The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-01-06
Minority of District Com.
mittee Proposes to Nee
Fully All Criticisms of Fiis
cal Scheme Established
By Congress in 1873.
BILL WOULD PLACE
BURDEN ON DISTRICT
Majority, Composed o.
Democrats, Contend.
Contribution Made b,
Treasury to Provide Bud.
get for Capital Is Jntail

A determined fight for retention
OF the half-and-half fiscal relation
between the District and Congress
will be begun Immediately by Rep
resentative Thomas S. Williams. o.
Illinois. and other members of III,
House District committee, it was an.
nounoed last night.
When the report Of Chairman
Carl E. Mapes. advocating abolition
Of the 6fty-6fty plan comes befou
the House, that body will B. sivef
for consideration at the same TN,
a minority report sponsored by Mr.
Williams strongly advocating con.
tnuation of the present arrange.
ment.
This champion of the organic ae,
of 1873 believes all of Mr.. Mapes
charges wall be ompletely answered
BACK Halt and Half.
Other srgners of the minority
report are Representatives Zihl.
man. of Maryland; Reed, of Wes
Virginia; Gould, OF New York.
Murphy, of Ohio; Focht, of Penn.
sylvania, and Hays, of Missouri
Representatives Wheeler. of II.
linois; Burdicl, of Rhode Island
and Overstreet. of Georgia. also
are pledged to support the $3.50
basis.
In reporting adversely yester.
day on retention of the half-aud.
half principle, the committee ma.
Jority held that under the presen,
status the District taxpayer docs
not pay a just tax in comparison
with levies laid on citizens in
other cities of 100000 population
and over, and that the needs
which brought the half-apd-baIf
arrangement into being no longer
exist.
Now Taxed Fairly.
Ihe minority report will set forth
the belief that the people Of the
District are now taxed fairly and
reasonably. particularly as regards
personal property other than in
tanEibles; that no more than
enough revenue is derived under IN.
present scheme for maintenance
and improvement: that the upbold-
Ing OF the act of 1873 Is an act of
simple Justice to a voteless COM
munity. and Ii at evidence given a,
recent hearings OF the District Conn
mittee of the House conclusiveIv
refutes the claim that citizens of
the District are undertaxed.
Representative Mapes has Introduce
ed a bill by which all expenses OF
the District would be borne by reye-
nue. derived from taxes. so far as
possible.
The battle on the floor OF the Hons.
promises to be one not Of parlis-
mentary manouveriag. but rather a
contest involving principle only.
Ultinatum by House.
The situation for some years back
has been this: The House has voted
to kill the half-and-half plan and the
District appropriation bill has some to
the Senate with the provision ttlch.
ed for ending il. The Senate then
has passed the bill after inserting
a provisio for continuing the old A.
nancial arrangement. This rider the
House has been forced to accept in
order to re-pass the appropriation
measure.
Last year House opponents Of the
hslf-and-half declared Il was the last
time they would submit to such Jug
Cling Hence, the struggle between
the Mapes and williams forces vfii
be q decisive one. These forces are
split along party lines, every oppo-
nent Of the Mspes bill and supporter
Of the minority report being q RE-
pubfican yhfle nearly every oD& a