Evening star., 1922-05-07
Conference Report on Meas
ure Involving Fiscal Burden
for Capital Goes Over.
HARRISON DECLARES
PEOPLE, HAVE VOICE
Will Move That Committee Hold
Hearings in Spite of Decision
to Contrary.

Action on the conference rider to
the District appropriation bill dealing
with the fiscal relations of the Dis
trlct of Columbia was blocked in the
senate late yesterday afternoon BY
Senator Poindexter of Washington.
republican.
The District bill and the rider as
agreed to by the conferees and ap-
proved by the House. with a minor
change, was formally reported back
TO the Senate by Senator Phipps of
Colorado, in charge of the measure.
from the appropriations committee.
Senator Phipps moved that the Sem
ate concur in the House action on this
rider with an amendment, the amend
ment being that the District Com
missioners should at no time fix tax
rate on intangible personal property
in excess of the rate on real property.
He said that the appropriations COM
mittee, to which the matter had been
referred Friday, recommended that
such action be taken.
Immediately Senator Poindexter
called attention to the fact that the
rules Of the Senate require that a
report from a committee be printed,
and that it lie over a day, unless the
Senate, by unanimous consent. per-
mits report to be taken up when
it is made. He suggested that the
District bill and rider go over until
tomorrow.
Senator Cummins in the chair ruled
that the report should go over. 1t is
expected that it will come up tomor-
row for action.
Vigorous Opposition Seen.
| A vigorous fight against the adop-
ton Of the report by the Senate will
be waged, however. Senators who
believed that when the matter was
sent to the committee Friday an
opportunity would be given citizens
of the District to be heard on this
important tax rider were astoniished
when they learned that the appro-
priations committee had acted with
out giving an opportunity for such
hearing.
Senator Harrison of Mississippi,
democrat, said yesterday he would
move to refer the bill and rider back
again to the appropriations committee
with instructions that the committee
hold hearings on he rider.
THE people CT the District are en-
titled to be heard on this tax plan,
which is Of very great interest to
them," said Senator Harrison. The
plan was drafted by a conference
committee without holding any hear
ings A conference committee has no
right to legislate in any case. But
the people of the District are not rep
resented in Congress. In fairness to
them every opportunity to present
their views should be given the peo-
pie here Certainly the District Com
missioners should be heard, as spokes-
men for the people"
If Senator Harrison's motion to re-
commit with instructions to grant
hearings is beaten, other motions
modifying the motion of Senator
Philips, SO that the Senate may con-
cur with broader amendments than
that proposed by the committee. will
be made. it was said last night.
The Question as to whether hear
ings should be granted was discussed
at a meeting of the appropriations
committee yesterday. when 1t was
decided to report the bill and fider
back to the Senate. The committee
determined not to grant such hear
ings.
VIII Seek Divided Payment.
Senator Jones of Washington prob
ably will introduce a bill tomorrow
to provide that hereafter one-half
Of the taxes on real estate shall be
nayable November !, and one-hAH
May 1. The purpose of such change
in the law is to make available some
of the District revenues early in the
fiscal Sear, so that the District may
go on a cash paying basis" instead
of having funds advanced to 1t from
the federal Treasury early in the
wear. to be returned later when the
taxes come in. The draft Of such a
bill was sent to him yesterday by the
District Commissioners.
The Commissioners included in their
draft their proposed plan for bond
issue to aid in providing sufficient
funds to put the District on a cash
paying basis, SO that it would not be
necessary to raise more revenue dur
ing the next Ave years than is neces-
sary to meet expenditures. merely
for the purpose of laying up a sur
kplus. Senator Jones is opposed to
this bond issue plan, he said. and
he will strike that from the bill
before introducing the measure.
Senator Phipps and other support
ers OF the conference fiscal relations
plan, insist that it will not work
hardship to the people of the Dis
trict and that 1t will~result in q
! Very slight increase in taxation dur
ing the next few years, il any.