Evening star., 1916-08-01
SENATE G|VESO.K K.
TO HALF-AND-RALF.
Turns Down House Rider End
ing Prevailing D. C. Fiscal
Scheme by Al to Is.
WORKS AMENDMENT
ALSO is DEFEATED
Chairman Smith Notifies Colleagues
Measure Will Be Kept Before Body
Until Disposed OF.

BY a vote of AZ to IS the SEN
ate today adopted the Senate
committee amendment to the Dis
trict appropriation bill knocking
out the House rider 'abolishing
the half-and-half plan, and re-
stored the present system of ap-
propriating for the District.
The result of the vote on the Works
amendment and on the Senate committee
amendment put the Senate on record as
being Overwhelmingly in favor OF the
retention Of the half-and-half plan. at
least until some adequate substitute
has been framed.
The Senate committee amendment
providing for the biennial assessment
of real estate instead Of trfennfal
assessment was adopted.
The committee amendment appro-
priation for the construction OF the new
Gailinger municipal hospital at the site
owned by the government at l4th ana
Upshur streets northwest. was next
taken up. Senator Lee Of Maryland Of
fered an amendment to place the hos
pital on reservation No. 13. where the
Washington Asylum Hospital is now
located.
amendment striking out the House rid
er abolishing the half and half was as
follows:
Ayes. 47-Senators Bankhead, Bryan.
Chamberlain. clapp. Clark OF Ar
Gallinger. Harding. Hughes. Jones. Lee
of Maryland, Lippitt. Martin, MARITIME.
Myers, Newlands, Overman. Page. PEN
rose, Pittman. Poindexter. Pomerene.
Ransdell, Reed. Robinson. Salisbury.
Sherman, Shields. Simmons Smith Of
Arizona. Smith of Maryland. Smith of
South Carolina. Smoot, Sterling, stone.
Swanson, Thomas. Thompson. Tillman.
Townsend. Underwood. Wadsworth.
Weeks, Williams and Works.
Noes. 1e-Senators Ashurst. Hollis.
Husting. James. Johnson OF South Da-
kota, Kenyon. Kern. La Toilette. Lane,
Nelson. Shafroth. Sheppard. Taggart.
Vardaman and Walsh.
The Works amendment abolishing the
District of Columbia as such and the
half-and-half plan and providing that
the government pay all the expenses Of
the federal Treasury fair tax, was de-
feated in the Senate today by a vote of
SO to II. The senators who Joined with
Senator Works in supporting his
amendment were Senators Ashurst,
Borah. Clapp, James. Jones' Kenyon. La
Senator Works then offered an
amendment to strike from the bill the
halfand-hal provision, leaving il 30
that the United States would pay for all
of the expenses of the District This
was quickly voted down, and a direct
vote on the question of sustaining the
half-andhalf provision in accordance
with the act of 1878 began.
Senator John Walter Smith OF Mary
land today gave notice in the Senate
that he would insist upon the District
appropriation bills being kept continu-
ously before the Senate - during the
working hours of that body-until 1t IL
disposed of. The District bill is the un-
finished business Of the Senate and was
taken up last Friday. when it was prac-
tically completed. except for the Senate
committee amendments restoring the
half-and-half plan, providing for the
acquisition of the Dean tract, for q b.
ennial assessment of real estate and for
the municipal hospital Since that day
much of the time has been given by the
Senate to the consideration Of other
matters. ..,.-.
When the bill was laid before the
Senate today, Senator Works of CAL
ifornia again addressed the Senate on
the subject of his amendment which
would abolish the half-and-half plan.
do away with the District government
as a municipality and make 1t bu-
reau of the federal government and
have the federal government pay all
the expenses of the District. the citt-
Zens here to continue to pay fair
tax.
Should Not Be Municipality.
He went at some length into the his
tory of the organic act of 1878. which
provides for the half-and-half plan.
to establish his argument that the
District is not really a municipality
and cannot be so considered under the
Constitution of the United States.
Senator Works insisted also that the
half f-and-half plan OF caring Tor the
Districts expenditures had not been
lived up to as matter OF fact ,,t IN the
ment of the half-and-half plan would
not really mean a change in law.
Some years, he said. the assessments
paid by the people OF the District haS@
been more than half of the appropria-
tions made for the District and other
years the appropriations have been
greater than twice the amount OF the
assessments. The half-and-half plan,
he insisted, has not really existed in
fact
I'm a sort of n hit and miss way the
appropriations for the District have
averaged up about half from the D1s-
trict and half from the federal Treas
ury." said Senator Works. This was
true until two years ago, when tie
assessments were revised and the citi-
zens of the District paid in in taxes
considerably more than their half OF the.
appropriations"
Says Legislation Is Hampered.
Senator Works quoted from Justice
Siddons to the effect that the half-and-
half plan had frequently prevented
much needed legislation for the Dis
trict, owing to the fact that 1t limited
the government to matching dollar for
dollar the revenues raised in the Dis
trict when appropriations were made.
He also quoted Justice Siddons as say.
ing that he had been favorably Inn
nressed with the amendment offered by
Senator Works.
II have had some glimmering hope
faint I confess-of seeing the District
Of Columbia extricated from its present
position before L left Congress" said
Senator Works But the vacant seats
that the senators have very little inter-
sst in this matter.
Senat,r works sale that Senator GAL
inger had found difficulty in the matter
II adopting the Works plan. Senator
Works insisted that they were only
imaginary. Senator Gallinger inter.
rupted to say that he had been a mem.
Der of the District committee for twen-
ty-two years and for twelve years