Evening star., 1926-06-11
DISTRICT OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF
VIOLATING CRIMINAL CODE SPIRIT
Sharing in Profits of Business Deals With ID. e.
Scored-Fennng, Rudolph and Graham At
tackled in Report of Investigation.
Continued from First Pageo

Continued from First Page)
available we cannot report on this
important subject
! Taxation The annual personal
property return should also include
tho. real estate owned by the tax
laNer. The law should provide for
2. personal statement OF taxes TO the
taxpayer when the taxes are due, and
also personal notice of Il tax sale Tor
failure to pay the taxes.
Assessments: Annual assessment,
which should result in an increase OF
tax returns amounting to Sl1o,oOo IN
q tv'o-year period at Il cost OF SlS,ooV.
Automobile taxes and drivers per-
mits: Motorists are paying only n
nominal tax. We recommend Il Sclell-
tiflc method of levy by registration,
rs made by some States, of a certain
number OF cents per hundredWelSh
or horsepower of the car operated.
and in addition an annual permit FOR
operators"
DelinQuent corporation taxes: lS-
orous prosecution Of all the cases in
volving these taxation matters. Con
greSs should appropriate literally for
employment OF the best legal talent
available to protect the interests Of
the people Of the District"
Judiciary Recommendations.
The Judiciary: Greatest caution
should be exercised in eX parte pro
ceedings, and the power to punish Tor
contempt should not be used indirect
" to imprison person for debt, and
that a maximum time in punishment
for contempt should be established by
law"
THE Judges should be careful to
appoint to the school board only those
whose sole interest is the welfare OF
the pupils.
g. Great care should he exercised in
selection of trustees and committees
of estates and their accounts carefully
scrutiniZed by the court. Auditors
and other officials should be held to
strict accountability and required to
perform the duties in connection
Herewith in strict conformity with
law"
There should be established in the
District an independent court of pro-
bate under judge who would become
I. specialist in that department or
law" \ bin TO carry out this recon-
mendation is pending in Congress.
Full Text of Report.
The text of the preliminary report of
the subcommittee follows: The spe-
cial subcommittee Of the District of
Columbia committee of the House was
appointed pursuant to the following
committee resolution:
Resolved That the chairman of
the District of Columbia committee of
the House appoint q subcommittee.
consisting of five members, with au-
thority TO investigate charges made
against Frederick A. Fenning. one of
Si nf n
and others. and any conditions shown
to exist through appointment of COM
mitteeS, guardians or receivers by the
courts of the District. and report its
findings and recommendations on or
before the 1st day of May, 1926.
THE said subcommitte is further
authorized and directed to make a
study of the government Of the Dis
trtct of Columbia to determine if ir-
Irregularities or conditions exist that
require further investigation or cor
rective legislation by the Congress. and
report it's findings TO the full commit
tee on the date hereinbefore mention
ed, with such recommendations as it
deems necessary to improve municipal
management of the District
1T is further resolved, That the Of.
ficerS and employees of all administra-
tive and judicial services of the gov
ernment of the District of Columbia
shall furnish to the said subcommittee
such information as it may require
from time to time, and the said sub
committee shall have access to and
the right to examine any books docu-
ments, papers or records of the admin
fstrative or judicial services for the
purpose OF securing the information
needed in the prosecution of it's
work"
Sought Constructive Work.
The subcommittee has held various
meetings, examined such witnesses
as were willing to appear and the
documentary evidence presented.
Ihe subcommittee has proceeded
with difficulty, owing to the
fact that it did not have the authority
to employ and use examiners and in
Vestigators, or power to compel the
attendance of witnesses. We have
mad, however, cooperation on the
part of the officers and employees of
all the administrative and judicial
services of the government of the
District of Columbia and have been
given much valuable information dur
Ing the progress of the inquiry.
The subcommittee has not been
able to make such an exhaustive
trict of Columbia as the conditions
demand. A study Of a government
Of a municipality of the size of the
city of Washington requires painstak-
ing labor, much time and the advice
and help of men and women trained
in municipal management. So far as
we have gone we have endeavored to
discover conditions that appear to us
10 require remedial legislation with
the sole view of improving the gov
ernment Of the Capital City. We have
followed a definite policy of making
our work constructive and not de-
Structiye.
Frederick A. FennIng.
Charges were made against Fred.
ertck A. Fenning, one of the Com
missioners Of the District Of Columbia,
on the floor of the House of Repre-
sentatives as of record appears. Pur-
suant to the resolution hereinbefore
-