Evening star., 1921-05-01
A SQUARE DEAL
FOR EVERYBODY
For Congress and Our Faith
full Legislators and for
the CapitaI.
RECIPROCITY IN FAIR PLAY
THEODORE w. MOVES.

RECIPROCITY IN FAlR PLAY
THEODORE w. MOVES.
Congress. our new national. state
and municipal Legislature, will soon
take up vigorously for consideration
important and urgent items of neccS-
sary local Legislation. In what spirit
will this Congress. with its large per-
centage of new members. approach h
this legislation? In what spirit will
the capital community welcome its
legislators. new and old. and CO.
operate with them in sensible Sug-
gestion of wise and just laws
The Washingtonian, powerlesS to
participate in the slightest degree in
his own taxation and government and
impOtent to punish those who. he
feels. have abused. TO his vital injury.
their power to tax and govern him.
too freely and extensively the privi-
lege of the hopelessly defeated
litigant of "cussing the court" And
also in individual instances the Dis
trict's Legislators. with all powers in
their hands to wound and even to
destroy. have taken too great offenSc
at the verbal sputterings of the ag-
SlItNcu ANU HeipieSS anu nave lOO
vigorously retaliated.
Too many of Washington's legis-
lators have come to view their con-
stituentS as unappreciative. migrate
full, greedy. selfish and cenSoriOuS:
and too many of these constituents
have come to view the Legislators. Sc
lected for them by the Constitution.
as deliberately ignorant of their
needs, as contemptuouSly indiffere 1T
to and neglcctful of their welfare or
as actively and Indignantly hostile.
The crying need of the hour is A
change of thought. Il change of heart,
new policy under which each of the
capital-building partners shall heed
the injunction put yourself in his
place.. with the result of substitut-
ing mutual appreciation for recrimi-
nation. Fair play and mutual regard
are watchwords of the new policy.
Fair Play for Congress.
The WashingtOnian in accordance
with it will render deserved and
beiated tribute of grateful apprecia-
tion to the long line Of senators and
representatives who have faithfully
performed the unselfish. difficult and
almost thankIess task of dealing AZ
cOnsfderntely and justly with their
capital constituency as with their
home constituents. Washington knows
and hOnOrx these men-its loyal, help
full friends. public-spirited workers in
the task Of capital building. though it
may not have put this appreciation
and honor into words as promptly and
adequately ns IL ought.
When Washington puts itself in the
place OF Congress and recognizes the
difficulties and embarrassments under
which congressman labor as District
Legislators it will be easier for the
city to substitute at times apprecia-
tion for fault-finding. The capital may
then even feel pride in having IS it's
local legisla ture the greatest legisla-
tive body in the world; a legislature
whlch. though neglectful and exaspera-
tlngly SLOW to move in District legis-
lation, has ever in the great crises of
the capitals history acted justly and
wisely and symDatheticaly. Though
the nation from the beginning
neglected its obligations toward the
nations city, it frankly confessed its
fault and came to the citys relief in
1883, when Washington had bank
rupted itself in trying to perform
unalded the nation task of capital
making. So in the seventies of the
last century, with a recurrence of the
conditions of 1885, the nation not
only shouldered one-half and guar
anteed the whole of the bankrupting
debt. but undertook, as matter of
equity. to share all the expenses of
for the future And if
IN the new Congress another crisis
shall arise-as for example. in con-
nectlon with proposal that the ma
tion repudlate its obligation under the
act of 1873 to dispose equitably for
the Districts benefit of the so-called
surplus of unexpended. accumulated
District tax money-Washingto NAV
in the light of the precedents, RELY
with perfect confidence for protection
n @ a rE'c do
sympathetic consideration. Congress
as the Districts Legislature has con-
fessedly its faults, but smallnesS and
meanness are not among them; and
1t is lnconceivable that any repudia-
ton and confiscation proposed should
NOT be found, when the test comes
repugnant to the dom
mating spirit Of fairness of the
American people.
Fair Play for WashinrtOn,
Az Warrington should subject itself
to rigid self-examinntiOn to ascer-
tain whether 1t hns not been lacking
In grateful appreciation. so should
individual members Of Congress test
the question whether they do not fall
short In Just appreciation Of their
capital constituency and deny 1t
American fair play. not merely In
specific lesislatiOn, but in general at-
titude and theory of action M legis-
iatOfH: not merely or primarily, for
instance, in respect to the money
exacted from year to year in taxation,
hut In respect to acts and words
which traduce the good name and
bruise the self-renpect Of the most
and most mfsrepresent-
I'd OF American communities.
What II there in the past record or
the present condition OF the people Of
Washington to prevent their cOnxtitu-
fiOnal leEfs1atOrS from viewing them
with appreciation and esteem. In
numbers they exceed the population
Df several of the states. They are
drawn from and reflect the spirit of
rvery sertiOn OF the Union. Owing no
divided allegiance to n state, they are
A merican in n peculiar sense. the
most American and national of all
A me ricans.
They are now generally recognized
as by far the largest contributors to
The upbuilding of the capital. They
gave of their own property that the
control national city. They |
donated to the nation five-sevenths of
The area of Washington. They gave
the land from the proceeds of the
sale of which the original public |
buildings were erected. Nearly all the |
work of street improvement and
,apital-making which was done for
hree-fourths of A century was done |
by them. Through disregard by the |
nation Of it's financial obligations to
he capital the Washingtonians were |
1885 forced into bankruptcy in the
Natures Grim Jest.