Evening star., 1924-05-04
CITIZEN FEDERATION
ASSAILS HOUSE VOTt
City Heads Also Censured in Ds
bate for Alleged Fiscal
Plan Support.
RENT ISSUE DEBATEl
Press Censorship in Schools Als
Taken Up at Meeting.

The condemnation OF the Federatra
of Citizens Association at a m eetln,
in the District building last niEh
was placed on the House for adopting
in committee of the whole the amend.
nent to the District appropriatio,
bill calling for fixed amount to .,
provided by the federal governmeni
for meeting the expenses of the Dis,
trict. The original resolution deTel,
oped considerable debate, which iajt
on the shoulders of the District Com.
missioners censure for what was de,
clared to be their support of the
measure.
The association for more than TIVE
hours gave its attention TO rent leg,
islation, the press censorship ordI
in the District schools, and aeverl
minor matters which brought in,<
Vulnerable parliamentary tangleJ
developed by motions to table, r..
commit, points of order, etc, and dt
not reach the fiscal relations prob
lem until well after IL O'Clock.
Resolution as Adopted.
Jesse G. Suter presented the reso
luton on the fiscal relations, which
read as adopted, that the federation
condemned the passage by tll
House in committee of the whole 5y
d vote OF IS to ) of the amendment
to the District of Columbia appro.
priation bill, providing for the sub.
stitution of a lump sum appropria.
tion by the federal government IN
lieu of the present appropriations %
the 60-40 basis"
1t petitioncd the House of Repre-
sentatives to reject the amendment
a., ,.t inn
lations between the federal govern
ment and the District of Columbia
during the period contemplated by
the new organic act of 1922. Tho
resolution further stated that fail
ing in the rejection herein petitionrd.
States to retain the present method
of appropriation by the federal
government of a fixed ratio not less
favorable than the 60-40.'
Copies were ordered sent to the
Senate and the House District COM
mittees.
During the debate on this resoiu-
tion, and a substitute offered by Deli,
gate J. w. Murphy, William x.
Clayton placed the blame for the
House action directly on the shoul-
ders of the present District Commis-
sioners. These Commissioners ne
said, whom you have been laudins
and whom you propose 10 banquet
Jelly F1SneH, Tie SayB.
You are not going to have the
this resolution" he continued. The
trouble in the District OF Columbia
is that you are a lot of jelly fishes.
You extend the glad hand to the man
who sticks the knife into your ribs
just as quickly as you do to your
greatest friend. You are fighting
your Board of Commissioners on this
proposition. They had chance 10
take a stand on this and they did
not disapprove it.
Don't throw all your jabblings
against the members of the HOUSE.
The fault is with your Commissioner.
They are TO blame. What would any,
member of this body do if he were =
member of Congress. and received a
letter from the Board of Commission
ers favoring such plan? The chair
man of the board comes out bluntiy
and says he favors it"
Asked by a delegate if he would
propose stopping the plans being
made for a banquet to the new Com
missioners. Mr.. Clayton answered in
the negative.
Mr.. Murphy, after calling attention
to the conditions of disfranchisemen
here, suggested that the people of the
District should merge with Maryland
in the matter of voting for the House
and Senate members. suggesting that
Marylands representatives and Sem
atorS could represent the District.
This could be done, he said, without
constitutional amendment and
needed only the consent of Congress
and Maryland.
Avoids Rent Action.
The federation twice side-stepped
action on the extension of the rent
commission. 1t rejected the report
of its committee on law and leg
islation which opposed the eXtensiog
of the rent commission, and later
refused to adopt a motion of Harry
Stull, proposing to put the fedora
tion on record as fayoring the eNten-
sion of the commission.
The press muzZling order in tho
District schools was on the floor for
more than an hour of debate and
finally resulted in adopting the report
of the schools committee presented
by Snowden Ashford, saying that tho
matter complained of had been cor
rected and that any one could get
any information regarding the schools
from tho education officials.
1t approved the proposal of a five
year school building program and
requested the commissioners and
school officials to make plans for such
a program. and likewise adopted al
resolution proposing that scohol play
grounds be kept open during ths
simmer months and placed under the
direction of the municipal play
grounds direction. any damage 70
school property to be paid out of the
municipal Fairgrounds funds.