The Washington herald., 1916-01-07
Change in Sight in the District.


Washington may as we'll make up its mind that
the half-and-half system of paying for the main
tenance of the Nations Capital is to be abolished
at not distant date And yet if all of the recon-
mendations contained in the report submitted to
Congress yesterday by its Joint Select Committee
can be provided for and safeguarded by carefully
drawn and well considered law, taxpayers here will
have little to complain of The report throughout
indicates the flat rejection of the representations
and theories of those who appeared before the
committee seeking to show by impossible figures
that Washington taxpayers are not contributing
their fair share toward the support of the Capital
On the other hand it is plain that the investigators
were impressed by the undisputed statistics and
clear presentation OF facts and arguments by the
able representatives of the Citizens Committee of
One Hundred, who appear to have lost only one
eontention-though it may we'll be argued that it
was its principal one-that the Federal govern
ments contribution to the support Of the Capital
should be fixed one
Yesterdays onslaught in Congress against the
established order of things in the District of Co.
lumbia was not altogether surprising That the
Joint Select Committee would recommend in its re-
port the abolition of the hal-and-half system and
N"N OF plan under which
the citizens of Washington shall pay fair and
hSed rate OF taxation, the amount required in ex-
cess OF the revenue from this to be provided
from the Federal Treasury, had been foreshadow-
ed; and Senator Works announced several weeks
ago his intention of introducing a bill to abolish
the municipality of the District of Columbia and
establish in its place the City of Washington un-
der the direct and exclusive control of the gov
ernment of the United States. The publication of
the two propositions in detail does, however. in
dieate very plainly that Congress has quite a task
on its hands to reconcile them or even to devise
workable system of government involving the
more important of the changes recommended So
far as the change proposed by Senator Works is
concerned the necessity for it is not apparent nor
is 1t clear that anything tangible would be accom-
plished by It, though the people of Washington
might be brought to more complete realization
OF their nonexistence as an organized community
with a voice in the conduct Of their own affairs
The report of the Joint Select Committee is COM
prehensive and reflects the thoroughness of the in
vestigation II could Of course have arrived at no
other decision than that the interest on the funded
debt is equal obligation between the peoples of
the District and those of the country at large but
of the taxpayers of Washington, who can hardly
fail to be impressed with the full measure of con-
sideration given to their just claims. The commit
tee fully recognizes that the National Capital has
passed the period when its progress should in anv
measure depend on the amount the taxpayers of
the District are able to contribute. Not once does
the report intimate the least sympathy with the
assertion that they are undertaxed. The commit
tee urges upon Congress that its appropriations
always be in such as will not only continue the
city Of Washington and the District of Columbia
ii every respect as the splendid and beautiful CEN
trail residence of this great nation, but also cause
it to become and be forever maintained as model
for all the cities of the world"
1t is OF course, the uncertainty Of what future
Congresses may do that constitutes the chief
argument in favor of definite fixed contribution
by the Federal government; this point the Joint
Select Committee offer no assurance if its plan
is adopted 1t can only recommend and in the
future, to a greater extent than in the past the
growth and progress of the Capital would be
measured by the ideas of the statesmen sent here
to make the laws.
The report will not meet the views of GER
tain element in the House, but the high character
of the investigators, the thoroughncss with which
they did their work and the unanimity of their
conclusions will command powerful support in
both bodies of Congress, so that it will not be sur
prsing if a measure putting into effect substanti-
ally the changes recommended is enacted at the
present session.