Evening star., 1915-01-31
Maintaining Uncle Sans City.

Commissioner kutZS statement be-
fore the West End Citizens Associa =
ton the other night. regarding the
equities of the dual ownership OF the
District water supply. should be closely
studied by members of Congress who
are disposed to regard the District as
y mendicant living in the enjoyment
of federal bounty. 1t appears from
the Engineer Commissioners analysis
That the United States, paying interest
on its original investment at per
cent and contributing sS3.5O0 for water
service maintenance, is in effect as
sessed s311.60o. Consuming for it's own
purposes 100000 gallons of water a
day. which at the prevailing meter
rate amounts to $4,000 annually. the
federal government is almost exactly
meeting its proper charges. In other
words. the District on its side is simply
paying for the water it uses while the
government pays for it's consumption.
This calculation shows in short that
the District is not in the enjoyment of
government bounty in the matter of
the water supply, although in the be-
ginning the system was established by
the United States.
What is true of the water supply is
true of other items of municipal main
tenance and public necessity in the
District. The local taxpayers, through
their contributions to the National Cap
ita' fund. are providing in many ways
for the necessities of the government.
and on the half-and-half basis the ac-
count about breaks even, without ref
erence to any moral federal obligation
to maintain more than business re-
lationship with the local community.
The sewers which are built on the
half-and-half principle are for govern
ment use as we'll as local. The police
force safeguards the government prop
erty as well as that of the citizens. The
fire department is a protection to Uncle
Sans buildings and their contents as
we'll as to the dwellings and business
establishments of the District taxpay-
ers. The schools furnish educational
facilities for the children of govern
ment officials as well as those of nom
official District parents. The health
department safeguards the physical
WELL being of the governments work.
ers as well as those not engaged in
the public service. The street clean
ing department Keeps Tree VI SUI anu
refuse the thoroughfares which are
owned by the United States and are
for the use of the government equally
with the District people. The lights
maintained at municipal expense render
the streets safe at night for the govern
ment's use as we'll as for the local popu-
lation And so in every other branch Of
the municipal organization the activities
centering at the District building are for
the benefit Of the federal government as
well as that OF the citizens who con-
tribute their half of the cost of mainte-
nance and operation.
1t is impossible to separate the two
accounts. This is the federal city, con-
ceived and planned and developed spe-
cifically as such. 1t is the seat of gov
ernment first and a local community
second and in any equitable treatment
of the non official community by Con-
gress, in it's constitutional power of
exclusive legislation, consideration
must be had first and last for the fact
that the District taxpayers are bear
ing Il part of Uncle Sans burden and
helping to give him a capital of which
he is rightfully proud.