Evening star., 1925-02-14
Increase Lump-Sum Payment.

tive of the 60-40 plan or as com.
promise in conference, assents under
compulsion to the temporary appli-
cation of the lump-sum payment plan
.. for 1926, the basic lump-sum payment
Of $4,000, 600 ought in equity and in
accordance with law to be increased
by the Senate in definite amount.
The annual appropriations of more
than a million dollars a year, author
lied as supplemental and extraordi
nary expenditures by the new District
of Columbia Park Commission law,
are directed by the law itself to be
paid from the revenues of the Dis
trict of Columbia and the general
funds of the Treasury in the same
proportion as other expenses Of the
District of Columbia"
~ The current ratio Is 6040, fixed in
: the substantive law by the new or
ganic act of 1922, and still unrepealed.
The wholesale exceptions to the 6040
ratio involved in the temporary lump
payment plan of 1895 merely suspend
the substantive law of 1922 for the
year during which the exceptions
apply and do not repeal or perma-
nently amend the substantive law.
The Park Commission law clearly
contemplates land provides) that the
authorized annual appropriation of a
million dollars shall be made, $780,
600 from District revenue and s400.-
900 from the National Treasury. If
the District appropriations for 1926
were made at the 60-40 ratio in ac-
= cordance with existing substantive
law, this apportionment of the parks
expenditure would result automati-
cally. If tentatively and for only the
year, a lump-sum payment is to be
substituted for the national 40 per
cent contribution, the Nations con-
tribution of s400 900, or Whereabouts,
ought lawfully and equitably to be
added specifically to the nine millions
OF basic 1ump.sum payment.
The Park Commission preparation
- ID made Enthusiastically as a supple
= n1ent to the current maintenance and
development appropriation, with its
nine millions of lump-sum payment
in accordance with last years tenta-
tive precedent. If the 60-40 ratio is
not applied to the whole appropriation,
and if the lump-sum payment is not
f. increased as suggested, it is gen
orally recognized that every cent of
the Park Commissions million dol
lars per year will come from the Dis
trict taxpayers.
OF course, the Senate will either
by adhering to the 60-40 plan or by
adding approximately $4,000 to the
lump-sum payment prevent this OBJ
viously unjust shifting of a national
burden to the shoulders of the taxpay
ing Capital community. Since the
House bill appropriates for the Park
Commission 100000 under eircum-
- stances which, as everybody recog-
nizes, cause every cent of this amount
to be paid from the local taxes, the
Senate will exactly meet the demands
of this particular equity if in ac
cordance with the 6040 ratio it adds
100000 to the Nations $4,000, 900
lumpsum payment and the same
amount to the Park Commission ap-
preparation.
Congress will not permit any tenta-
tive juggling with the ratio of national
and local community contribution to-
ward Capital development to throw
the whole burden of Park Commission
expenditure upon the local taxpayers.
/. The law specifically forbids this
procedure by directing division of
the cost.
2. The project is broadly national.
. The terms of the law suggest the pa.
cent year contribution of every man,
woman and child in the Republic. Con-
gress will detect the gross perversion
Of law and equity which results in a
> denial to 109, ,500,O 900 Americans Of all
participation in the patriotic privilege
of parks contribution and exacts the
entire 10000, 900 pennies, represent.
ing the whole Nation, from the half.
million Americans lat more than Ss
annually per head of the District of
Columbia.
3. The title to all the land pur-
chased by the Park Commission is
vested in the United States. The Park
Commission can purchase land in ad.
jacent Maryland and Virginia as well
as in the District. If the whole cost
falls upon local taxpayers their tax
money will buy for Uncle Sam exclu.
sive title to land outside of the Dis.
trict in Maryland and Virginia.
= The natural, easy way to avoid this
inequity and perversion Of the law is
for Congress, after its temporary
tentative experiment with the lump
payment plan, to adhere now without
exception to the definite proportion
plan Of contribution directed by exist.
ing substantive law. If, however, there
is to be, even temporarily. a 1ump-sum
payment contribution for 1926 approxi-
/ nIately 100000 should clearly be add
ed by the Senate to the nine million
1umpsum payment proposed by the
House and firmly adhered to in con.
ference.
If the lump-sum payment is thus in
creased 100000 by the Senate the
Park Commission appropriation will
appropriately be raised from 100000
to $1,000.000. r the Park Commission