Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-24
CHAMPIONS CAUSE
| OF D. c. FISCAL PLAN
Representative Tinkham ASKS
House to Retain "Halt-
and-Half" System.
CALLS NEW PROPOSITION
PARSIMONIOUS MEASURE
Other Speakers Tell Of Interest OF
Entire Nation in Proper De-
velopment of Capital.

Representative Tinkham OF Massa-
chusetts championed the cause of the
haIf-and half principle of appropriation
in the District bill in speech on the
floor of the House yesterday afternoon,
declaring that the Joint select commit
tee had not brought forward the slight
est proof that the principle should be
discarded. He characterized the pres
ent District bill, on which ne was
speaking at the time. as being parsl-
monious effort and asked Congress
whether the United States has no more
than so per cent interest in the Capital
city.
The District bill was not discussed in
the House today, this being calendar
Wednesday," 1t will be taken up to-
morrow and considerable Roadway will
probably be made.
In his speech yesterday Representa-
tive Tinkham said:
"A beautiful Washington spreads IT'S
splendor before an admlrlng nation,
he said Its beauty and it's grandeur
are the result of wise and benef1cent
laws, and those laws should not ne
changed without convincing PROOF ana
without Irresistible evidence that
Washington will be made greater and
more worthy capital of this great union
of states. The joint select committee
has not adduced this proof, nor has 1t
been adduced in this debate
Others Argue for "Half-and-Half."
Representative Tinkham's speech
was one of several made on the sub
ject of District appropriations in gen.
eral debate Representative Crisp of
Georgia had few minutes on the floor
to start again his argument that the
District of Columbia should be more
heavily taxed. and Representative
Johnson of Kentucky made similar
speech. Representative Focht of Penn
sylvania. a member of the District COM
mittee. made n short plea for more
generous treatment of the District.
Until we do what is necessary for
our own capital" he said. lit will not
be necessary for us to legislate and
extend the franchise to Porto Rico
and the Philippine Islands. We have
plenty to do within a square of this
Capitol. And so let us, from the north
and the south, from the east and the
west, feel that this is the great capital
city of our great country. Let US
realize that the people of the country
dfterentiate between a great capital
city of beauty and convenience as
against great commercial and in
duStrlal cltleS ike Phlladelphla, Pitts
burgh and New York, where wealth
abounds and property values have no
limit
Representative Tinkhams speech. in
part. follows:
Mr.. Chairman. the vision in the eyes
of Washington. the founder of this city;
the vision in the eyes of L'Enfant, the
planner of this city. was not the same as
that of the joint select committee when
it drew its report: nor was it the same
as the vision of the honorable gentleman
from Georgia. who has spoken in sup
port of their report: nor that Of the hon
orable representative from Kentucky.
who has spoken to the same effect who,
desire to see the wise fiscal provisions
now obtaining in the District of Columbia
abolished. for the abolition of the present
equitable arrangement between the Dis
trict of Columbia and the federal govern
ment must inevitably lead to a lesser
Washington rather than greater Wash
ington; to less worthy and magnificent
capital for this great nation Had the
vision in the eyes of Washington and of
L'Enfant been such as the vision of this
joint select committee and these hon
CRADLE representatives. then Washington
would not be here, and If Washington
were here 1t would not be the imperial
citV that iS TODAY