873
and collects 1t in full without
the halt contribution OF the nation
provided by existing law in re-
spect to debt expenses OF the Dis
tr'cti from the local taxpayers of
1914, nearly forty years later, in
violation OF the spirit OF the
statute Of limitations, the equita-
bic statute OF repose.
10 be sure, the votes on these
nlea were so mea9er as to
rob them Of any special signifi-
canoe a. expressions of fixed
opinion by the House. With only
few members present no division
was called on the final vote on the
.tofTnsCn-Prouty bill. The exemp-
tion from duplication OF the half
million OF license revenue was
passed Ill the absence OF five
slXth> al the House membership
without word or vote in opposi-
tWn. and 50 with the concluding
provision OF the appropriation
bill treating an unlawful surplus
as miscellaneous receipts, which
even escaped the point of order
against substantive legislation as
rider on an appropriation bill.
lie Borland amendment was de
feated once by vote of 20 aves
to 10 noes, and was finally put in
the bill by vote of s. ayes to II
noes There are ABS members OF
the House.
But these measures have been
passed as effectively by the House
as if they had received an over
whelming majority of the entire
vote of that body, and are before
the Senate as completely. The
first two measures are before the
Senate District committee and the
last two are before the Senate ap-
preparations committee.
The fight in defense OF the capi
tai and its people and for square
deal for Washington has shifted
EConYfnued On Th;rta.ntr,