Evening star., 1915-01-23
UNDERWOOD URGES
FAIRNESS FOR CITY
Champions Commission to In
vestigate Districts Rela-
tions With u. S.
HOUSE WILL VOTE AGAIN
ON HALF-AND-HALF ISSUE
Conferees Not to Agree With Senate
Amendments Until Ballot
Is Taken.

yb;,e chairman johnson Of the House
rsstr,ct committee was demanding that
fbe House conferees on the District ap-
rronr,ation bill should not accept the SEN
.te.s adherence to the principles OF the
cr,an,c act of 1878 and the half and half
Man Majority Leader Underwood openly
advocated. on the floor of the House To-
a.v a i,st commission Of inquiry into the
fiscal relations between the unlteo e'a'e'
and the District of Columbia
The bill went to conference with IN
rtructions that the conferees snouid oiea-
gree with all Senate amendments Du'
Representative Underwood. who calne 10
the defense of the District OF Columbia
when the Crisp bill to abolish the nall ana
half plan was uppermost in the House, toid
tbe districts enemies that it IS diStlnctly
unfair to force the johnson amendment
down the threats of the taxpayers WITH
out first having the benefit OF the report
of a wise and impartial commission OF IN
vestigation on the subject
Another Vote in House.
A long afternoons fight on the four
items in the appropriation bill over
which there is discussion was averted
by an agreement that the House con-
ferees will not agree to the Senate
amendments on the subjects until the
House should have direct vote on
them. That means that the johnson
proposition that the half-and-half plan
shall be nullified and that the federal
Treasury shall pay only wnat proPoI
ton of the S12.O0O,0O0 shall be LETT
revenue for the next fiscal year. Will
he called up again in the House for
another fight and a separate vote.
Tho other three items over which
there Is a controversy are the senate
amendment for $150,0o0 for the first ap-
propriation for the proposed Gallinger
Hospital; the item calling for an eight
een-thoueand-do1lar public comfort sta
|tion at 18th street and Maryland ave
niue northeast, and Senator's kern's
Amendment that building materials
made by convicts at OccoQuan snaii
not be sold to the District or to the
federal government in competition with
the products of free labor.
Great Opposition to Each.
There is so great an opposition TO
each of these amendments that had not
Representative Page of North Carolina.
In charge of the bill. been diplomatic in
the extreme tho House would have
been torn in quarters by the probable
ensuing flibuster.
The final agreement was made that
the House would not accept the Senate
amendments placing these proposed
items in the bill and knocking out the
johnson notification of the half -and-
half plan until the House had chance
to vote on them again. This agree.
ment kept Representatives johnson Of
Kentucky, Carlin of Virginia and Fos-
ter of Illinois from standing in the way
of further progress until they had
fought out their various issues to a
finish today.
Johnson Enters Protest.
The House met at IL o'clock and
Chairman Page was on hand with the
Senate's edition of the District bill and
the necessary papers in his hand. true
to his promise to ask for conference
today and not wait another hour. When
he made the usual routine request that
the bill be taken from the Speakers s
table and that a conference be asked
with the Senate, Representative John
son of Kentucky entered his protest
against the Senate amendment which
restored the usual half-and-half prin-
ciple to the District bill. and would
have asked a separate vote on the
amendment then and there had not
Representative Page assured him that
the conferees for the House would not
accept the Senate amendment without
chance of a roll call in the House.
Underwood Takes Floor.
Democratic Leader Underwood then
took the floor in opposition to raids
on the District of Columbia.
should we not have a commission to
Investigate the half and half plan?" he
asked 1T Is clearly tho sentiment
Of this House that the federal govern
ment should bear a proportion OF the
expenses of the District. But no one
hut the committee in charge of the bill
seems to have any idea as to what a
|air proportion should be. I know that
j do not know what would be Just
proportion. and 1 have been here a
great many years.
come from any of the committees
which clearly demonstrated what Is a
fair I'D equitable distribution of ex-
nensea Why should We not have a
Commission? We had one forty years
seo. We should have one now to as
certain the facts from top TO bottom
and to lay before this House all lhe
facts In this controversy. IT Will never
he settled otherwise
Representative Page suggested that
the House had never seriously enter
any sentiment for such a com
|'nission and that the attitude of ths
senate is recorded in the way II over.
,nrned Representative Johnson's at.
tenn, TO nullify the organic act.
Underwood Asks Question.
Mr.. Underwood continued:
Does not the gentleman think thi.
Question should he settled only after
,be fullest information Is obtained?"
THE gentleman from Alabama" re
snonded Representative Page. speak,
n, a lack of information in the Hous,
and that this necessitates the creation
ri a special committee or commission
NV impression is that no matter wha
a commission may do. the House will
he as ignorant as ever unless tn,
members of the House take up tn.
testimony and the report and make
complete study of the matter
II am frank 10 say" interposed Rep
rssentative Underwood. that I for on,
do not know the value of the govern
rnent's property in this CITY,"
"And that matter has been placed II
the record by various gentlemen from
time to time explained Representative
page. MY Judgment is that a commits
sion would do nothing more than gathe
information that has already been place,
in the record at different times"
Unfair" He Declares.