Evening star., 1920-05-28

| ure Of Congress to select from the
| many municipal needs of the District
| sufhcIent to absorb the availa bi e
| revenues as proof of the absence of
revenue is fallacious and palpably un-
! just.
| On its face the law of 1909 seems to
| recognize and emphasize the obliga-
| ton. under the act of 1878. to appro-
pirate for the Districts benefit twice
| authorize the Commissioners to make
budget apportionment Of this
| amount in the way which will best
meet the Districts most urgent needs
But the House has never treated these
limited estimates as a budget appor-
from the estimates each year. until
this year, several million dollars. pre-
cisely as was done when the estimates
were submitted without restriction.
After preventing the Commissioners
from estimating beyond the exact
amount which should be appropriated
annually for District maintenance un-
der the law of 1878, and after pro-
posing in the House appropriation
bill the appropriation of only part
of these estimates. Congress has fall
en- into the habit Of refusing consid-
Grafton of proposals of District ap-
preparations which do not appear in
the Commissioners estimates. Under
these conditions surplus of unex-
pended District tax money is in
eyitable.
Danger in Artificial SurpIuses.
The law Of 1909 thus prohibits the
statement by the Commissioner and
the satisfaction BY Congress Of the
actual needs of the District. 1t pre-
vents the nation inevitably from meet
ing fully its capital obligation. 1t au-
tomaticnlly iaxures nn unexpeuded
surplus Of District tax money.
The present practice of making no
provision whatever concerning the
disposition of these artificial surplBes
leaves them suspended in air, like Ma
hornets coffin. Every such surplus
thus artificially created is used as an
argument against the half-and-half
law, suggesting that this law is unen-
forced or non existent. and that it's
enforcement is unnecessary and would
work injustice.
Supplementfng Sec. I. which tends
to avoid the creation Of artificial sur
pluses. is Sec. =. which disposes eouit-
ably of any surpluses Cor deficits)
which may occur.
The Jones amendment in Sec. is
not entirely novel legislation, but ap-
plies and broadens a precedent
Utilizing . Wise Precedent.
Congress has established a prece-
dent in dealing with deficits in Dis
trict revenue to meet one-half the
amount Of annual appropriations in
accordance with the organic act Such
deficits have been met by advances
from the national Treasury. repaid
later with 2 per cent interest.
The same principle which has been
wisely applied to deficits should be
equitabiy applied to surpluses. II Con-
gress appropriates more in any year
than twice what 1t has exacted in Dis.
trict taxes 1t advances the deficit and
reimburses itself later. II it appro-
PIRATES in any year less than twice the
amount Of District revenue the result
ing surplus should. on precisely the
same principle. be held in trust in the
Treasury. to be later used, when need
ed. for the Districts beneft.
For seven years in the period be-
tween 1900 and 1910 deficits were thus
handled. II the law concerning these
dencits were broadened In its terms so
that 1t applied to surpluses as well as