Evening star., 1926-03-09
PARK BILL REPORT
|SEXPECTED TODAY
Capper Committee Favors
Federal Aid in Rock Creek
Potomac Link.

The unanimous decision of the
Senate District committee yesterday
afternoon that the Federal Govern
ment should bear half the cost of
completing the connecting link be
tween Rock Creek and Potomac
Parks may be reported to the Sen
ate today by Chairman Capper. The
measure will go to the calendar for
consideration in its regular turn.
AS passed by the House this bill
would have taken the entire s600,000
needed to join the two parks from the
accumulated surplus of the local tax
payers. The Senate committee. after
listening to vigorous plea by Sena.
tor Phipps for equitable treatment of
the people of Washington, not only
approved his contention. but went
further than he had requested of them
in amending the bill to require the
Federal Government to pay half the
cost. Senator Phipps had requested
the committee to put the legislation
for this parkway on 60-4O ratio,
which is the substantive law govern
ing fiscal relations at the present
time. although Congress during the
past few years has departed from it
by arproprlating a lump sum toward
District expenses.
During his argument Senator
Phipps had pointed out that the sur
plus revenues of the District, which
the House proposed to use for joining
these parks was accumulated during
years when the $3.50 ratio was in ef
feet
Unanimous Approval Given.
Senator Harreld of Oklahoma made
the motion to adopt Senator Phipps
60-40 amendment. but Senator Sackett
of Kentucky declared that if this sur
plus was accumulated while the $3.50
plan was in effect the appropriation
of the surplus now should be on that
basis. Senator Jones of Washington
Joined i'm this suggestion, as did Sen
ator Phipps, and Chairman Capper
put the motion for the $3.50 amend
ment 1t was carried unanimously.
While Senator Phipps was explain
ing what he regarded as the injustice
of taking the entire 100000 from the
District surplus. members of the COM
mittee were prompted to discuss
briefly the general question of fiscal
relations.
Answering question by one men,
ber of the committee, Senator Phipps
said there are various contentious as
I'D HOW tHe expenses Ol lHS DlSlIlCI
should be divided. adding that there
are some people who feel the District
should pay everything.
Senator Harreld asserted that If
such policy is ever adopted I'VE
ought to remove the restrictions on
the city, and let it become a CONNER.
cial center"
Urges One Ratio or Another.
Later in the discussion Senator
Harreld said that he thought there
should be either a $3.50 or 60-40 ratio,
or the city should be allowed to de-
velop commercially.
Before the amendment was agreed
to Senator Jones said that he sympa-
thized fully with the contention of
Senator Phipps, but declared he was
convinced that the House was de-
termined not to yield by returning to
a fixed percentage ratio. of appropriat.
ing for the District. Senator Jones
said he was perfectly willing to adopt
Senator Phipps' proposal and let the
question be fought out In conference.
Senator Phipps said 1t may be true
that the House is unwilling to return
to a, fixed ratio on the general ex-
penses of the District government.
but he declared he did not believe the
Senate should sit quietly by and let
the House have it's way in this par
ticular case if the Senate recognized
the injustice of taking all of the
$500 900 from the District taxpayers
for a connecting parkway. which Sen
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