The Washington herald., 1916-05-19
A Flagrantly Unjust Proposal.

than two-thirds and the taxpayers of all the rest
amount, the House Committee on Appropria-
tions rejects the vital principle of the report Of
the committee of the two Houses of Congress
which investigated the fiscal relations between
the governments of the United States and Dis
trct Of Columbia
The joint committee recommended that the
half-and-half system of defraying the expenses
of the Nations Capital be abolished, and that
all of the Districts revenues be used for the
purpose augmented by whatever additional sum
might be required from the Federal Treasury.
The investigators made it quite clear in their
report that they were convinced the people of
Washington contributing their full share
in taxes toward the support of the Capital, and
there was also the plain intimation that the
needs of the seat of government might require
la contribution from the Federal Treasury larger
than that of the people of Washington.
In the bill reported yesterday by the Com
mittee Appropriations the organic act of
1873, embodying the half-and-half principle, is
annuled, substitute system is provided and
Ia policy is recommended which, if adopted by
this Congress and persisted in by succeeding
Congresses means retrograding Capital City,
supported in unworthy fashion by the taxes
levied upon the $4,000 people of Washington
and a further contribution of less than half
much as Washington alone provides, from the
100 100000 people OF the country at large The
plan proposed is not only unjust to the taxpayers
of the District OF Columbia, but unjust to those
people in every section OF the country who arc
proud of Washington and who have watched
with pride its gradual development into Capt.
tai promising to become worthy of great
nation.
The action taken yesterday compels the reali-
zatlon, sooner than to have been expected,
Of how completely the Capital will be at the
mercy OF the whims prejudice and antagonism
Of the passing procession of Congressman, once
the half-and-half system is abolished without a
definite, safeguarding enactment to take its place
1t is appalling to contemplate the fate that may
oVertake the magnificent creation OF decades if
the policy recommended yesterday is adopted
The Herald emphasized this danger at the time
OF publication Of the joint committees report,
and it now confronts US.
The District Commissioners, with a scrupu-
lous regard for economy, sent to Congress esti-
mates calling for an appropriation of a little less
than SG5,5oO,ooo, the Districts share of which,
under the half-and-half system. would be safely
within its estimated revenues. In the bill re-
ported by the Committee on Appropriations this
amount has been scaled down more than So, 500,
ooo the effect being to require the taxpayers
OF the District to contribute $8235ooo and the
Federal government $3644ooo, in round numbers
toward the support OF the Nations Capital The
amount recommended is even less than that
appropriated tOr the current year Necessarily
many urgent and important Improvements have
been omitted from the bill, and as reported to
the House it fails to make adequate provision
for the support OF the Capital The District of
Columbia IS thus called upon to devote all of
IS revenues toward the support of the Nations
Capital while Congress proposes not only to
refuse to appropriate from the Federal Treasury
an additional sum that shall be adequate to main;
tam a Capital on scale in keeping with the
nation, but also to deny the District the right
to use its own money for important municipal
improvements and development. Such proposal
IS flagrantly unjust to the nation and to the
District
Such an attempt justhcs nothing but forbod-
ngs for the future. If it succeeds NAV we not
with every reason look forward to the time
when some future Congress will undertake to
deny US the right to use enough OF our own tax
contributions to maintain an efficient public
school system, fire and police departments With
not the slightest legal safeguard for our reve-
nues a sufficiently large and hostile element
would find no serious obstacle in the way of
their diversion conhscation There is ground
tor suspicion that old enemies of the District
IN the present Congress have taken advantage
OF the joint committees report to try again to
accomplish their announced purpose of making
the taxpayers of the Capital pay more for its
support, by adopting a portion Of that COM
mlttee recommendations and rejecting the vital
principle that must be included if justice and
fairness are to prevail. The District has too
many proved and staunch friends in both Houses
to permit this new proposal to succeed but the
attempt IS notice to the people of Washington
that the old fight against injustice must be taken
up again. The people here have long submitted
10 taxation without representation; it is too much
10 expect that they will submit to taxation for
purposes other than the payment of expenses
With which they may justly be charged and Of
TINS the action Of yesterday can only be REGARDED
as the torerunner. Self-protection demands that
every citizen of the District use all the in
hucnce at his command to prevent the repeal
OF the organic act of 1873, embodying the half
and-halt principle, without the enactment of a
Just law to take its DIlcc