Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-11-06


veloping the District Of Columbia into
the most magnificent capital that any
nation has ever had, because unless 1t is
the most magnificent capital on earth
1T cannot express the aspirations OF the
greatest republic Of all time.
Brings About Dissatisfaction.
And why should we measure patriot
ism? Why should hundred million
people come in and put down a dime on
the table and ask $4,000 people to put
down a dime and then when you have
matched the dimes, go out and ask
what the United States of America
needs to do in it's capital this year? 1t
is the result of cutting the fish in two
and giving the head to one and the tail
to the other that brings about dissatis-
faction and misunderstandings. j do
not believe there is a man in Congress
who Is an enemy of the District of CO.
lumbia, any more than 1 believe there
is man in Congress who is an enemy
to the republic. do not believe there is
a man in the District of Columbia who
is an enemy of Congress, any more than
believe there Is a man in the Dis
trict of Columbia who is an enemy of
the republic. But I do say that there
is feeling here that Congress is I'M
fair to the District. and do say that
there are men in Congress who be-
lfeve there are persons in the District
OF Columbia who are scheming with
shrewd cunning to enrich themselves
at the expense of the federal Treasury
This most unfortunate condition be-
iieve is due to the pernicious psyche
logical influence Of the half-and-half.
Holding as do that the half-and-half
is but Legislative fiction. that its eff
fects and influences are altogether psy-
Geological. conceding as I do it's one
time benefit, 1 say that now it is al
most altogether harmful. 1t is breeding
distrust Of the District in Congress; it is
trict; it is fomenting a feud that. if
carried on to fruition, will result in dire
disaster.
I'm conclusion. / want to say that I
filled If you report to Congress that it
is impossible to ascertain a fixed per-
centage to describe the proportion Of
the expenses of the National Capital
that should be paid on the one hand by
the federal government, and, on the
other hand, by the residents of the
Capital; but that, in your opinion, it
will be wise in the future for Congress
to appropriate for all the expenses of
the District of Columbia out of any
appropriated. the government thus as
Stunning to the full it's obligation to
care for the National Capital; and that
The people here shall be required to
they would pay if they lived in any
other American city of like size; and
that the revenues SO collected be COW
cred into the United States Treasury as
a part of the receipts of the United
States. l believe this Is the ideal plan,
I
indebted to distinguished citizen of
the District, one who has appeared be-
fore you and one who served for a dec
ade as president of the board of Com
farland. Speaking on the District of
Columbia at the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition in St. Louis in 1904, Mr..
Mcfarland. at that time a District
Commissioner. said:
LAS the United States owns a little
more than half of the land in the Ma
tional Capital, it's share ought to be at
least little more than half Of the ex-
pense. But half a loaf is SO much
better than no bread that the present
the District taxpayers.
Senator Hoar several years ago
pointed out more excellent way, how
ever. suggesting that, in all equity.
the national government should bear
all the expenses of the National Capt.
tai over and beyond the returns of
what would be regarded as reasonable
taxation anywhere else. Under this
ideal plan the District taxpayers would
contribute fair taxes, and whether they
amounted to one-half or one-third of
the amount needed the United States
would bear the rest Of the necessary
expenditure
IT may say that while Mr.. Macfar-
land was statistically inexact in stating
that the United States owned more than
half of the land in the National Capt.
tai. he was fundamentally sound in his
statement of the ideal PLAN.