The Washington times., 1919-12-16
Of
$3.50 PLAN
PER|LS CITY
4. S. Worthington Forecasts
Disaster to District II
Mapes Bill Passes.

Predictions OF disaster Il the half
And-half plan IL repealed were made
today by A. S. worthington before
the House District Committee, which
is Considering a bill to do away with
the present fiscal relations between
the District and National Govern.
nsnt
Passage of the bill would place the
District on the financial plan that oo-
tainsd for seventy-six years before
the half and half was adopted. In
that period AL District taxes were ap-
piled TO District expenses. the Federal
Government making up the deficit
Fssaes Cxa,es RsvseweA-
There were three distnct prices
the sh system" M. worthingtco
saia.
-Tfrst, the indennits plan OF cor
poratiou made the city the national
dfsgrsce. 9ecend, the city became al
most bankrupt, and was forced to
rond itself for Sco,s>o.e0e. At one
time sse-ef,h Of the property here
the period bAtveen 1874 and 1874 dur
ing witch Congress tried to ferret sut
the trouble with the District Out OF
these tnvestigations came thu organic
act Of 1878 carrying the so-callsd half
and half plau.
tve-thirds valuation was nxed ~
Cengreos in 1909.
Coagressman Zihlman asksd IL tho
District should not have her tax rais-
ed - has followed In other munict-
paiities In recent years-
Mr.. Worthington objected to IN in
crease and said that the Joint com
nnittse OF Congress- which investigated
this matter In 1915 held that the pres
ent rate was fair and just.
Rsvssl E9srts Det.xseS.
Mr.. wcrthington detailed at length
how numerous committees of the
House and Senate had wressled with
the problem Of how pest TO finance
Evsry eiIort sveF made By consrss,
s;onai, Committees on this subject, he;
roin'ed out, recommended a defin!te,
regular and liberal policy OF appro-
7riation for the District, and. with
one exception, all these reports
urged the continuation OF the hail.
aEd-hak plan. ~
He quoted Congressman Blackburn.
former chairman Of the House Dis
trict Committee as saying: Repeal
II the haif and half would leave the
District at. che mercy of the whin
and caprice Of each succeeding Con-
cress." - sr
The flrst effort 70 repeal the half
and half was made in 1896. The
House Distric. Committee OF which
rongreSsmsn Babcoclx was then
chairman brought out .eport urging
retention OF the half and half. An
other effort was made in 1915 to re-
ssal the law. The joint committee of
'oazress. which sat for weeks hear
s1g witnesses o nboth sides. recon-
'aended that a definite, liberal, and
sgula- appropriation be made TO the
district and held that the District
was fairly taxed This committee, how
ever, said that IL was no longer nee
esssry TO continue the half and half
plan
Real Csai Of CaApaixn-
The whole object OF this move
ment,' said Mr.. Worthington. has
been to tax the District sufficiently
70 pay all OF : expenses"
Mr.. WorthinEton discussed at length
tie bonded debt Of the District now
Amounting TO s3.o7s, ooe This debt
viii be liauidated In 1922. The orig
nal bond issue was guaranteed by the
Federal Government.
You cannot get rid OF the haif-and-
half plan honorably until the District
debt il wiped out" Mr.. worthinxtou
said The United States entered into
contract with the District to share
this burden until the debt was paid
II u probable that several members
OF the House, who have for several
years opposed continuance of the
half-and-hAlf, win appear before the
District Committee this afternoon IN
support OF tbs Aapes bill. abolish
ing It
witnesses yesterday afternoon a,.
lacked the se-called half-and-half ana
urged tts repeal
Lew Tax Rs4s Rers.
In sptts Of the low tax rate that
wsoiA permit Of improvements nine
tenths Of the business property In
W.setnStoa = an Area of shacks and
ons-0<osy b0il4inSs on property sS
lad wives higher than any city IN
tAo VIVA he said He called parties
Lar as4aation to Pennsyivania avenue.
sSeW0aA ths Capitol and the Treasury
ss0A11g. Only . few sxeepeions are
fsA On the Avsnus. he said
61e1sss property In Washingesn n
C0 ners than 800 . square feo<.
veseA - tie highest In the world
0uou<Aaa property Il worth Sce, 900 "a
sa@ - Against $1,000 an acre in Bal
wfnian Mex. Clayton, member Of
u Sednt etti1enS COMMITTEES, which Is
pececsonS against repeal Of the half.
A1A-da0 plan, 6snisd that real estate
mC OF the District ~bosS- the
cfS9DDS asooetAtfona
3As Federation Of cisisens' Asso-
easoeas contributed IS toward de-
ffsysne the expenses OF preparing
s&AuSkacs before the House commit
tea Ar. Clayton explained. The reso-
luttoa carrying the Appropriation in
doreed the half-and-hAlf and urged its
continuancA
w. L swanson, who Is with the
United states Reclamation Service
here. urged the repeal of the half-and-
half. He recommended shat taxes be
gradually removed from improve
mants and be placed on land values.
n b johnson told the committee
To srake the District OF it's crutches
che organization act, or half-snd-haif
ean1l. His plan 10 to have the Dis
- h0AS ~ >atiss tAx bvrasA-