Evening star., 1922-05-04

consider it; the House has not had a
chance to consider 1t. They have not
held any proper hearings. This whole
question of the District fiscal system
! ought to go to the District of Column
bia committee, and let that committee
have hearings and let the people of
the District have an opportunity to
be heard. This legislation reaches
| into every home in the District, af-
fects every property owner in the
District. and now the House of Rep
| 1resentatives is called upon to pass
upon this important question that
will affect every property owner in the
, an opportunity to be heard at all. 1t
is not right: 1t is not fair; it is not
| common sense.
| IF we are going to keep on doing
| that and the House wants to do it..
| then let US abolish the District COM
| mittee and put the members Of that
| committee to work on something else
where they can work instead of
merely gracing nominal committee,
and letting the appropriation commit
| tee do all of the legislating for the
/ District. This is not only true about
the District committee, but it is true
about other committees. The COM
| mittee on appropriations is doing
nearly all of the legislating for the
! House, and it does not conduce to or
| II.
the rest of the members of the House.
1t is not fair to the other important
! committees, and it is not best for the
1 country for once committee to do all
| of the legislating for the country.
! Champions "Fnir Play"
| Representative Zihlman, in cham
| pioning the cause of fair play"
| toward the District. pointed out how
revolutionary and drastic the amend
ment is, saying:
THE proposed amendment of the
gentleman from Minnesota is the
most far-reaching and drastic propo-
| sition that has ever been brought
into the Congress on District ap-
| propriat tion bill. They seek here in
an hours debate to increase the basis
of assessment which would result.
: under the prevailing tax rate, in in
creasing the taxes of the taxpayers
| of the District more than $4,000 900.
They seek to increase the rate on in
; tangible property two-tenths of l per
| cent. They seek to change the sys-
| tenn Of collecting rents in the Center
Market. They seek to set up ground
rent in the District of Columbia on
federal property.
| legislative matter. 1t is contained in
bill that has passed the Senate, and
| is now pending before the commi ttee
| on the District of Columbia, the leg
| islative committee of the House hav-
| ing jurisdiction over affairs dealing
! with the District, and without giving
! the people of the District an oppor-
tunity to be heard, without giving a
| single taxpayer an opportunity TO
| raise his voice. the conferees come
into this House with a proposition
that the basis of assessment shall
value. apd that the District Commits
sioners shall fix rae Of taxes :,ot
| only sufficient to meet the financial
needs of the District, but that they
| shall levy tax rate sufficient to
] create a surplus and change the sys-
| tenn of paying the expenses of the
District of Columbia which have been
in operation here for half century.
! 1T is small wonder that the chair
man of the committee rises here to
{, congratulate his colleagues and to
| also congratulate himself on the enor-
nous power which has been vested
in few conferees meeting in secret
session. I say to you that it Is un-
fair to the legislative committees of
the House. 1t is unfair to the people
Of the District of Columbia to delib-
erately attempt here in an hours de-
bate to raise their taxes fully one
third and to establish an entirely new
| system of financing the needs of the
District of Columbia"
| Protest From Mr.. Moore.
| Representative Moore protested Wig
| orously and summed up the situation
| thus:
I'm ruling on the point of order the
Speaker correctly said that the pend
! ing amendment offered by the gen.
| tleman from Minnesota is of a most
| radical character; that it changes the
| entire fiscal system of the District Of
| Columbia. Think of that! A COM
plete change of the entire fiscal sys-
tenn of the District of Columbia af-
| in here yesterday for the information
of the House, and now to be passed
upon after practically no debate at
all. Now, I ask how minded
men can justify any such course. II