Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-06
Ancient Debt Resurrection.


The joint committee to consider
the fiscal relations OF nation and
capital should have. and doubtless
has, jurisdiction to decide the issues
raised by the reports OF the &C
countantS Mayes. employed by the
House District committee These
accountants have reported various
bookkeeping administrative blunders
by executive branches OF the national
government and various alleged sins
OF omission and neglect Of duty by
the Congresses OF the United States
and on the basis OF these alleged
plumbers and neglects by Uncle Sam,
as trustee or guardian, they find his
ward, the District. indebted to him
in vast sums. And they recon-
mend that this trustee or guardian
should punish his ward for his own
sins by reimbursing himself ar
bitrarily from the funds OF his ward
IN his possession as such trustee
Broadly the position OF the Dis
trict in respect to these alleged debts
is that it is unfair to the last degree
to act upon the reports of these &C
CountantS without an examination
by other accountants representing
the District, who shall verify or mod
lily the figures OF Accountants Mayes
and who shall in addition search for
administrative plumbers and legisla-
tive sins of omission or commission
by the United States government
which have favored the United
States and violated equities of the
District. 1t is inconceivable that
Uncle Sam as trustee has never
blundered except to his own disad-
vantage, and has never acted inequi-
tably except to injurc himself.
The District is helpless to protect
itself IN this matter, as its expert
ence in the sos bond interest claim
demonstrates. The report of the ac-
countants in respect to the million
dollar claim on account of advances
Tor interest in 1878 on the sos
bonds was challenged by Washing
ton. The Board of Trade, through
q committee, studied thoroughly this
one claim and unanimously adopted
this committees report, which con-
tended that the accountants erred in
not fully stating the account between
nation and capital in the years be-
tween 1874 and 1873, and in consider
ing only what was done in respect to
the payment of bond interest in two
OF the four years. The board argues
that this full accounting is the only
fair method and that such account
ing on the half-and-ha1f basis
shows the United States indebted to
the District and not the reverse.
Why should not the District have
been heard on this point? What
harm could come from careful and
even sympathetic consideration OF its
facts and figures:
Controller Downcy's decision has
already cut away one-half of the
bond-interest million-dollar claim
against the District which the ac-
countants announced. Washington
believes that Congress would have
denied the remainder of this alleged
debt if through the joint committee,
for instance, it could have considered
judioially the offsets in equity which
have been urged for the capital.
But Congress in the general def
cheney law has authorized the abb
straction by Uncle Sam from the
District revenues of one-half of this
deeayed claim, and the accountants
in announcing their very --latest
resurrection of alleged ancient deb,
turn aside from their figures to de
nounce in 1ordly style the Board Of
Trade and Washington which have
presumed to criticisc their figures and
methods of accounting in respect tc
the 3.65 bond interest claim.
Washington's opposition to the
bond-interest claim has at least GU,
It in two, and has, it is hoped, at
tracted some congressional attention
TO this one-sided accounting, and &c
the unfairness of the position ir
which it, with the other accountant
created alleged debts, places the ma
ton as trustee Of the capital Uncle
Sam Is made to figure as a guardian
who oonvicts himself on evidence
furnished by himself of repeated
laundering stupidity on his part for
his wards benefit, and who then pro-
ceeds to collect from his wards
money in his exclusive custody and
control the penalty for his own al
legged ancient blunders.
L. this procedure either oreditabl.
or fair?