Evening star., 1916-06-01

District. as municipality. is a mock
cry. It is looked upon as a local or
ganization. maintained and operated in
the interest of the people residing In
the District. 1t Is nothing Of the kind.
AS tried to point out in my report, 1t
has no power to do anything or to pro-
tect the people of the District in any
way. 1t is not only a wholly useless
cuse for saying that the District must
pay half or more of the expenses of the
capital, when. in fact, it pays nothing
and never has. 1t is entirely question
ment. The alleged District as an or
ganized body has nothing to do with 1t.
And the special committee found. and
l think correctly. that the people of the
District are paying reasonable taxes as
compared with other cities. When this
is done the government should receive
the money thus raised into its treasury
and then appropriate all that Is neces-
sary to the needs of the District, with
out regard to the amount contributed
IN taxes. There is no other just or rea-
sonable way to deal with the subject.
Bar to Fair Administration.
I assert without hesitation and in all
friendliness to the people of the Dis
trict of Columbia that this mythical
municipal organization is the one
stumbling block in the way of just
and fair administration of the affairs
of the capital. Until it is removed. we
will have. year after year. just the
same troubles that we are having now
and have had ever since l have been
in the Senate. There are, and always
will be. men in Congress who will hide
behind the District organization and
economize, sometimes. 1 am afraid. be-
cause 1t is popular at home. If the
District organization. that is of no BEN
eht whatever to the people of the Dis
trict, is abolished and the affairs of the
capital made, as it should be, and as
the Constitution intended it to be.
national affair under national control,
there would be no divided RESPONSE
bility. but Congress would feel COM
PEELED to care for its own capital in
manner commensurate with the inter-
ests and to the credit of this great ma
ton.
1t is most unfortunate that the capital
of the nation should be neglected when
Congress is appropriating millions of
dollars for internal improvements in
the states. in violation of the very
spirit of the Constitution. The reason
for this is not far to seek. 1t is popu-
lar to spend government money in the
states, and with too many unthinking
and unpatriotic people it is popular to
save money that should be used to
make the capital worthy of great and
prosperous nation. If we could clear
away the TuDDlSn ana pldCe lne ItSpOH-
siblity for the maintenance, upkeep
and Identification of the capital of the
nation upon Congress, where it should
and does belong, surely the representa-
tives of the people of the whole coun-
try, whose capital 1t is. would have
patriotism and pride enough to meet
this responsi bility by making the cap
ital the most beautiful and attractive
of all the national capitals in the world
Prevents Worthy Improvements.
In my opinion this will never be ac-
complished through the maintenance of
the half-and half system. The divided
responsibility that 1t implies and the
excuse it furnishes members of Con-
gress to shift the responsibility to a
make-believe local municipality Is
bound to stand in the way of and. in
great measure, to prevent the accom-
plishment of great and worthy i'm
provements SO much needed.
Instead of the useless District of Co
lumbfa municipality the people of the
District should be given representation
in both houses of Congress, and the
Constitution should be so amended s
to give them that right.
am sure the people Of the District
of Columbia will believe me when /
say that my views on this subject, so
important to them, involves no un-
of sympathy for them in their fight for
adequate appropriations for the ca pitaI
without injustice to them.
n