Evening star., 1915-05-27
NO SURRENDERED
|. HALF-ANDHALFlA
Congress Has Not Imposed
Death Sentence Upon 1t by
Creating Joint Committee.
PREJUDICE AGAINST 1T
NO GROUND OF REPEAL
Violations by Uncle Sam of Half.
and-Half Pledge Furnish No
Reason for Repudiating
It Altogether.
Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.
BY THEODORE w. MOVES.

full extent Of the national obligation
toward the capital; how far it has been
met in the past; In what way will 1t
most wisely and most fairly be met in
the future. ...
! (2) To show the origin, nature and
extent of the Obligati0n Of the taxpay-
ers of Washington In the upbuildtng of
the National Capital; with what faith
iulness this obligation has been met In
tho past; In what way will it most
equitably be met in the future.
When these two demonstrations Of
the truth. based on facts. accurate fg-
ures and sound reasoning, are co-ordi-
| mated or merged the result will be the
correct answer to the question before
the joint committee: What is the
proper proportion Of the expenses of
the capital to be borne by nation and
District, respectively
In the last Congress certain repre-
sentatlves sought TO repeal the law Fix
ing the proportion OF these expenses
the claim that the United States under
this law paid too much: that the
local taxpayers had the taxable
resources enabling them to pay
should pay little or nothing. and
whether little or nothing should be
left undetermined. to be liked each year
| in accordance with the whims and ca
price OF congressional committees,
Washington defended the half-and-h
arrangement under the act of 1873, and
the principle OF definite proportionate
contribution by nation and local COM
munity upon which it is based. The
House voted for repeal of the half-and-
half law and for indefinite national
contribution toward capital upbuilding.
the Senate voted as strongly to sustain
the present system of dennite proper
tionate contribution. Congress on the
report of the conference committee
sustained the half-and- arrange
ment as upheld by the Senate, and Gre
ated a joint committee to examine thor
oughly into the whole subject Of the
proper proportionate contribution Of
nation and local community, whether
the half-andhalf proportion or some
other.
Function Of Committee Of Congress.
This committee's function is obvious
ly "a to study all the facts and to de-
eide whether or not the proper propor-
tiOnate contribution is half-nnd-half, as
provided by existins law; (2) II half
and half is found not to be the proper
proportion Of capital contribution, to
decide what that definite proper pro-
portion fs; or go to shirk the fixing Of
amy definite pr0pOrtiOnate contribution
under a confession of impOtency and to
leave the determination of this pro-
capricious, to be changed from year TO
year mt each recurring session of Con-
gress.
These decisions are stated in the or
der of their desira bility from the Dis
trict's point of view. This rating of
their desirability has been formally
made by the citizens joint committee
This committee is collecting all the
facts and figures under the two heads
constituting the text of this article,
and on the strength of these facts will
defend the half-and-half plan and en-
deavor to induce the joint congression-
al committee to approve and continue
| It: but if the joint committee fixes
| some other definite proportion than
| half-and- half, or by any mischance de-
| termines to leave the proportionate
contribution indefinite, every fact, fig
ure and reasoning submitted by the
| Joint citizens committee will be Of
value to the capital in securing max
imum measurement Of the nations cap
ital obligation, whether definitely or in
definitely expressed
washingtonians who believe TINT the
hnlf-and-half plan. with it's principle
of definite prOpOrtfOnate contribution
toward capital maintenance by nation
and District, has been the keystone in
told that, without any change of Opin-
ion concerning the Erent benefits de-
rived from this ARRANGEMENT In the
past, they must now voluntarily abnn-
don IL worthless or positively inju-
riOus in it's effect upon the local well
fare.
| Several reasons are augRested why
| Neutrality-suspicious. who would naturally
law of 1878 as the snvfOr of the capital
from ruin and of the nation from
shame should Mt this juncture deny
with curses this material, non-spirituaI
nrvfn md urff ct 70 in
ting 1t to death.
No Death Sentence by Congress
]. II IL urged that Congress has al
ready imposed the death sentence; that
IL Is useless to resist. and that II Is
policy to curry favor with Congress
by aPpInudinE and even participating
in an abhorrent act. which we cannot
prevent. "Congress will Kill. anyhow.
Let MS beat the assassin to II and do
the killing ourselves" Bat Congress
has NOT pronounced death sentence, 1t
voted not to do 40 when II voted down
the johnson anne M me n I .cOn inucd Inta ct
for another year the haIf-and-haIf man
and created a joint committee to study
thoroughly the fiscal relation of nation
and capital. and to ascertain what, II
any, changes In the present relation
are necessary or desirable.
! II Congress had meant to impose the
death sentence IL would have suspend
ed the ha.lf-and half law pending the
committee inquiry, as II was urged by
opponents of the half-and- half plan to
do. 1t would have adopted the johnson
amendment repeating, in effect the
ihalf-and-half law and would have left
to the congressional committee only the
duty of framing the details Of the sys-
TEN to take its place.
| But Congress rejected the johnson
amendment and continued the haIf-and-
hal
opportunity to Washington (grudging-
lily given) to show cause why the half
and-Aalf plan should not be put to
death. At the best there results an in
vitation to Washington to present the
facts and reasonings concerning the
fiscal relation which the capital has
Icomplained It has had no chance to
submit in the past. and an assurance
that Congress will not kill the half
and-half plan without thoughtful con
lsideration of the facts and arguments
Submitted in Its vindication
Having fought vigorously and sue