Evening star., 1922-05-03
|DAWS AMENDMENT
| To D. c. TAX BILL
RULED IN ORDER
Decision of Speaker GiIIett
May Mean Raising of
Surplus.
ACTION FOLLOWS 5-H0UR
Parliamentary FIGHT
Conference Proposal Held Properly
Before House, Though "Sweep-
ing and Novel"


! ing and Novel"
! The House adopted the Davis
amendment to the District appro-
printion bill. providing a new fiscal
plan and higher taxes, by a vote
Of 19s to 81.
Speaker Gillett ruled today that the
Davis amendment creating an entirely
new fiscal system for the District of
/ Columbia and requiring the impound-
ing Of surplus sufficient to meet the
DISTRICTS share of the National Capt.
| tails expenses for a year in advance is
germane and, therefore, in order
Ihis decision of the Speaker came
| after more than five hours of the
closest contest between parliamentary
| experts.
The ruling of the Speaker was
based on his Interpretation that the
Senate amendment sis obviously an
entire. sweeping and novel change
! In previous law. 1t covers the whole
neld OF relationship between the fed
eral and District government as re-
] CARDS to taxation and expenditure. II
| practically repeals existing law and
establishes new basis"
Proper House Consideration.
| The Speaker argued that since that
, was the obvious intent of the Senate,
| 1t comes properly before the House
and that an amendment offered by any
member of the House comes properly
up for consideration.
! AT the same time the speaker duly
waived the fact emphasized by Rep
| resentative Wingo. democrat. OF Ar
kansas that in this way the Senate
can continue to put the legislation on
appropriation measures and they can
be rushed through the House without
the House having had a chance to
| give these matters mature and care
full consideration.
Vote to Recede.
The House voted to recede from its
disa greement on the fiscal relations
section Of the appropriation bill. The
question before the House then was
! whether the House would concur with
| the amendment offered by Representa-
| tive Davis There were shouts OF
Representative wingo protested
| Maryland and Representative Moore
! Of Virginia had been promised a
| time. This is q matter that in
wolves the taxing system OF the Dis
trict, Of Columbia and ! think these
gentlemen should be heard" he said.
Representative Martin Of Illinois.
| chairman of the House appropria-
tions committee. then eulogixed Rep
resentative Davis and his associates
on the subcommittee handling the Dis
trtct of Columbia appropriation bill.
Representative Zihlman of Mary
land (republican), emphasized the
| fact that the chairman of the House
appropriations committee very proper
ly. congratulated the subcommittee
which has brought to the appropria-
tions committee by the ruling of the
| Speaker such a tremendous increase
| in authority for the appropriations
committee. He said that this is the
most far-reaching proposition that
| has ever been brought to the House
in an appropriation bill.
He enumerated the many phases OF
important new legislation that are in
volved. and among them he said that
It would REQUIRE the taxpayers Of the
District of Columbia to raise $4,000
600 increase in taxes a year.
ZfhImnn Scores Change.
Representative Zihlman criticized
this radical change being acted upon
pie of the District of Columbia an
opportunity to be heard. completely
changing the fiscal relations that have
been in existence for nearly half
century.
He said it was unfair to the people
of the District of Columbia in an
hours debate to attempt to establish
| new tax rate and a new fiscal sys-
tenn.
Representative Moore criticized
Chairman Madden for his eulogy of
the conferees when the House was
considering great question funda-
mentally affecting the financial af-
fairs of the National Capital.
I'VE are asked to do thing that is
unreasonable and absurd, as was the
remark Of the gentleman from Illinois,"
he said.
There never was a document of
Ave pages containing more legislation
of a greater variety and importance
; ing stress on the fact that it was
being acted upon without having been
considered in the proper legislative
committee and without the members
of the House having had time to
give it the mature and thoughtful
study that it deserves"
Representative Evans of Nebraska,
| a republican conferee on the bill, was
the first speaker today. arguing that
| the amendment is germane because
! Is proposed to make the substitution
provides for the accumulation of
| fund out of which the Districts ex-
penses shall be paid. He argues that
the requirement for the District to
accumulate a surplus is only another
shall be raised.
No Legal Advancement.
The representative insisted that in
existing law there is no provision
| which authorizes the federal govern
ment to advance money to pay the
expenses of the District for ten or
| eleven months until the District taxes
are collected.
1t is recognized generally in the
House that this is the most important
point of order on which the Speaker
has been called to decide. 1t Is i'm
portant not only with respect to the
District itself, but from parlimept-
ary consideration, with many inn
portant propositions in dispute which
must be considered.
4305,OOO Still In Dispute.
The House late yesterday accepted
the conference report on the District
appropriation bill, which adds $2,436,-
$40 to the bill as 1t passed the House.
Chairman Davis explained that this
| includes $119.s00 for street improve
ments in addition to paving.
| The conference report shows the two
houses still in disagreement over an
| item of 100000 for purchase Of land
| for parks and $1,000 for tourist
camp in East Potomac Park.
Items which the House conferees are
| ready to agree to II authorized by the
| House include: Fairgrounds, amount
| ing to $25,0o0; school Fairgrounds
equipment, $2.400: Armstrong School.
| S50, 900; Armstrong School addition,
100000; Home for Feeble-minded,
500, 900; Library for the Blind, $4,000;
Columbia Polytechnic Institute, 1880:
In speaking about the appronrta-
II -