Evening star., 1920-01-11
VIEWS CONGRESS
AS NEGLIGENT" IN
PROVIDING FOR D. c.
Representative Gould Calls
City's Surplus ''Indictment'
Against Legislators.
"EVERY DOLLAR SHOULD
HAVE BEEN MATCHED"
In Statement He Tells Why He
Will Fight Napes Bill to Abol-
ish 5O-sO Plan.

The much talked Of surplus to the
credit of the District in the federal
treasury. used as an excuse for the
Mapes bill, which proposes to abolish
the time -honored half-and- half sys-
tenn of financing the National Capt.
tol, is in reality IAN Indictment
against Congress- for not match
ing dollar with dollar. as the organic
act proposed, for the proper main
tenance and development of the seat
of government, according to Represent
ative Norman J. Gould of New York.
Tomorrow the Mapes bill, voted out.
from the committee when only lew
members were present and number
of those who were in attendance re-
served the right to oppose the meas
ure in the House. is to be thrown open
for debate, with Representative Gould
in charge of the time for those who
are to speak against the bill.
Points to Obvious Needs.
There would be no such surplus if
Congress gave the District the OBJ
viously needed improvements. such
as more school buildings, larger police
and fire-fighting forces, with better
fire equipment, enlarged water supply,
more complete municipal hospital sys-
tenn and highway improvements, Mr.
Gould emphasizes.
Because he is convinced that Con-
gress has proved Negligent pro-
WIDER for the National Capital, and
because as business man he finds
that this in no way shows the resi-
dents of the District are undertaXed.
Representative Gould, as one of the
nine (out of twelve) republican mem
bers of the House District committee
working to defeat the Mapes bill, eX-
planned his position, last night, as
follows:
Reason for Further Aid.
Much confusion seems to prevail
in the minds of some regarding the
surplus of District revenues lying idle
in the Treasury. 1t appears to be re-
garded as proof that the District.
raising more money than can be
expended upon it's maintenance, does
not need the support of government
funds as provided for by the half-and-
half law. AT first / confess, l was so
impressed, until came to understand
just what this surplus really is, how
it was formed and why it remains un-
expended. 1t is now clear to me that
this surplus Is really an indictment
of Congress in respect to the proper
maintenance of the National Capital,
and that so far from being reason
against the continuance of the half
and-half system. it is reason for
the faithful discharge of that obliga-
ton.
"This surplus, which amounted to
S4O63, ,922.18 at the end of the last
fiscal year. is an accumulation of un-
expended District revenues assessed
on property of the District, and not
one cent from the government. If
the organic act under which the Dis
trict is financed had been faithfully
followed there would have been no
surplus. Every dollar of District
money, as raised by actual assess
ment, would have been expended,
along with an accompanying dollar
of federal money. But the Commits
sioners' estimates, limited by law
which ] regard as unwise and unfair
to the District, and which should be
repealed. as the Commissioners now
recommend, are not fully met by the
appropriations of the Congress: 1t is
obvious to anybody who has studied
the situation here that the District is
not fully equipped, that it needs many
more school buildings, larger police
force a larger and better equipped
fire department, a large street and
highway improvement program, a
more complete municipal hospital
system, and, above all greatly en-
larged water supply.
"lf the Commissioners had not been
statute they doubtless would have called
upon Congress year after year for larger
appropriations to meet these needs And
if Congress had complied, even to the
extent merely of matching every Dis
trct dollar with a federal dollar, as the
organic act requires, there would have
been no surplus. In other words, if
all the money raised by the District for
it's maintenance had been expended as
! the organic act contemplates, and as the
Districts needs require, there would
have been no accumulated uneXpended
balance, and the action and judgment.
good or bad. of the appropriation COM
mittee of the House of Representatives
is wholly responsible.
See Surplus ns ReprOach.
so that I see this surplus as a re-
proach upon Congress as a negligent
provider for the National Capital. 1t
should not, to my mind, serve as a
temptation to Congress to scrap the
half-and-half system, under which
Washington has become so nearly the
ideal city of the nation. even with in
adequate provision of funds. 1t is not
in any manner or degree an indication
that the District is undertaXed. 1t is
| proof that Washington has systemati-
cally for some years been kept on
short commons by its Legislators. If
it were a proof of undertaXation, why
| the urgent cry now from the Commits
sioners for larger appropriations?
Il must admit that there is force
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