Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-21
COMMITTEE ADDS STATEMENT
IN OPPOSING THE $3.50 CHANGE
Quotes Organic Act of 1873 as Represent
ing Primary Obligation of the Nation
for Maintenance of the Capital.

xOX x'xoXxkkSx1ox1 III
In its report accompanying the Dis
trict appropriation bill the Senate APP
preparations committee included the fol-
lowing extract from a statement made
by representatives of the joint citizens
Z Scmmittee Of the District of Columbia
opNsing adjustment of the half-and-
half plan:
Text of Extract.
The act Of June II. 1873. to provide a
permanent form of government for the
District of Columbia, after directing
that the Commissioners OF the District
should annually submit estimates of the
districts expenses to the Secretary OF
the Treasury, who should revise them
and submit them to Congress, contained
the following provision:
To the extent to which Congress
shall approve of said estimates. Con-
gress shall appropriate the amount OF
% per centum thereof. and the remain
ing 90 per centum OF such approved es-
Inmates shall be levied ana assessed
upon the taxable property and privileges
IN said District and other than the
property Of the United States and the
! District of Columbia
This Is the so-called half and hal!
plan OF appropriations under which the
National Capital has made practically
all Its progress. It's fundamental char.
acter and importance was thus stat ted
by the United States Supreme Court in
the case Of Eckloff " District of Column
bia 135 U. s.. 240)
The court below (the Supreme
Court of the Distric) placed this de-
ciston on what we conceive to he the
true Significance of the act of 1873. As
said by that court, 1t is to be regar I'd
ed as an organic act, intended 70 dis
pose OF the whole question of gov
eminent for this District. 1t Is. as 1t
were. constitution for the District
IT Ii declared by its title to b. an
act to provide permanent form OF
government for the District The
word permanent is suggestive. II
implies that prior systems have been
temporary and provisional AS per-
manent 1t is complete in itself 1t IS
the system Of government. The pow
ers which are conferred are organic
powerA- We look to the act itself for
their extent and limitations. 1t is
not one act in a series Of legislation.
and to be made to fit into the provi-
sions Of the prior legislation, but is
. single complete act, the outcome
Of previous experiments, and the final
judgment Of Congress as to the sys-
tenn of government which should OBJ
tain. It 10 the constitution of the Dis
trict, and its grants of power are to
be taken as new and Independent
grants. and expressing in themselves
both their extent and limitations
ca Amend the Act.
The act can be amended as the
Constitution can be amended. but any
important amendment and especially
one repeating the vital fiscal provi-
sion. should be made not in rider
on an appropriation bill after neces-
sarily brief and incomplete consider
alton, but only after full hearing and
deliberation and with full recognition
of all the equities Of the whole system
of government provided in the or
ganic act.
The half-and-half plan meets the
primary obligation Of the nation for the
maintenance and development of the
capital, over which 1t has exclusive
control taking from the District resi-
dents their former power of self-taxa-
tion). under a fixed proportion of ap-
preparation which is q, check against
extrnvagance on the one hand and ex-
cessive taxation on the other. Con-
sress. in which the District residents
are not Represented, is to govern and
tax through its agents without any
participation by the District taxpayers.
1T was designed to meet the needs
q q National Capital planned on a
great scale, purely governmental city
which the country desires to be the
most perfect capital in the world. with
unusual beauty and utility and model
municipal services.
Justice requires that IL any change
II to be made it shall provide for an
equally definite proportion and an
equally regular rule Of appropriation
~ . protection to the District tax
payers and an assurance of uniform
!. Of the National Capital. The repeal
Of the half-and-half plan. together
with an increase of 66a in the tax
rate upon realty and personally. prac-
tical1y repudiates the primary obliga-
ton Of the nation to it's capital, ig-
nores the great and increasing amount
OF government property exempt from
taxation, valued by the assessor at
sass. 435. $50. and the services rendered
constantly by all the departments Of
the municipal goernment to the ma
tional government in it's property and
its personnel. and to the representa-
tfves OF foreign governments &C
credited here.
The half-and- half plan was a self
imposed rule of appropriations and
of taxation adopted by Congress after
four years of constant study Of the
question in the light of the experience
of ssventy-four years. during which
period the United States had neglect
ed its obligation to the capital and
had made only meager and spasmodic
contributions to it's upbuilding and
maintenance. and in more than a
tribution at all. The burden of max
ing and maintaining the common Ma
tional Capital was practically left
upon the shoulders of the compare
lively few people living here, with
the result that while the District tax
payers did their best and twice bank
rupted themselves in the effort. the
National Capital was a national dis
grace.
beginning in 1885 with the famous
report of the Senate committee on the
District of Columbia known as the
Southland report, but especially in the
period between 1874 and 1873, COM
mittee after committee of the Senate
and House, including three joint com
mittees, in most solemn and emphatic
language reminded Congress of the
nations obligation, of the conse-
quences of its neglect. and of the
necessity for a permanent and dennite
fiscal arrangement under which the
United States should pay at ieast one
half Of the expenses.
City Laid on for U. 8.
cit is perfectly manifest from q
moments examination of this plan
tina, a city was laid off here for the
use of the United States upon scale
hitherto unknown in this or any other
country: upon a plan to carry out
which would inevitably lead to an
expenditure entirely beyond the re-
ouirements of city for business pur-
poses.
The well defined principle of the
half and half plan. adopted after years
of consideration by the wisest states
men then in Congress. It is now pro.
posed hastily to abandon and to return