Evening star., 1915-05-27
mo SURRENDER OF
| HALF LF-AND-HALF LAW
Continued From First Page.)

Icessfully for years to prevent destruc-
tion of this wholesome. beneficial wise
and fair law. and having thereby Sc
cured from the last Congress joint
committee to study the issue thorough
| ly and render a just finding in respect
! to it, shall we now surrender without
struggle the principle for which we
have been contendlng: Is that manly i.
Is that wise?
The arrangement of indefinite con-
trbutions proposed as a substitute for
the half-and-half plan gives to the
unfriends of Washington every sub
have demanded All they have asked
has been everything. and under the So
called new plan they get 1t.
They have been fighting to secure the
power to tax the District at their pleas
ure in the amount which they or any or
them consider Just and equitable,
including those who in the last Con-
Eress nearly succeeded in getting the
District taxes doubled on the score OF
alleged equity and justice
The viii o the wisp plan gives them
precisely this power without the SCI, .
imposed limitation Of the ha'f-and-ha I I
arrangement and without any check u
any other kind.
For years men in Congress have
sought this unrestricted power or tax
alton in the District in order TO m
crease excessively the local tax BURDEN
The new policy of non-resistance IN
vites us now to say to these men: w
fight no longer. Take the power you
have sought in order to injure the DIS.
it not to hurt, but to benefit and bless
the capital!
To Be Killed by Its FriendsP
=. Another ren.on why the half-and-
half plan should be killed by its friends
In thus stated:
Il causes friction with Congress. 1t
has aroused prejudice. The very men,
tion Of 1t produces hurtful irritation.
1t is better to drop it altogether.
Washington's position has heretofore
been that this prejudice. TINS lrritatioii.
and this friction spring from iaci o,
information concerning the facts ana
that they will disappear when once the
truth concerning the actual relations OF
nation and capital and the Nauonai
Capital obligation has been nroush.
vividly to congressional attention.
The appointment of the joint congress
sional committee gives Washington this
desired opportunity. Is it not wise 10
utilize it and to strive with all our
might to remove the pre]udlce Whieli
we believe to be unreasohapls ~ I
the root of this irritation and TINS
prejudice has been and is the feellns.
especially strong among new members
of Congress, that the half hall plan
requires too large contribution from
is unfair to the people of the United
States, including their constituents.
Nobody has ever proposed in Congress
that more than ore-half should be paid
by the nation toward municipal main
tenance of the nations city. Repeated
" within the last twenty-five years 1t
has been formally proposed that the
national contribution should be reduced
or eliminated altogether. And the fric-
tion and irritation have been caused
by the inability of those who think
that the United States should not pay
one half Of capital maintenance to pre-
vent such payment.
The obvious way to remove this
prejudice (since it Is unreasonable is
to bring all the facts and sound argu-
ments available forcibly and pointedly
before the prejudiced, to the end of
convincing them that the nation does
not exceed in the slightest its National
Capital obligation. and that this COM
munity has far exceeded it's own OBJ
legation in the upbuilding of the ma
tion's city.
The opportunity thus to destroy this
prejudice in reasonable minds is Of
fered in the hearings before the joint
congressional committee, and should be
enthusiastic seized and utilized. A
definite contribution arrangement as