Evening star., 1915-11-17

II the next day was simply a reply to
the original Browne statement.
When Mistakes Were Found.
He also disputed Mr.. Brownies state
ment that "the nine-and not five
! errors" pointed out by the citizens
committee speakers as showing the in
accuracy of the George report had been
called to the attention of the District
committee. These errors were first dis
| covered and exploited by the citizens
committee, Thomas Bradley being the
speaker who turned the spotlight on
them. 1t was not, Mr.. Worthington said.
until after this exposure that Mr..
browne ever claimed to have seen the
errors. and nothing was ever heard
before about them being called to the
attention of Representative George or
representative Johnson or any one
etse; Inc committee also was reminded
OF the great play made in the report on
the alleged worth of the Mclean prop
I erty, and the fact that although the re-
port gave reference to it in the hear
tngs the printed volume of the hear
| lngs fa1ls to mention it at ALL
Then Mr.. Worthington turned to tho
uImcuit subject of the 1855 bonds and
the two Mayes reports-a subject OF
vatal Importance to the District Of Co
tomnbad o,mI,ai which WI i. no other speaker had
the hearings. In Mr. Worthington's
original reference to the recent ar
tempt by the District committee Of
tn the e.. HOUSE eo to TO- have the District pay
! PACK Sl,5oO,000 of interest on these
bonds which was to have been paid
by the United States and. the District
or Columbia jointly. he gave the com
mittee extracts from the original laws
anu depates. Yesterday he reproduced
extracts from the speech by former
Representative Prouty of Iowa. who
gave the District a severe tongue
Iashing because of his belief that the
District had been trying to do" the
government by standing still and max
terest: Al
'Representative Prouty claimed that
there never had been an accounting
between the District of Columbia and
the United States since 1874. He said
the government had advanced this in
terest money in each of those early
years; and yet he said not one word
ABOUT the legislation preceding this ad-
vance of interest
Quotes From Prouty Speech.
| Mr.. Worthington quoted the former
Iowa representative further in the
speech wherein Representative Prouty
mad pictured the District as having
grabbed the governments money with
out any further consideration "except
the bare possibility that the United
states might be required to pay half"
Representative Cooper asked him IL
representative Prouty had made any
reference to the old debates on the
subject when the original act passed:
He mentioned not one word about
the debates. or even the act of Con-
eress itself, which declares this in
terest to be treated as it was treated.
He claimed that not one line had ever
been spread on the records of Con-
gress about this matter; and yet no
human being can look at the record
and doubt what I say. There was a
distinct understanding that Congress
| intended this interest to be paid half
| by the government"
| Referring to the claim that there is
\ no hald-and-half account in. the Treas
| ury, Mr.. Worthington told the joint
select committee that at one time
| trict revenues: that the Commission
| ers at that period wrote to the Treas
ury. asking that the funds be retained
| in special trust account for the Dis
| trict. The reply came back that the
DISTRICTS surplus revenues had to be
! put IN an account which is specified,
/ TO be held there for the general use
| of the District of Columbia
Rules Against. Congress.
! Another remarkable feature of the
! District committees treatment of the
3.65 bond matter was brought to the
attention of the joint select committee
Mr.. Worthington said that shortly
after the House had passed the bill
| that would force the District to pay
| back to the United States $1.5O0,O00 as
| a part of the 3.65 interest advances,
| the controller of the Treasury ruled
| against the House action and cited
\ congressional references. acts of Con-
gress, etc.
! second opinion on the subject was
| issued by him later, but notwithstand-
| ing this, Scott Mayes, acting as ac-
countant for the District committee,
made a full report on the entire ac-
! count. This latter report was made
| to the District committee long after
| the controllers first report was issued,
! and was presented to the House of
| Representatives long after the con-
troller's second ruling. and yet the
! Scott Mayes report contains not one
! word of any of the laws cited by the
controller as being the guiding star
for the whole 3.S5 interest matter. All
this was explained yesterday by Mr.
lWorthington.
| Responsibility Of Congress.
"I felt like -pinching myself to see
If I was alive said Mr. Worthington
when 1 heard Commissioner Brown
low say to this committee that until
the act or 1873 the burden OF run nil r4l
this District had not been placed upor
Congress, but that previous to tina,
| time the citizens of the District ha6
| taxed themselves. and the District wa.
| a separate entity from the federal gov
ernment-
Had Congress nothing to say as tt
| what should be done in the Distric
| from 1874 to 1882
Mr.. Worthington said that Congress.
} had assumed full authority over tn,
Districts affairs during those years
. and that the indefinite plan of appro
| priating for the District was in vogue
There was what amounted to a reigr
. | of terror in the District of those days
i he said He added that committee afte
: committee of Congress had come for
ward and reported that something mus
/ be done to alleviate the situation, ant
: that all had favored that a fixed pro
5 portion of the District expenses b,
! borne by the federal government as th
only means for righting the situation
1T has been much heralded that for
E rner Senator Blackburn was the autho
I of the organic act of the District, an,
e that he now believes it should be re
!: pealed.' said Mr.. Worthington. Th
e District Commissioners have called hin
: so. But Mr.. Blackburn. when he wa
before this committee the other day. di
a | not say that he was the author of tn
t organic act. He said that he was chair
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