The Washington herald., 1916-06-23
Fighting the Nations Fight.

and unjust legislation to which the House of
Representatives, deceived by the persistent mis-
representations of few powerful enemies OF
the District OF Columbia, has given its approval.
The Senate, at the last session, forbade the sub
stituton of condition of financial chaos for
the clear and explicit provisions of the organic
act of 1873, under which the Nations Capital
has grown to greatness but again this year the
identical proposition comes from the ruthless and
unreasoning despoilsrs in the House, with false
argument to give it the appearance of newness.
Their claim now is that their proposal to abolish
the half-and-half system of maintaining the Capt.
tai, embodied in the District appropriation bill
as passed by the House, is in response to the
recommendation of the Joint Congressional Com
mittee which investigated the fiscal relations be-
tween the Federal and District governments. They
know perfectly we'll that the District bill sent
to the Senate includes but single recommenda-
tion Of the joint committee-the abolition OF the
half-and-half system-and that if it is enacted
alone the result will be not to carry out the
intention of the committee but defeat it in let
ter and in principle. Its effect on the Capital
will be exactly the opposite of what the COM
mittee urged as fixed policy of Congress in
dealing with the District. The Senate is asked
to do what it emphatcally refused to do last
session upon the false representation that in do
ing so now it will comply with the recommen-
dations of the joint committee. OF course the
Senate will not be deceived To approve the
House measure would produce chaos just as
surely as approval of the House bill last year
would have produced it.
Necessarily the House bill will be rejected
because it destroys orderly system and puts
nothing in its place 1t is purely and deliberate
ly destructive, the product of the enmity Of few
Representatives toward the people of Washing
ton that is simply amazing in its persstency.
Though they will meet with another defeat in
their attempt to impose injustice and hardship
upon the people of this city and to retard the
growth OF the Capital these men will again be
responsible for a deplorable and wholly unneces-
sary waste OF valuable time by Congress. 1t is
a hardship too that session after session, pub
lie spirited citizens of Washington are COM
pelled to devote time and money to the protec-
ton Of the Capital from destructive legislation
OF unchangng origin. 1t is not even fair that
the whole fight year after year should be left
to the citizens of the District of Columbia
Washington is the Capital of the whole country
and the whole country is interested The plans
Of certain members OF the Committee of the
House OF Representatives on the District of
Columbia were they to succeed would mean a
meagerly supported, retrograding Capital of the
United States so long these men, or others
with views as narrow who might succeed them,
had so large share in the direction of its
destiny. 1t can scarcely be doubted that if the
danger that has threatened the Capital each
session for the past half dozen years were gen.
orally known and understood patriotic citizens
residing elsewhere would join their protests with
those OF the people of the District against the
unnecessary lndefensible and acknowledgements
plan to withhold the Federal support without
which the Nations splendid Capital can neither
expand even be maintained upon the present
scale
1t has been asked why the House of Repre-
sentatves has twice given its approval to legis-
lation so destructive in nature, and the answer is
not hard to find. It is readily suggested by an
other question: Why has the Senate steadfastly
withheld its approval? Senators are here longer;
they know the Capital and its needs and how they
are to be supplied, from their own observations
and studies. They know what will injure and
what will benefit it. The House of Represent.
atIves as whole is no less patriotic, no less fair
than the Senate, but the membership is subject
to change every other year and large number
OF Representatives now sitting have never had
the opportunity or the time to acquire detailed
knowledge Of the system under which the Capi-
tai has become the object Of the Nations pride
and which system it is proposed to destroy with
out providing another TO take its place New
members come to Washington and they find that
legislation pertaining to the District of Columbia
is In the hands of committee selected for that
very purpose and they are disposed to follow
that committees recommendations without cues
ton and devote their own attention to matters in
which their constituents are directly con-
cerned. Thus there is little limit to the power OF
the District Committee of the House.
Unfortunately for Washington for number
OF years past the membership of this committee
has included three four men whose course in
dealing with all matters involving the interests
OF the people of the District has been perma.
nently and inexplicably hostile. This hostility on
the part of the controlling faction of the COM
mittee is manifested upon every possible occas-
SION and by the citizens has come to be accepted
as matter Of course. 1t is not surprising that
this condition is not recognized and accepted by
the changing membership of the House. though
1t is well understood by most of the veterans,