Evening star., 1924-05-01
Representatives Moore and
Tinkham Lose in Effort to
Block Amendment.
FISCAL RELATIONS
INVESTIGATION PROPOSED
Representative Moore Asks Probe
by Joirt Body of Whole System
Between d. C. and U. S.

When the District appr oprIation bt
A for the fiscal year beginning July
q next was called up for consideration
VI under the five minute rule tfday
Ydfter passage of the Rogers b1l t.
resentative Louis e. CraI7ton, Mich
lgan, offered an amendn ant/ which
# would entirely change the 6scal re-
iat1ons between the federal and Dis
& trict governments.
In the first paragraph Of the bill,
here provision was made fer pay
4g the money on Il 500 per cent
basis. as between the DiStrct rev
cnues and the federal Ttcastry. Rep
resentative Cramton Z proposed a
straight contribution of SS,U0O.OoO
from the federal Treasury He point
ed out that in this bill contribution
from the Treasury amounts to $S.973,-
656SO. He held that his amendment
IS in order because it is form of
retrenchment
Point of Order Made.
Repre- sentative r. Walton Moore,
democrat, of Virginia made a point
of order against the Cram;on amend
ment, contending that it would not
hold under the Holeman rule He
said that eventually the effect would
be to reduce the federal contribution
under SS,000,000 and that it would
tion from the federal Treasury to-
ward the upkeep of the Nations Capt.
tai
Representative Moore argued the
point of order at length, and a fur
ther point of order was made by Rep
resentative George Holden Tinkham,
Republican, Of Massachusetts,. a MEM
ber of the subcommittee which draft
ed the District appropriation bill. The
point of order was finally oYerridden
on decision from the chair.
Point of Order Debated.
The point of order was debated at
length between Representative Cram
ton and other prominent House lead
ers. Representative Cramton's con-
tention was that this effects 4 re-
duction in the amount taken from
the federal Treasury and that the
Holman rule was designed to pro-
tect the fereral Treasury. He ar
gued that his amendment would not
disturb the original provision that
returns or drawbacks to the federal
TreasuTg should be be ade in the same
tributed by the federal and District
governments.
Representative Finis J. Garrett,
Democrat, Tennessee, minority lead
er, argued that this amendment does
bill, while ii does reduce the amount
contributed by the federal govern
ment, it increases the amount which
would be taken from funds to the
credit of the District government in
the Federal Treasury and that there
fore it does not reduce the amount
taken from the Federal Treasury.
BIant0n Sees Rate Raise.
Representative Thomas L. Blanton,
Cramton amendment merely means
that the present tax rate of S1.20
would be raised to $1.35 or s14O.
Representative Ben Johnson, Demo-
crat of Kentucky, a member of the
appropriations committee and former
chairman of the House District legis-
lative committee, said: Il am the
author of the present law under
which this bill was brought in. l was
not for such a law, except that it
was the best thing the government
could get under existing circum-
stances"
He said that he would favor a lump
sum appropriation, but he disputed
as not analogous the claim of Rep
resentatiYe Cramton that in carrying
out this amendment the House would
in effect be doing the same as it
does with river and harbor appropria-
tions, when it reduces the amount
that the federal government shall
pay and thereby increases the amount
-hat state would have to pay.
Representative Johnson emphasized
that the House must not lose sight of
the fact that it is legislating for two
parties. the federal government and
the District of Columbia, which is
exclusively under the jurisdiction of
Congress.
Tinkham Backs District.
: You are proposing to violate a
kmoral contract with the District, be-
cause in the law of 1920 you COM
@pelled the taxpayers of the District
o pile up a surplus so as to get them
& bn cash-as-you-go basis within five
years" said Representative Tinkham
PIN arguing against the Cramton
mendment.
Representative James T. Begg of
kOhio, Republican, wanted to know
$how the people of the District could
make any contract with Congress.
Representative Tinkham replied that
4 when Congress asserts by solemn
! law and arrangement for five years
such an arrangement should not be
Srepudiated. as you are proposing to
sdo, without any hearing and with the
proposition offered from this floor
with only fifty members present"
Chairman Davis of the subcomn1it-
$tee which drafted the District appro-
Ypriation bill explained to the House
how the provision for piling up a
surplus to put the District on a cash
basis within five years came to be
cramton supported Rttiive Representative
Davis. Representative Tinkham told
Representative Davis in response that
there is so much friction between the
District and Congress because SO
many policies are proposed which are
Tepudiated almost as soon as adopted.
He challenged Representative Davis
and Representative Cramton why two
years ago they did not propose what
is being proposed today and which
they now say is the right thing to do.
Reads Citizens Petition.
Representative Davis then read a
petition of the citizens joint COM
mittee on fiscal relations between the
United States and the District of CO.
lumbia for recognition and appro-
priations on a $3.50 basis of the Dis
trict's accumulated Treasury tax sur
plus, signed by the presidents of
three local business mems organiza-
ions and by the presidents of many
Continued on Page 2, Column p