Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-20
FACTS FOR THE INQUIRY
ON FISCAL RELATIONS
Reports of Subcommittee to Be
Made to Citizens Execu-
tive Committee.

Al a meeting of the executive com
mlttee of the joint citizens committee
on the fiscal relations between the Dis
trlct OF Columbia and the federal gov
eminent tonight in the Offices of Henry
B. r. Mcfarland, chairman, in the
Evans building, reports from the va
rious subcommittee appointed to
gather facts will be received.
Discussing proposals which have been
made by some members of Congress to
abolish the half-and-half plan of ap-
propriating for the District, Mr. Mac
farland said last night:
"One. of Aesop's fables tells of a dog
with piece of meat in his mouth
crossing stream on a bridge, that
seeing the shadow of the meat in the
water much larger than the meat it
self, opens his jaws to get the shadow
and loses the meat.
Pictures District Conditions.
This pictures exactly what would
should drop the half-and- half plan to
grasp the Shadow in the water of the
scheme to have the District taxpayers
pay whatever Congress exacts toward
the District expenses and let the United
States pay the rest
I'm it's practical results this is the
scheme of the Johnson rider, the John
son-Prouty amendment and all the
other legislation avoWedly intended to
put the whole burden of the main
tenance of the National Capital on the
District taxpayers, increasing their
taxes accordingly.
mo one having practical experience
with appropriation committees, the ira
ditional watch dogs of the Treasury
always reducing estimates, if possible
can ina CINE if there was no fixed pro-
portion of contribution to the expenses
of the National Capital that the appro-
priation committees would appropriate
as much as one-half from the United
States Treasury. But. on the contrary
the contribution would vary from less
than one-half toy nothing at all.
MI. Blackburn gave the reason why
a definite proportion was adopted in
1878 as against the illusory PROPOSE
ton for no definite contribution from
the United States when he said that the
latter. if adopted. would leave the
National Capital to the 'whim' and
caprice of each recurring session OF
Congress.
Places Primary Responsibility.
1--WE shall, of course, insist that the
primary responsibility for maintaining
lne .>dIloudl tdpIldl Is oil inc SoNSi
ment which created it for it's own pur-
poses and exclusively controls it, but
we know practically that unless we can
maintain the half-and- half plan Con-
gress will appropriate, first, the amount
of the District revenues, and then add
either nothing at all or an irregular
and uncertain amount. varying with
each session of Congress, with the con-
dition of the national Treasury and
with the political weather.
Every citizen, therefore, should sup
port the joint citizens committee in
obtaining the utmost that is possible
in practical certainty as against a
Shadow in the water.
"Analogies with other cities. always
unsatisfactory because of the difference
in local conditions. are impossible be-
tween Washington. a unique national
capital. which is nothing else. and for
eien capitals, which are all industrial
and commercial cities.