Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-23
NO REPEAL SOLELY
OF OUR $3.50 LAW
In Framing New Organic Act
Equities of District as Well
as Nation to Be Fairly
Considered.
INJUSTICE FOR NO ONE
THEODORE w. MOVES.

| Editorial Correspondence OF The start
Those members of the House who
wish to repeal the half-andhalf pro-
! vision of the organic act do right tc
cease to attempt to force this radical
amendment of the Districts Fundamental
law by rider on an appropriation bill
! and in lieu thereof to begin to push
their proposition vigorously before
our lawmaking committee in the
! House. the District committee.
| The Districts protest against this
repeating rider has been based both
upon the unfair and offensive method
of Legislative procedure that was at
tempted. and also upon the PROPOSE
tion's utter lack of equity. when con-
sidered on it's merits.
Hitherto the repeal advocates have
labored to accomplish the wrong
thing in the wrong way. Now they
are working to accomplish the wrong
| thing in the right way. The wrong
! thing should not be accomplished in
either way or in any way.
No Repeal of $3.50 Law Alone.
islative proposition, so plausibly and
apparently so reasonably Worded, that
| Isl now before the House District COM
mittee for consideration?
! l. 1t repeats by indfrectiOn the ma
/ tons definite pledge of capital main
| tenance and development. which is the
/ vitality important and essential fea-
! ture of the law of 1878, upon which
the wonderful upbuilding of the ma
!, TONS city in the last forty years is
| based.
2. 1t repudiates covertly the nations
| obligation under the act Of 1878, but
| leaves unimpaired the cOUnterbalanc-
| ing obligations and sacrifices imposed
upon and exacted from the people OF
the District in the wisely rounded
legislation of 1873. with it's compro-
misses and its scrupulously careful BAL
ancing of equities.
No Repeal by Indirection.
In vitality amending what the Su-
preme Court has recognized as the
Districts fundamental law. it's consti-
tuition, it's organic act, and in framing
in effect new organic act to take
the place of that of 1873. Congress
will surely, in equity and wisdom, leg
islate to this end directly, openly and
without camoufage.
If Congress means to repeal the
words of the organic act of 1873. which
gave the nations definite and continu-
ing pledge of capital maintenance
and development, after it's seventy
years of shameful neglect of its capi-
tai obligation, it will in fairness use
directly and specifically repeating
words to accomplish this end. and will
not disguise this pledge withdraw ing
repeal in sweeping repeal of all laws
inconsistent with provision which on
it's face merely declares that the Dis
tricts tax revenues shall be exhausted
before the nations capital contribu-
ton shall begin.
The House District committee should
have before it for consideration the
direct proposition to repeal the half
and half provision of the organic act
of 1878, the nations definite pledge
of continuing capital maintenance:
Its legislative task upon this repeal
proposition should be: Cd To deter
mine whether the changes of forty
years compel the absolute repudia-
ton and Withdrawal of all definite
pledge by the nation of capital up
building; or whether the new condl-
tions and equities of 1919 can be fair
ly met, both for nation and capital
and change of form of the definite
pledge of 1878, which shall. as the
joint congressional committee OF 1919
urged, keep the local taxation reas-
mXe0
same time cause the nation con :,
tribution to b. definite regular and ana
pIicit recognition of it's capital obliga-
ton and it's definite pledge to meet
this obligation cannot be modified,
but must be withdrawn, then to de-
termine what of the Districts coun-
terbalancing obligations and sacrifices
of rights, privileges and benefits, I'M
der the act of 1878, must in equity be
| Cancelled.
No Lopsided Unfair Repeal.
It is assumed that the nation. with
ali the legislative power in it's hands
under the act of 1873, will not use
that power to relieve itself OF the
definite obligation incurred under the
law Of 1878 without restoring to the
ileges and benefits of which the 1878
law, in consideration of the national
pledge of capital ppaintenance' had
deprived them.
And this readjustment of equities
and obligations should of course in
fairness be simultaneous.
But is not the national payment to-
ward capital maintenance under the
obligation and pledge of 1878 merely
a voluntary charitable donation which
may fairly fuctuate or be withdraw
entirely at any time in accordance
with the within of recurring Con-
crosses?
No. The people of Washington con-
tend, and at the full hearings which
are of course to be given to their
! joint citizens committee will prove
| concIusiveIy. that this definite pledge
of which the withdrawal is now pro-
posed was not charitable aims flung
| to a beggar, but the recognition and
partial meeting of a national obliga-
| ton which had existed land had been
neglected by the nation) since the
| founding of the capital, the nation S
! city.
D. C. Equities to Be Protected.
What District equities are involved
| in the nations pledge of definite pro-
portionate contribution which will
| be violated by it's withdrawal? What
sacrifices were exacted from the Dis
| trict in 1878 in connection with the
nations definite pledge of proportion
| ate contribution which must cease to
| be demanded the instant this definite
pledge is withdrawn?
The organic act readjuSted both the
| financial and the political relations of
nation and capital 1t fixed the, equi-
| ties both as to money contributions
toward capital upbuilding through
| local taxation and congressional ap-
| preparations and as to division of the
power of government in the District
between the nation and the local COM
munity. These two functions of the
organic act are balanced, intertwined
and inSeparable.
| From 1900, for about three-ouarters
of century, the local community en-
! joyed the privilege of municinaI self
government and self-taxation. In the
| exercise of this privilege and in the
effort to bear alone the whole b,,r