Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-25

iOr the JOINT CITIZENS committee.
w. Moves and A. S. Worthingto
Senator John D. Works of California,
a member of the congressional commit
tee, submitted for the consideration OF
the committee and also of the wit
nesses who are to appear before the
committee, a resolution providing for
a new form of government in the DIS
trict. Briefly, it would have the Dis
trict of Columbia as a municipality go
out of existence. the United States TAX
ing title to all the property of the Dis
trict and assuming all its debts and
obligations. 1t would have the federal
government pay all the expenses Of the
District, which hereafter would be
known as the city of Washington. 1t
would have the citizens living in Wash
ington pay taxes similar tor those paid
by residents of other American cities
of the same size, these taxes to be paid
into the federal Treasury The appro-
priations for the District would be
taxes paid by the citizens of the Dis
trict.
Plan offered by Mr.. Rainey.
Representative Rainey of Illinois, also
a member of the congressional COM
mittee, during Mr.. Macfarland's dis
cussion of the haf-and-ha1f plan, sug-
gested a plan which he had 5otted
down in a note book as the hearing
proceeded. Mr.. Raineys plan would re-
tain the present municipal government
but would have the taxes collected in
the District paid directly into the fed
eral Treasury; property in the District
would be assessed at its true value;
taxes here would be similar to those
in other cities of the same size; the
development of the city would be con-
tinued on the same scale as at present.
Senator Works. in laying his resolu-
| ton before the committee, said 1t was
prepared after considerable study OF
the situation.
The fundamental error which exists
in the relations between the United
States and the District of Columbia,
said Senator Works, lies in the fact
that the District is considered the
principal in the existing arrangement
between them. and the United States
is considered merely as contributor
AS matter of fact, the United States
should be the principal, and should
carry on the government of its own Ma
tional Capital
Senator salisbury of the investigat-
ing committee suggested that to give
consideration to the plan outlined by
powers of the congressional committee
which was appointed TO report to Con-
gress merely what proportion of the
expenses of the District government
should be borne by the federal govern
ment.
I'm creating the committee said
Senator Salisbury, Congress assumed
that the District of Columbia would re-
main as a District.
Admits Congress Should Decide.
Senator Works admitted that the whole
matter would have to go to Congress for
settlement, but said he thought the COM
mittee should give it consideration. He
added, however, that he was not even
sure that the resolution as offered by him
today would ever be introduced in the
Senate. lntimating that after hearing all
the arguments he might change his mind
Senator Works also had read by the
secretary of the committee, Represent
ative Rainey, a letter written by William
E. Shannon to President Brandenburg of
the Board of Trade, in which Mr.. Shan
non argued against the retention of the
half-and-half plan. and advocated plan
very similar to that offered in Senator
Works resolution.
II had framed that resolution, how
ever" said Senator Works. long before
saw the letter written by Mr.. Shan
non." He asked Mr.. Macfarland If all
the members of the organizations rep
resented by the joint citizens commit
tee were Of one mind in regard to the
half-and-half plan. Mr. Macfarland re-
piled that undoubtedly individual opin-
Ions existed within and without these
organizations, as In the case of Mr.. Sham
non, but that as whole the organiza-
tons favored the retention of the half
and-half plan.
All of the members of the joint select
committee, of which Senator Chiffon of
West Virginia is chairman, were pres
ent when the hearing began today. 1t
was determined by the committee that
after the representatives of the joint
citizens committee had been heard,
Herbert ]. Browne, who is opposing the
half and-half plan. would be given
three hours to state his views. He
is expected to be heard tomorrow aft
ernoon or Wednesday morning. He
will be followed by representatives of
the Tax Reform Association, headed by
w. d. Mackenzie. The other repre-
sentatives of that association will be
C. S. Davis and James Hugh Kelley
Hearing Attracts Large Crowd.
The committee room in the Senate
office building was crowded with in
terested listeners when the hearing
opened, and the arguments were fol-
lowed with close attention.
Mr.. Rainey. after reading his sug-
gested plan for meeting the expenses
of the government, asked Mr. Macfar-
land how the citizens joint committee
would feel about it.
Mr.. Macfarland replied that the citi-
zens' joint committee would be op-
posed to it.
the citizens of the District are now
paying just taxes-as high as those
of citizens In other similar cities in
this country Such a plan as you sug-
gest, Mr.. Rainey, was existing in es-
sence prior to 1S7S. wheE the organic