Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-23
House Members Say Report Of
Fiscal Relations Commit
tee Is Totally Ignored.
NO SUBSTITUTE OFFERED
FOR HALF-AND-HALF LAW
Views For and Against the Legis.
lation During the Debate on
Proposed Rule. =

| The charge that the House appro-
priations committee has totally ig-
nored the report of the joint select
committee appointed by Congress in
the last session to investigate the
fiscal relations between the United
States and the District of Columbia
was made on the floor of the House
yesterday afternoon by Representa-
| tive Campbell, republican. of Kansas.
Mr.. Campbell. who Is g. member of the
rules committee, deprecated the fact
that the appropriations committee has
used the District bill as g. vehicle to
overturn the ha1f-and-half feature of
| the organic act, without giving in re-
turn an adequate substitute. Other
members of the House discussed the
same question on different sides. and
after a debate of one hour the House
adjourned, with the understanding
that a vote on the rule should be taken
today and that the District bill itself
should then be taken up for debate
| under the f1ve-minute rule, following
short general debate.
During the discussion on the rule
yesterday Representative Gard of
Ohio. a member of the joint select
committee. expressed the opinion IN
preparation bill should not by any
means place the payment of the inter-
est on the funded debt on the District
of Columbia. He suggested a change
in the wording whereby the bondhold-
ers would be given the security OF the
United States Treasury.
Suggested Change In Paragraph.
Mr. Cards chanpe would make the
paragraph in question read:
That all appropriations for the sup
port of the District of Columbia. ex-
cept the interest on the funded debt of
the District, shall be paid from the
revenues of the District to the extent
that the same shall be sufficient there
for, and the remainder out OF any
money in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated.
Mr.. Gard said, in part:
THE bill can be easily amended so as
to provide for the findings of the select
committee, which findings are, 1 be-
lieve. authorized by law.
This funded debt is not large debt.
The city of Washington is indeed
unique in not having a large public
debt. There remains about S6.00O.000, 1
think, of the debt; and in the ordinary
course of events that will be paid off
in 1928 or possibly in 1922, and after
that time the city of Washington will
have no funded debt. The larger part
for the consideration of the House will
be the question as to how the expenses
Of the District of Columbia shall be
paid. Now. the findings of the select
committee. in brief, upon that are that
there is not and should not be any ar
bitrary rule, but that the responsibility
of the residents of the District of Co
lumbia should be the payment of a fixed
and reasonable amount assessed as
proper taxation.
Opposes Rider" Legislation.
Further, Representative Gard said:
Il am in accord with the general prin-
ciple that legislation should not be en-
bodied as riders upon appropriation
bills except it be Intimately related
thereto, and the subject upon which l
desire to give the members of the House
some information is, l think, intimately
related to the subject of these appro-
priations. That is the first part of the
bill making in order the question of
appropriation for the payment of in
terest and the principal of the funded
debt and for the expenses of the Dis
trict of Columbia. l first want to say
that it is my idea that the language
which is carried in the bill providing
for the payment of interest and sinking
fund of the District of Columbia out
of the revenues of the District is not
a proper recommendation to this House.
The finding of the select committee,
which was a unanimous finding Of three
United States senators and three mem
bers of this House of Representatives.
was to the effect that the inception of
this BOND legislation, the rulings of all
the departments and indeed the very
highest sense of Justice between the
bondholders, the citizens of the District
and the citizens of the general govern
ment ought to be to the effect that
these bonds, having been issued under
a particular law. should be by that par
ticular law paid"
Representative Page of North Caro-
lima. in charge of the bill. replied that
when the wording referred to by Rem
re6entative Gard is reached under
the five-minute debate, the proposed
amendment could be considered 1t will
probably be acceptable to the House. if
the views expressed yesterday are a
correct guide.
Representative Campbells Views.
Representative Campbell of Kansas.
in criticising the rule, spoke of the re-
port of the joint select committee. as
follows:
That report is totally ignored by the
committee on appropriations, in that
the investigating committee found that
Congress was solemnly bound to pro-
vide by appropriations for the PAYMENT
of so per cent of the interest and the
sinking fund upon the funded debt Of
the District. One of the very first pro-