Evening star., 1916-08-02
The Senate and the Organic Act.

True to the confidence reposed in it
by the District, the Senate has once
again voted for the retention of the
half-and- half principle of the organic
act Its action yesterday in adopting
the committee amendment restoring that
principle, which had been eliminated
from the District appropriation bill by
the House, makes certain at least that
there will be no drastic reputation this
year of the governments obligation to
assist in the maintenance of the Dis
trict.
1t is especially gratifying to find the
Senate voting for the retention of the
half-and half principle by a greater ma
jority this year than it east year and
a half ago when the same proposition
was presented to it in the form of the
johnson amendment On that occasion,
January y, 1915, the Senate agreed to
the committees amendment rejecting the
johnson proposition, by Il vote of 40 to
20. This majority of 26 has now been
IhCItdStu " iutJtiItN VI 'is NtStCi-
days vote being AZ to Is. Four sena-
tors who voted last year in favor of the
johnson amendment voted this year in
favor of the retention of the half and
half, indicating a substantial progress in
the demonstration of the essential jus-
.tice of the fixed ratio method of District
maintenance.
With a vote of AZ to 16, or nearly
3 to l, the Senate has thus declared its
increased opposition to any radical
change in the fiscal relations between
the District and the general government.
1t has even more emphatically rejected
an amendment which, abolishing the
District of Columbia as an organization,
would place it upon the basis of inde-
terminate government maintenance. It
sends the bill back to the House with
the present law indorsed in terms that
admit of no compromise.
When the current District appropria-
tion law was enacted by the House in
December, 1914, the half-and-half prin
eiple was repudiated by the Johnson
amendment by a vote on final passage,
with this amendment as the issue, of
1877 to 100. or an affirmative declaration
for the abolishment of the half-and half
principle of more than - per cent of
those voting. When practically the same
proposition was presented to the House
this year it was sustained. on motion
to recommit, by a vote of l73 to III, or
q little less than 81 per cent of those
voting sustaining the committee propo
sition. Thus in the two successive votes
the House has lessened by more than IL
per cent in its opposition to the half
and-half principle. Meanwhile the Sen
ate has increased its vote in favor of
the half f-and half principle by more
than per cent. In January, 1915, it
voted against the johnson amendment
46 to 20, an affirmative vote of 69Ia per
cent This year it voted against SINH
lar proposition a. to is, or an afirma-
tive strength of 74.9 per cent.
Is This diminution of the House support
and increase of the Senate opposition
should leave no question as TO the out
come of the present issue. 1t is evident
that Congress is not disposed to sweep
away the half -and-half principle, es-
pecially in the light OF the demonstra-
.tion before the joint select committee
that it is necessary and just. In view
of the figures of these votes there should
be no compromise in conference on any
makeshift provision for District main
tenance.