Evening star., 1923-01-31
CRAMTQN FIGHTS
DISTRICT CLAIMS
Holds Report Should Be Made
on Other Matters Than
: Mere Surplus.
CITES WORDING OF LAW
Suggests City Should Have Paid
Share in Some of Federal
Improvements.

Ala pl
The joint congressional committee
on surplus revenues of the Distric,
put in another day today on its re-
port, which must be filed by Monday
Meetings were held both morning and
afternoon.
Whether the committee will be able
to make a final report is doubtful a,
this time. If it is not possible to dc
so, an extension of time will be asked
Meeting with the committee today
were represe natives of Haskins and
Sells, the public accountants who
made the audit of the District ac-
counts from 1911 on for the COM
mittee.
1t appears that members of the
House. particularly Representative
Cramton of Michigan and Representa-
tive Johnson OF Kentucky, have in
formed the committee that in their
opinion there are matters which
should be submitted to the Congress
when it makes it's report over and
beyond the mere question of account
IllS Oh lnt blSlTlCl expenses.
Cramton Opposed Claim.
Representative Cramton of Mich
tsan, who appeared before the joint
committee yesterday, described the
various steps which had led to crea-
tion of surplus revenues in the Dis
trict in the Treasury and the contro-
Versy between the District and Con-
Sress, a controversy which in a meas
ure also has existed between the
Senate and House over the fiscal
relations of the District and particu-
larly over the surplus revenues of the
District
He said the District has no legal
claim to these revenues. since the law
provides that the revenues shall be
paid into the federal Treasury, but he
pointed out that there may be an
equitable claim by the District TO
This money. Mr. Cramton expressed
the opinion that it was desirable to
have the question of the District 5
surplus revenues cleared up once for
all. but he told the committee that il
II sent a report to the House that did
not deal with the whole matter il
probably would not get anywhere.
Calls Attention to Law.
He emphasized that was in the minds
of the House members when they
agreed TO the provision in the District
appropriation act creating the Joint
committee to investigate the surplus
lie said that the committee had nc
right TO carry out one provision laid
down by the law creating it and to
fail to carry out another provision.
Mr.. Cramton called the attention OF
the committee to the fact that the law
creating II had directed the joint com.
lnittee to investigate the fiscal rela-
tions of the District all the way back
20 1874, with view to ascertaining
and reporting to Congress what sums
had been expended by the United
States and by the District of Columbia
respectively. whether for the purpose
of Maintaining. upbutlding or beautify.
ing said District, or for the purpose
OF conducting its government or its
governmental activities and agencies
or for the furnishing of conveniences
comforts and necessities to the people
of said District
This. he said, was in addition TO the
direction to report on the District
surplus.
Should List Improvements.
Mr.. Cramton contended that the
committee should lay before Congress
a list of the improvements made for
beautffying the District and provid-
ing conveniences for the people, under
the terms of the law just quoted. He
said that there had been expenditures
made by the federal government, in
which it might equitably be said that
the District should have borne it's
share
Discussing the expenditures made
for the beautitication of Washington,
he mentioned the Lincoln Memorial.
While this structure beauties the
District, Mr.. Cramton said, no one
would contend that the District
should pay any part of the cost of
erecting or maintaining 1t, since 1t
was a national monument to Abra-
ham Lincoln.
City's Hospital Fund.
There were other structures and i'm
provements in the District paid for
out of funds in the federal treasury.
he said, in which it might be con-
tended that the District should have
paid its share. He mentioned the ex-
penditure of some 100000 a few
years ago to erect buildings for the
Freedman's Hospital. All of this, he
said, came out of the federal Treasury.
He contended that the Freedman's
Hospital is a District institution, since
1t cares for a large number Of District
people.
All of these expenditures for the
capital from 1874 on. he said, should
be listed by the committee in making
its report, so that Congress could
take them into consideration when
making it's decision on the equities in
the case Of the District surplus reve-
nues.
. Mr.. Cramton called attention to the
fact that without some further con-
gressional action the District would
not be able to use any Of the money
now in the Treasury even If the COM
mittee reported that 1t properly be-
longed to the District. If Congress,
which includes the House. he said,
should decide that these surplus
revenues properly belong to the Dis
trict, it might appropriate them for
school buildings. or might allow 1T
then to be used to provide the sur
plus to the credit Of the District
necessary to put the District on a
pay -as-you-go basis, as called for
in the law enacted last year. The in
ference was that unless the commit
tee report contained what the House
had intended it should contain, the
House probably would not agree to
the use of the surplus by the Dis
1rict.