Evening star., 1915-11-16
A. S. WORTHINGTON CLOSES
FOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE
c. c. Lancaster, W. ]. >Kehoe, A. B.
johnson and A. S. Trundle Also
Present Their Views.
MR.. BROwNLow LISTED. TOO
Investigating Body to Give Entire
Matter Further Consideration
Before Framing Its
Report.

The final arguments on the
hscal relations between the United
States and the District of Coluu-
bIa before the congressional COM
mlttee investigating that subject
are being made today. The COM
mittee has announced that when
1t adJourns today no further pub
lie hearings will be given. 1t has
reserved the right, however. to
call before it at a later date anv
person it sees fit.
A. S. Worthington. represent
ing the joint citizens committee,
made the closing argument in
support of the half-and-half plan.
following up and supplement;ng
the arguments made yesterday by
Henry B. F. Macfarland and
Theodore w. Noyes in support OF
the existing plan OF appropriating
tor the District.
The argument of Theodore w. Noyes
will be found in detail on page Is Of
The Star today. So
+ Other Speakers Heard.
Other speakers before the committee
today were c. c. Lancaster, who urged
that the half-and-half plan be aban-
doncd and that in its place be substi-
| tuted a plan by which the government
| will pay all the expenses of the Dis
| trict, the residents paying a reasonable
| tax into the federal Treasury: w. j.
Kehoe. who attacked the single.tax
system and declared that the District
| is at present under "a single-tax
regime; A. B. Johnson. who defended
| the single tax and urged that the Con-
stitution be amended so as to make tho
| District of Columbia a state, and A S.
Trundle, who criticised the manner In
which the District government is ad-
ministered, the laws which exist. and
urged the abolition of the half-and-
half plan. Commissioner Brownlow is
expected to address the committee late
today.
With the immense amount of testi-
mOny taken at the hearings, which
have lasted more than three weeks, be-
fore it for consideration. the committee
plans to give the entire matter further
i consideration before beginning eXecG-
tive sessions AT Wn1cn It's report Will
be framed. If possible the report will
be ready when Congress opens, though
the act creating the committee of in
/! vestigation extends the time until'Jan-
uary !.
MI. Lancaster Reviews Testimony.
c. C. Lancaster. the first witness on
the stand today. told the committee
that in his opinion the testimony be-
fore it had developed:
l. That the act of 1878 has not
proved satisfactory to any one.
. That the assessments here are too
high and burden upon a comp2ra-
lively small number of citizens
3. That the act of 1878 has been
strictly carried out.
4. That Congress would always treat
the people of the District justly and
that the people here would not object
to having "A plan adopted by which the
government Will pay all the expenses
of the government.
5. That the residents of the District
should pay into the Treasury rea-
sonable tax
g. That local citizens should be Sc
lected and appointed to administer the
municipal government of Washington.
"Not Administered Fairly"
"All of these things have been apparent
to the fair-minded man. said Mr.. Lam
caster Not ore man has testified tcre
.nat the half-and-half plan has been ad-
nainistered satisfactorily. 1t has not been
administered fairly SO far as the rights
of the people of the city are concerned.
Citizens have appeared before this com
nlittee and testified that the people here
fear that Congress will not do its duty
by the District if the half-a nd half plan
is abandoned. That is the most astonish-
ing thing that | have ever heard.
''It is a libel the great American
people that elected Congress and upon
Congress ITSELF.
Mr. Lancaster said that the District Of
Columbia was no more than govern
ment reservation, and that the people were
only permitted to live here by the grace
of Congress lit is the foot stool of tho
government" he said.
ITO say that the people of the District
fear that Congress will not do its duty.
trict. but also toward the people of the
country who have an interest in their
National Capital" he. continued ''is TO
argue from false premise: -. -.
II say that the people of the District
can and ought to trust the Congress
of the United States. They ought to
be proud .to have such a body of legis-
lators to make their laws for them"
Plan Not Lived Up To.
Mr.. Lancaster. arguing that the half
and-half plan had not been lived up to,
said that in the last fiscal year the col
lections of internal revenue in the Dis.
trict had been $l,4o0,000, and that GUS
toms duties had been been collected In
to the amount of $l45,00O
Not a dollar of that money" he said,
has been credited to the District ON
the half -and-half plan. Why should T
pay tax on real estate here and have
that put on the half-and-haf plan and
none of these other taxes which I have
paid by residents Of tho
District. have been used in the same
way Ponder on that, gentlemen.
say that the half-and-haif plan 10 not
really in force and never has 6esn."