The Washington times., 1915-04-21

right to demand that we shall fix
permanently their relations to the Fed
eral Government
Right To Protest.
1t Is the Federal Government on
the one side treating with the Federal
City on the other side. The people of
against being left subject to the whim
curing session. They have and can
have no tangible value to their real
estate property. Should you go out,
any Of you, to purchase q piece of real
estate in the city Of Washington, nat
uraliy you would ask In the first In
stance to what taxation It was subject,
II the owner is an honest man, he can
simply reply to you that he does not
know .. --.
And again he said: The property
Preparation mada by Congress will be 10
per cent or % per cent OF the expendi-
lures Of the District . If you do
not intend to bear more than 10 per cent
of the burdens of taxation, say so: II
You are bearing 80 per cent OF II, then
say SO. But whatever per cent the Fed
cral Government Is to bear should be
determined and fixed permanently. so
that lesitimate and permanent values
aS aNo 'e gorgeous '1 day ~ Dream OF the
United States paying more than one
halS Of the National Capital expenses
could then, or can now. affect the prac-
teal statesmanship of the definite half
and-half plan.
Variable and Uncertain.
Every practical man acquainted with
the operations OF Congress inust know
that IL the contribution of the United
States is left to what Mr.. Blackburn
called the whim and caprice Of Con-
gress with each recurring session that
It will be whitfield down to the small
est possible size and at best will be
variable and uncertain.
THE late Congress defeated IN both
hslf-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 squarcly defeated
by the substitution OF the Underwood
proyiso creating the joint select COM
mittee, afterward approved b. the Sen
ate, which had already voted down the
johnson rider.
The Underwood proviso. now a law,
act by its terms explicitly states that
the duty of the joint select committee
shall be to prepare and submit to Con-
gress a statement of the proper proper
poi OF tne eNpeHheS OF tHe government
Of the District Of Columbia. or any
branch thereof. including interest on the
funded debt. which shall be borne by
said District and the United States, re-
spectively, together with the reasons
upon which their conclusions may be
based and thus Congress emphasized
its reputation of the scheme for leav-
ing the contribution Of the United States
without definite proportion and subject
to the 'whim and caprice Of Congress
with each recurring session
"The Proper Proportion"
Accordingly, the joint citizens
committee. at it's meeting on March
20, 1915. believing that 1t must pre-
sent to the joint select committee a
definite statement Of what 1t consid
cred the proper proportion adopted
unanimously the following resolution
which the executive committee Is
carrying out:
That the Joint citizens committee.
through its executive committee, ad
vocate before the joint select COM
mittes OF Congrees the maintenance.
the United States and the District OF
Columbia, commonly called THE
half-and half plan" and present fully
and accurately the facts in regard
thereto
The executive committee of the joint
citizens committee held a meeting In
the Evans building last night and re-
ceived satisfactory reports from various
subcommittees. All of the subcommit.
toned the work among the members
and, in conjunction with the expert &C.
countant. A. NJ. Fisher, the subcommit-