Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-09
Our State Constitution Of
This Century to Be as Wise
and Fair as That of 1873.
NO REPEAL BY RIDER
THEODORE W. MOVES,


forty years be radically altered by
the next Congress.
The insistence. only reluctantly
abandoned, by the present and pre-
ceding House upon the repeal OF the
f1alf-and-half provision of the organic
act; the insistence Of the Senate that
there shall be no premature, lopsfded,
unfair repeal; and the vigorous con-
tention of the people of the District
for relief after forty years endurance
from un-American and unjust discrlm-
nations against them, no longer nee
essary in the national interest, Will
naturally result before many months
have passed in the framing and en-
actment by Congress of new system
of financial and political relations be-
tween nation and capital which shall
be as wise and equitable under the
conditions and environment OF 1913
as the organic act was in 1878.
Framing New Organic Act.
A new organic act, new state con-
stitution, for the District of Columbia
will receive in preparation the thor-
ough and careful consideration when
wisely characterizes every alteration
of fundamental law.
The organic act of 1878. with it's
compromises, it's balances, Its Offset
ting of equities, is an integral Mhoie;
and any substitute for 1T should also
be complete, rounded and balanced In
all it's parts: and its trainers in mold
ing it should give to all the equities
of all the parties concerned the same
wise and fair consideration that was
given by the statesmen of the last
century in their four years labor OF
framing the organic net and estab-
fishing the half-and-half principle.
AS the first step toward the solu-
ton of this legislative problem the
House should refrain from insistence
upon repeal of the half-and-haf pro-
vision of the organic act by leg1sla-
tive rider or Limitation" upon the
District appropriation bill.
No Repeal by Rider.
This issue, the renewal of which is
threatened by the District approprla-
ton bill as reported to the House by
the appropriations committee. is iden-
tica1 with that which for months dead
locked House and Senate last year,
and which was also fought until the
House fHeedgd sstasres ssEea fHsaeo. ~ A1zs
this issue the House and not the Sene
reasons:
The kind of repeal that is proposed
by the pending legislative rider mere
tly repudiates the nations agreement
and obligation under the organic act.
and does not modify correspondingly
the obligation and sacrifices under
that law of the people of the capital.
It gives back to the nation its promise
to pay; it does not give back to the
- hi a
municipal self-taxation and other
American rights of which the organic
act deprived it. IT retains in Congress,
representing the nation, exclusive
power to impose municipal taxes on
the District, but repudiates the ma
tion's self-imposed guarantee under
the half-and-half provision against
excessive and unjust local taxation. Ii
releases the nation from definite capi-
tai responsibility and omtts entirely
tai community. including those which
have developed in forty years as well
as those that existed and were recog-
nized in 1873. 1t is lopsided. Jug
handled, discriminatory. unfair.
Lop-Sided, Jug-Handled, Unfair!
The organic act of 1873 readjusted
both the financial and the political
relations of nation and capital. 1t
fixed the equities both as to money
contributions toward capital upbuild-
ing through local taxation and con-
gressional appropriations, and as to
division Of the power of government
in the District between the nation
and the local community. These two
functions of the organic act are bal
anced, intertwined and inseparable.
From 1900, for about three quar-
ters of a century. the local commu-
nifty enjoyed the privilege of municipal
seIf-government and self-taxation.
In the exercise of this privilege and
in the effort to bear alone the whole
burden of capital-maintenance it
twice taxed itself into bankruptcy.
The nation had also during this Pc
riod the same privilege of taxing it
self what it pleased for capital up
building. It taxed itself for the pur-
pose very little, far too little.
nv the organic act Of 1873 the ma
tion -l) promised to pay definitely
and regularly toward capital develop
ment under a system which (2) fixed
a definite relation between national
upbuilding- and thus guaranteed the
unrepresented District against ex-
cessive taxation; and (3) the nation
took to itself from the local COM
munity all power of self-taxation
and municipal self-government, and
also destroyed the Districts terri
torial representation in it's national
government through Vote1ess dele
gate in the House.
If now the equities are to be re-
,diuxted in respect to the financial
PROVISIONS of the net Of 1873. there
should be a similar and simultaneOus
readjustme1tof Of the political provisions
A new law which repeals the half
and-haIf section Of the organic act
shouId i'm fairness G) restore the self
taxation and self-gOvernment to the
local community of which the legis-
Iation Of 1s74-s derived 1t; or CD
should substitute for the half-and-
h.If uroyision some other equally
defInite guarantee of the unrepresent-
ID District against excessive and un-
inst taxations and (3) should by COM
stitutional amendment give or em-
inxtonians the status of citizens of q
.t1te for the purpose OF representa-
tion in Congress and the electoral col
lege. 1,-
Congress and the electoral college
the half-and-half law stands or falls.
The District should be represented in
Conxress whether Congress retains OF
.urreuders sole legislative power in
respect to the District. National rep
resentation and tne half-and-han law
hostile, repellant.. On the contrary.
thew co-exist and co.operate harmo-
niously and benefcially. Political
eauity and Ananclal equity 20 aatu-
r1lly hand In hand.
Taxpayers Should Control Taxes.
But the half-and-half law and the
right Of municipal self-taxation are
logical alternatives. and one may be
fhe substitute for the other. Under
the law as 1T stands the nation is in