Evening star., 1920-01-13
Financial Equity for Washington

The House has adopted the bill
which by indirection and retroactive
ly repeals the half-and half law O
1873, and the struggle for tinancia
equity for the capital is transferred
to the Senate.
A House committee has for the frs
time in a decade heard Washington:
defense against the charge of unfair
undertaXation and against an unrea
soning assault upon the Safeguard
against excessive and unjust taxation
of the unrepresented capital by M
alien taxing body. which was self
imposed by Congress in the organic
act of 1873. At the outset swayed by
prejudice, in the end that committee
decided in favor of Washington. An
alysis of the vote of the members OF
the District committee in the House
Yesterday discloses that ten member:
voted against repeal and only sever
voted for it.
Washington's ease in equity was
ably presented in yesterdays House
verted, as the House committee had
been convinced, were not there to heal
the argument. In accordance with
custom in dealing with local legisla
tion on District day, a mere fraction
of the House listened to the argu
ment, and the bulk of the member
ship appeared only at the end of dis
cussion to vote its preconceived opin
ions.
Washington is reasonably confident
that if it could get from every mem
Der of the House thoughtful and un
biased consideration of its argument
and plea for financial equity, yester
days vote would be reversed. And
the capitals hope is that between this
day and the date when the bill shall
come back to the House from confer
ence committee for reconsideration
the individual members of the House
will have given that careful and ju.
dicial study to the vital issues in,
volved which will result inevitably in
financial equity for the people OF
Washington.
Washington is absolutely certain OF
a full and fair hearing of its case or
its merits in Senate committee and in
the Senate itself. And the people OF
the capital have no fear that the Sen
ate will assent to, or that the House
will in the end insist upon, repeal OF
the organic act by indirection, or with
a grossly unjust and even dishonorable
retroactive effect, or by an amend
ment which is discriminatory, jug.
handled, lopsided and unfair, releas-
ing the United States from its self
imposed promise to contribute def.
mite amount annually in meeting its
obligation of capital upbuilding and
leaving that amount uncertain and
fiuctuating on the same basis as be
fore 1878, without returning to the
District its power which existed be
fore 1873 of fixing through self-taxa
tion the amount of its own capita
contribution.
hn 60
sive power of District legislation solely
in its own selfish interest. 1t will never
strike from the organic act of 1878 its
own primary obligation, pledge and
guaranty of just treatment and leave
upon the people of Washington the
burden of sacrifice of American rights
and privileges exacted from them in
1873 in connection with the half-and.
half legislation.
The kind of repeal that is proposed
by the pending bill merely repudiates
the nations agreement and obligation
under the organic act, and does not
Hiouiiy NoiicSpoHuiHSiS INC oDHSdllOIl
and sacrifices under the law of the
people of the capital. 1t gives back to
the nation its promise to pay; it does
not give back to the people of Wash
ington the right of municipal self tax
alton and other American rights of
which the organic act deprived it. L,
retains in Congress, representing the
nation, exclusive power to impose mu-
nicipal taxes on the District, but repu
dates the nations self-imposed guar
antee under the half and half provision
against excessive and unjust local taxa
ton. 1t releases the nation from def
mite capital responsibility and omits
entirely to safeguard the equities OF
the capital community, including those
which have developed in forty years a.
we'll as those that existed and were
recognized in 1873.
The new organic act which in sub
stitution for the law of 1878 is to b,
As wise and fair today as the old or
ganic act was forty years ago, remainl
to be framed by our legislators o.
Senate and House in thoughtful con
ference.