Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-20

! of the government, of themselves and
| of the temporary residents referred to.
SO that there Is absolutely no source OF
revenue which can be looked to as q
expenditures of this city. Aside, then.
from all question of sentiment or pa
! triotism or pride In the National Capt.
| tai, your committee are impressed with
the belief that the federal government
sustains at least such relation toward
the citizens and the local government
as would require 1t to contribute to
municipal expenses an amount bearing
the relation to the whole amount re-
quired, which the interest of the fed
eral government here bears to the In
terest of the local government, and this
they believe to be at least one
Utter Lack Of Policy.
your committee will not attempt to
present comparative statement Of ex-
penditures made by the federal and 10
! cal governments. Reference has been
made to expenditures only. to show the
| utter lack of any policy toward the
| District, which runs through the whole
| legislation of Congress, and this is SUI
| fciently illustrated in the one fact. that
| the Forty-second Congress appropriat-
| ed more money toward the improves
| ment of the capital than had been ap-
| preceding. 1t is believed that 1t would
| be much wiser and much more econom-
| ical. both to the national and local
governments, to AK upon definite sum.
or proportion to be contributed by both,
and that it is more important that
| these appropriations should be made
| regularly and upon some well-defned
principle than that they should be
large. Such a course. had 1t been
adopted in 1900 and steadily pursued
] toward the "a initial would have made IT
today the most beautiful capital city in
the world; and such course now,
steadily pursued, will make 1t so at no
! very distant day.
to undertake the preparation Of bill
| looking to this well-defned basis Of
expenditures: but in view Of the fact
that joint committee Of the Senate
examination into all the questions in
| their detail, which should be first ex-
amined before maturing such a meas
ure. and your committee Is not SO
| sary facts. they therefore feel con-
| strained to submit these general views
| and wait the further order Of the
| House, should the joint committee re-
| ing the inquiry Of the resolution"
Commission Authorized.
The last paragraph of this report
| manifestly referred to the committee of
which Senator Allison was chairman,
! which committee. as above stated.
| made its report on the 18th of June,
1S74-ffteen days after the report of
the judiciary committee of the House
was submitted to the House. Pursuant
to the report of the joint committee
Congress by an act approved June 20,
1874. entitled "An act for the govern
| avs NJ = h> N~t@
for other purposes" 1sth Stats, 11s),
abolished the territorial government
created by the act of February 81, 1871.
| and authorized the President to appoint
sons. who should exercise with GER
tain limitations all the power and au-
thority heretofore lawfully vested In
the governor and board of public
works. This act further authorized the
President to detail an officer of the En-
ginser Corps. who, subject to the gen.
eral supervision of the board of Com
missioners, would have control and
charge Of the work OF repairing and
the Improvement Of streets. avenues,
! District.
Section of the act provided for the
appointment Of another Joint select
duty 1t should be ito prepare a suitable
frame of government for the District
Of Columbia and report the same to
the two houses respectively on the first
day of the next session." This section
also directed that the committee should
prepare and submit to Congress a state
nent Of the proper proportion Of the ez-
pemses' Of the District government, en-
GLIDING the interest on the funded debt,
Uhtch should be borne by said District
and the United States, respectively, to-
9efher NTH the reasons upon tohich their
conclusions may be based"
Committees Report.
| This joint select committee, of which
Senator Morrill, was chairman, on the
7th Of December, 1874. submitted to
Congress its report tSenate report 47s
Forty third Congress, second session.
in which 1t said:
| 1t is believed that the purposes for
which this District was acquired will
be best accomplished and the interests
OF an connected with its growth. pros
| perlty and destiny best subseryed nv
| the direct exercise by Congress of the
authority devolved upon It, While the
| primary and paramount obligation and
DUTY is and will be to the National
| Capital. 1t may not be overlooked or
forgotten that that capital is the resi-
dence OF many tens of thousands Of
American citizens. to be supplemented
in the progress and development of the
country by other tens and hundreds of
thousands. and that. Independent Mt of any
question of conflicting interests or
authority. 1t is plain that as regards
| expenditures for the Improvement and
adornment of the capital of a great
| nation. having at the same time a
! proper respect to the convenience, priv
ileges and immunities of a resident
population and OF those connected with
the administration of the government,
a unity of interest must be assumed
and, 1t is believed. may be accredited
to exist, in that the general welfare
would necessarily seem to be included
in the proper development of the de-
sign of the Capital city. The demands
| for expenditures. as indicated in the
disposition of its avenues and streets
and numerous squares, will necessarily
be upon a scale beyond what might
reasonably be imposed upon or drawn
from the resources Of a business and
resident population. These may prop
| erly be required to make that Just con-
| tribution to the current annual ex-
penses. the interest of the public debt
and its ultimate payment. which a peo-
pie SO situated as compared with other
communities may be required to pay
for like protection, privileges and i'm
munities. The streets, avenues. squares
and general plan Of the Capital city
bear the impress of paramount and ex-
! elusive nationality; spacious and grand
in design. dedicated to the sacred uses
of q national capital oneroua and even