Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-08
No Repeal by Indirection.

For the fourth time in four years an
sttempt is made in the House of
Representatives to repeal the organic
act of 1873 establishing the principle
of half-and half maintenance of the
District of Columbia. Yesterdays ac-
ton of the House appropriations COM
mittee, i'll adopting a Limitation
which provides that the amounts APP
propriated shall be paid out of District
revenues as far as they are available,
the balance to be paid out of federal
revenues, is the first time that this
effort has originated in committee. The
situation, however, remains as before,
end the hope of the District is that
the result will be as in previous years,
with the Senate-provided the House
this time accedes to the committees
proposai-refusing thus to repeal the
organic act by indirection or legisla-
tive rider on an appropriation bill and
the conferees accepting the Senate's
position.
In 1914, in 1916 and again last spring
the House adopted the sliding scale"
provision for the payment Of District
expenses. Eventually in each case the
Senate refused thus to permit the
basic principle of capital maintenance
TO be changed by the medium of the
appropriation bill. After n thorough
investigation the half-and-half prin-
ciple had been declared fair and still
applicable to the needs of the District,
with such changes, if any, as the condi-
tons of today require to be made, not
ecvertly and by indirection, but after
. searching preliminary consideration
of the proposed legislation by the Dis
trict committees and by Congress, and
the repealed law one establishing 4
definite policy of regular and liberal
appropriations by Congress for capital
maintenance and development and
fixed and certain tax burden for the
District.
In cutting the Commissioners csti-
mates by 81 ,s54,S1s the House commit
tee proposes to increase the surplus of
District revenues remaining unexpend-
ed in the Treasury by the same process
as in past years and thus add to the
argument that the District does not
need the aid of federal money for cap
ital maintenance. Whereas year ago
there was some possible excuse for
economy in the making of District ap.
preparations, there is none now, with
the war virtually at an end and almost
surely at an end by the time the APP
preparations are to take effect in July.
1t is no mere coincidence that the
Limitation" adopted by the House
committee yesterday is identical in
language with that adopted last
spring and ultimately rejected by the
conferecs. The arguments against this
method of District appropriation are,
also identical now with those that pre-
vailed in the framing of the current
appropriation act.
If the House believes that the Dis
trict should be financed upon another
hasis than that provided by the organic
act of 1878 it should set III motion 4
procedure to this end in accordance
with the findings of the joint fiscal
committee of Congress, which has re-
ported fully upon the subject, declar-
ing the present law to be fair to the
nation. Persistent efforts to secure the
repeal of the organic act by indirec-
ton must be continued to be resisted
ss contrary to the equities and in op
position to the recommendation of the
Joint committee which SO exhaustively
considered the subject a few years ago.