Evening star., 1915-11-12

Mr.. Blackburn In the House curing 'ue
consideration of the act OF ls'S' IN
which Mr.. Blackburn said it was ao-
solute1y necessary for Congress TO nx
the rate Of taxation for the DiseF1c.
and to fix the proportion of the ex- x
penses of the District to be Dorne py
the government. These things snoui1
not be left to the caprice and Wninl ,l
burn said at that time. Mr.. Worth'hs
ton asked Mr.. Blackburn what ne hau
to say to those remarks now
'T have aswered that question IN my
statement said Mr.. Blackburn; DC.
lieved that the half-and-half plan was
the best thing that could be naa IN ~,
1878 If the conditions of real estate IN
Washington today were the same as at
that time, I would still insist upon 'ne
adoption of the half-and-half plan
Chairman Chiffon congratulated Mr.
Blackburn upon the results "h1cn nae W
met the organic act of the lis ~. :,
which Mr.. Blackburn fathered III 'he
! House. :,
Mr.. Blackburn predicted that II
would be necessary from now on Ioi
the government to buy more ana NOR
property in the District. Represe..as s !.
tive Cooper said he agreed Win tnis nn
Ipartments Offices now are scattere. :,
widely through the city and tha' y
should have a new building OF It's
Town.
House Committee a Nightmare.
Many of the government depart
ments should have new buildings OF
their own,' said Senator Blackburn
1.-The doctrine of preparedness shoulo
be applied right here, and the govern
|ment should take by condemnation or
purchase all the property 1t is gong
to need in the District"
The people here seem to be salts
! fed with the half-and-half, said Sena-
tor Salisbury. DO you think they
| want it changed?
"As a general rule, the people of the
| District have been frightened by the
| efforts made to disturb these existing
relations in the House," was the reply
| of Senator Blackburn. The present
District committee of the House Is
nightmare on the pillow OF every tax
payer in the District when he goes &c
J bed at night The taxpayers fear tnat
something worse is going to be done to
| them.
Attacks on District Finances.
But I told Mr. Macfarland of the joint
citizens committee that he and the other
people of the District were unnecessarily
alarmed I told him that the people now
had a fair tribunal to go before. and that
believed they would get a report from
this committee that will make conditions
better for the people Of the District.
| Il don't wonder that the people of the
District are afraid, when not a Congress
goes by without attacks upon the finances
| of the District
| Mr. Worthington asked Senator Black
burn about the highway act. adopted
| in 1893, which causes the people to pay
| for the Improvements along their prop
erty. Senator Blackburn replied that
1 L
was strong argument in support OF
| the plan he advocated by which the
| government would pay all the expenses
| of the District out OF the federal Treas
| ury directly.
Justice Siddons Favors Repeal.
| Justice Siddons followed former Sen
ator Blackburn on the stand. He said,
| in part:
| MY own conclusion. based On the
observation of the half f-and-half sys-
tenn over a considerable period. is that
the repeal of the half-and-half system
| is eminently to be desired in the inter
ests of both the people of the District
| of Columbia and of the nation at large.
| This system of taxation has become
fruitful source of vexation and irrita- =
ton both to the citizens of the District
| and to members OF Congress. l object
to it because it proceeds on a fixed.
| narrow and arbitrary method of deter
mining what shall be done here. There
| is but one power here, and that is Con-
| gress, constitutionally supreme and ex-
elusive. and with that power there falls
| upon Congress heavy responsibility to
| SO provide that the capital Of the ma
| ton may develop as every man, woman
and child in the United States should
| desire.
Il have no criticism of the attitude
of any Of our citizens, with respect to
| the legislation that is now on the stat
ute books. but for fifteen years the ex-
| istence of the half-and-half system
has been forever the cause of irrita-
ton and vexation. and there has never
| been piece Of legislation in that time
| which has involved the expenditure OF
money that has not caused the old
wrangle to come up. leading at times
| to what almost might be called a
growing spirit of hostility between
citizens of the District and members
| OF Congress.
"Has Retarded improvements"
The half-and- half system has been
very unfortunate Of late years in its
effect upon the District, in that 1t has
led to the postponement over and over
| again of improvements and necessary
and desirable legislation here Its ex-
| istence has operated in several differ
ent ways in regard to the aseessme its
| for taxes and the estimates submitted
| to Congress. 1t has been obvious that
| under the present system. with a fixed
| rate OF taxation, the time was bound
| to come, and has now come when the
| amount derived from taxes would, and
does, produce surplus of revenues
THE apprehension Of the appearance
| Of a surplus has led. not consciously,
perhaps. in holding down the assess
ment to a point where the amount to
be derived would not exceed the amount
| that Congress would appropriate. Then,
| too, the appearance of threatened sur
plus has led Commissioners Of the Dis
| trict to look around for new ways Of ex-
pending money.
II believe that Commissioner Brown
| low the other day suggested a wise
course. I was also greatly impressed
with Senator Works resolution, which
would have the United States govern
ment appropriate all tho moneys need
| ed for the District.
| "It will never be possible to frame
Legislation permanent in character
which proceeds on the theory of a part
trict and the federal government !
find no warrant in the legislation of
Congress for tho assumption that there
is any partnership or any bargain
There is no warrant for that idea in
the organic act and there is nothing to
support 1t in any act Of Congress
Discusses System Of Taxation.
Justice siddons continued:
LAS to the system for taxation, up to
l1so2 various acts Of Congress required
that all assessments should be made at
| the full value Of the property. In 1902