Evening star., 1921-12-16

lative propositions have with dim
Guilty been defeated in the last Con-
gress-in some cases only through
non concurrence by the. Senate.
Assaults Resisted.
They openly avow that they wouid
tear away the capitals financial shie.a u
and buckler--the organic act OF 1910
in order to diminish or destroy ma
tional participation in capital main
tenance. They would by double TAXA
ton compel the local community 10
raise all of the revenue nee6eo: lucy
would substitute for the definite pro
rortionate contribution Of one-half by
the nation an undetermined. indefinite
contribution, reduced to nothing OF 10
very little, and that little TO pe
given fiuctuatingly. capriciousiy. spas
medically, from session to session: as
would deny or minimize into a mole
hill the national obligation; they
would magnify into a mountain the
local obligation.
Washington desperately resisted
these successive assaults naaanIt;nn upon the ne
the true relation Of the nation to the
capital, by which for thirty-seven
years both nation and nations city
had benefited. and in which is crystal
lized a financial principle OF equity
that is vitality essential to the capi-
tails prosperity and general welfare.
Through the faithfulness and wisdom
Of national legislators in Senate and
House these attacks were ultimately
baffled.
amendment or rider on the District
appropriation bill, approved by the
House and condemned by the Senate.
was finally voted down by the House
only through the substitution for 1t
Of a provision creating joint COM
- fhnr0nOhlV
whole subject and to report the proper
proportionate contribution toward
capital. upbuilding of nation and Dis
trict, respectively.
Washington welcomed this tribunal.
1t felt that the facts concerning the
true relation of nation and capital
were not sufficiently known or con
sidered by it's legislators. The crea-
tion of this joint committee gave the
people OF the capital the desired op-
spect to these relations. and concern
ing the respective capital obligations
Of nation and District, distinctly and
forcibly to the attention of their legis-
lature, and thus to correct the err
roneous beliefs and unreasonable
injury to them. They are now trying.
through the aggregated citizens or
ganizations. to utilize this opportunity
and to destroy these harmful preJu-
dices.
Friends and Unfriends.
At this juncture appear other friends
Of Washington, who Join forces with
the unfriends of the capital in the
House to repeal the half-and- half law
and to substitute for definite proper
tionate contribution one that is indef-
mite. fiuctuating and capriciouS. Thus
many unfriends and some friends OF
the capital agree upon the same pol
icy with diverse and contradictory
motives. and with the expectation OF
, securing directly opposite results.
Unfriends would unsettle the exist
| ing financial relations of nation and
capital in order to minimize the ma
| tional obligation toward the nations
| city and to reduce to infinitesimal
proportions national financial partic.
! ipation in its upbuilding.
Friends would unsettle these rela-
tions in order to magnify and idealize
the national obligation and to increase
national financial participation in cap
ital upbuilding. One would unsettle
existing conditions to the injury OF
/ the District; the other would unsettle