Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-18

nation to the capital. or whether the
nation, having collected the money
under the half-and-half law and
i holding it as trustee for the District
! benefit, can rid itself OF the trust OBJ
| legation merely by the method which
its own hands from one of it's pockets
! to another.
=, Uncle Sam will faithfully and
f! scrupulously fulfill his trust. even
if the Treasury Department has in
accurately labeled this money mis-
| trict tax funds" Uncle Sam, trustee.
would never take advantage OF
blunder of his own agents to wrong
! the beneficiary of the trust.
How TO Solve surpluses Problem.
To cure or prevent SURPRISES and
deficits we suggest:
First-Repeal the Law of 1909 re-
stricting the Commissioners esti-
mates. and. meanwhile. permit the
Commissioners to submit a.terna tive
or supplemental estimates. 80 that
they may present for the considera-
ton of Congress every genuine legtl-
mate need of the District.
Second Appropriate Literally.
tho,sshtfully and promptly. to meet
as fully as practical BILE these demon
strated needs of the District.
Third-If the aggregate Of appro-
priations ie more than twice the
available District tax revenues and
the money to meet the deficit from
the Treasury, and If the amount of
the advance is large or for long
period. exact interest from the Dis
trlct until the advance is repaid. such
advances were made in 1901. 1902.
1908: 1905. 1907. 1908 and 1909. aggrre-
eating about s40oo.ooo. and were att
erWard renaid with over half
million dollars Of interest. Among
the "eNtraord;nary improvements
hy the I'nited States sinp,e- entinx
the current revenues Of tire District.
enabled the capital to push to COM
pi"tion we're the sewage 'soosal So
'em. the filtration plant. the elimina-
ton of grade crossings and improve
ment of railway termina' the Mu-
nicipal building, Tuberculosis Hos
pital. Highway bridge across the Po-
tomac. etc.
Four,h-1f the aggregate OF appro-
priations is less than twice the avail
able District tax revenue, treat. the
surplus Of unappropriated tax money
on the same principle that controlled
in handling the deficits. Let the sur
plus be advanced. as it were. to Uncle
Sam, without interest, however. to be
held in the Treasury as a trust fund
to be available as District revenue in
reserve to meet the Districts share
of some outlay in a future year or
years which will call for the imme-
diate expenditure of more money than
can be spared from current revenues.
Fifth-If in the future. after the
legitimate needs Of the District have
been met by Congress, large and in
creasing SURPRISES indicate that Wash
ington should pay more than half Of
the total District appropriations. in
crease from 90 to IS or so per cent
Washington's proportionate contribu-
ton: or. retaining the half-and-half re-
iation. require Washington to raise its
half from it's general property taxes
alone. thus in effect eliminating it's
other sources Of revenue from dupli-
cation by the nation.
Now. these suggestions Of imme-
diate Legislation are covered by the
amendment which Senator Jones has
submitted to II. r. 1853. now before
the Senate District committee, and
which he has just submitted also as an
amendment to this BILL
This amendment. IL enacted into law,
will make the law conform to the
present practice of, financing the Dis
trict. It will. cause unexpended SUR
pluses Of District tax money to go
automatically into the class Of District
revenue available for appropriations
as such in succeeding years. 1t will
reduce to a minimum these so-ca1led
SURPRISES by repeating the law OF 1909,
which arbitrarily limits the amount
of District estimates which the Com
miSsionerS may submit.