Evening star., 1921-04-28
The District and Its Surplus.

1t has been suggested that possibly
the District has lost its right to the
use of the money now lying in the
F.! Treasury in the form of an unappro-
priated surplus of local tax money be-
cause of the lack of d formal claim
and demand for it. That point would
not be justified. even though the Dis
surplus. The money was taken by
the government under an established
system of National Capital financing,
under the terms of a trust created in
1878, when the government assumed
half the burden of District mainte-
nance. No formal requisition or de-
mand or claim, was necessary in the
circumstances to maintain the title Ci
the Dist let to this fund.
But, as matter of fact, the District
has demanded and claimed the funds
thus lying idle in the Treasury to its
credit-a credit that is definite despite
the present assertion that it is book
keeping myth and has been wiped off
for the appropriation of this money
matched with federal money. 1t has
protested from year to year against
the accumulation of this surplus while
the local needs were suffering for lack
of attention. 1t has regarded the &C.
cumulation Of the surplus as an in
justice inasmuch as every dollar raised
by local taxation is urgently required
to keep the capital going on a proper
basis. Many specific objects of appro-
priation have been proposed from time
to time with this fund as basis.
So it cannot be contended that the
District has in any degree lost its
right to this money, which Is it's own
money, taken from it's pockets under
the trustee phase Of the organic act Of
1878. For the information of the. new
corners in Congress not familiar with
the local fiscal conditions, it should
be stated that under that act the Dis
trict is to be maintained by an appro.
priation Of money, one-half Of which
! is to be raised by taxation upon local
property and the remainder to be SUP.
piled from the federal Treasury. To
the extent that the estimates of the
District Commissioners are approved
annually by Congress these funds are
to be supplied on a fifty-fifty basis
now changed by recent appropriation
enactments to sixty-forty-and, in
theory, there could never be a surplus
and never a deficit.
In practice it has proved impossible
to appropriate the exact amount of
the estimated revenues, inasmuch as
the revenues themselves are not avail
able until after the appropriation is
actually made. But apart from this
difficulty, in recent years Congress has
systematically and by intent failed to
appropriate to the full amount Of the
estimated District tax revenue doubled
by federal money, and thus against
!! the Districts will and wish this sur
plus has accumulated, while the
schools have suffered for lack of new
equipment and larger teaching force,
while the streets have been made
quately paved. while the police and
fire departments have been kept at
relatively small strength. while prac-
; tically every municipal activity has
been deprived of sufficient mainte.
! nance.
So the Districts surplus in the
Treasury is a tangible asset, and it i'll
becomes Congress, through any
spokesman. to suggest that it is a
myth, non-existent technical credit,
an intangible item. Or an eliminated
account. 1t is fund of close upon
! s5.000.000 of District money taken
from year to year from District pock-
cts and kept without interest, and
without. being of any use to the Dis
trict. even while the District has had
scores Of uses for it.