Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-21
OPPOSES UNCERTAIN
US. CONTRIBUTION
Henry B. F. Maofarland Makes Re-
ply to Former Senator
Blackburn.
Argues for Continuation Of the
Than Indefinite System.

UNFOLDING the present half-and-half
plan Of appropriating for the District
Of Columbia, Chairman Henry B. F.
Mcfarland of the joint citizens COM
mittee on the fiscal relations between
the District and the federal govern
ment today, in an interview, opposed
the suggestion made by former Sena-
tor Joseph C. Blackburn of Kentucky
that the half-and- half plan be. aban-
doned and the federal government pay
all the expenses of the District, levy
ing a fair tax on private property in
the District. Senator Blackburn made
this suggestion more than month ago
and reiterated 1t yesterday.
Mr.. Macfarland's Reply.
Mr.. Mcfarland quoted from a speech
made by Mr.. Blackburn in the House
when the organic act OF the District
was passed in 1873 to refute Mr.. Black
burns recent statement. He said:
Mr.. Blackburn, who richly deserves
the gratitude of all patriotic citizens
because of what he did to pass the or
ganic act of 1878, containing the half
and-half plan which made possible all
the progress of the National Capital
said. in advocating that measure In the
House. some things which are just as
true today as they were then. Said
Mr.. Blackburn: This is what desire
to say: The people of this District
have a right to demand that we shall
fix permanently their relations 70 tne
government on the one side treatlns
with the federal city on the other side
The people of this District have
right to protest AGAINST being ieit
- hA n inn
Congress with each recurring session.
They have and can have no tangible
value to their real estate property
Should you go out. any one OF YOU, TO
purchase a piece Of real estate in the
city of Washington naturally you
would ask in the first instance to what
taxation 1t was subject If the owner
is an honest man he can simply reply
to you that he does not know
Argues for Fixed Per Cent.
And again he said: The property
holder does not know whether the APP
preparation made by Congress will be
10 per cent or 80 per cent of the ex
penditures Of the District II
you do not intend to bear more than
10 per cent of the burdens of taxation,
say SO; if you will bear so per cent of
it then say 80. But whatever per cent
should be determined and fixed per-
manently, so that legitimate and per-
manent values may be established in
this District
mo gorgeous day dream of the United
States paying more than one-half of
the National Capital expenses could
then, or can now, affect the practical
craftsmanship OF the definite half-and-
half plan.
Sees an Uncertainty.
Every practical man acquainted with
the operations OF Congress must know
that II the contribution Of the United
States Is left to what Mr.. Blackburn
called the whim and caprice of Con-
gress with each recurring session. 1t
will be whitfield down to the smallest
possible size and at best will be varia-
BILE and uncertain.
THE late Congress defeated in both
houses the measures to abolish the
half-and-half plan and leave the
amount of the contribution of the
United States floating in the air. In
the House the johnson rider providing
for such action was squarely defeated
by the substitution of the Underwood
proviso creating the joint select COM
mittee, afterward approved by the
Senate. which had already voted down
proviso, now a law. contained in the
District appropriation act, by it's terms
explicitly states that the duty of the
joint select committee shall be to pre-
pare and submit to Congress a state
ment OF the proper proportion Of the
expenses Of the government of the Dis
trict of Columbia. or any branch there
of, including interest on the funded
debt which shall be borne by said Dis
trict and the United States, respectively
together with the reasons upon which
their conclusions may be based; and
thus Congress emphasized it's repudia-
ton of the schemes for leaving the con-
tribution Of the United States without
definite proportion and subject to the
within and caprice of Congress with
each recurring session.
Citizens' Resolution.
Accordingly, the joint citizens COM
mittee, at its meeting March 20. 1915.
believing that it must present to the
joint select committee a definite state
ment Of what it considered the proper
proportion adopted unanimously the
following resolution, which the execu-
tive committee is carrying out:
THAT the joint citizens committee,
through Its executive committee. adVo-
cate before the joint select committee
Of Congress the maintenance Of the
present fiscal relation between the
United States and the District Of Co.
0SkA L.