Evening star., 1926-11-11

Leaders In Congress, as well as
earnest students OF Capital affairs, ap-
nreciate that we can never eStaplls[l
the hest relations of friendiiness, good
feeling and cooperation between Con
| gress and the taxpayers OF the DIS
trict until we have joint committee
of House and Senate, charged not only
with passing upon legislation but also
passing upon appropriations. Legls-
| Iation to bring about this reform is
nending. fathered by Representative
r. Walton Moore Of Virginia, to which
the special investigating subcommit-
| tee would do we'll to give serious con
sideration.
The main object Of q joint commit
tee plan Is to do away with the great
volume Of criticism in Congress that
so much time, especially in the House
chamber, Is taken up with bickering
over q multiplicity Of relatively trlviai
and purely municipal matters. rms
time might much better be deFote'i
70 more important matters Of Federai
legislation affecting the whole coun'
try-~really national affairs.
y K * *
,rhis ;oint committee ought, with
proper efficiency, to function just once
a wear. not only on an appropriation
h,,f on a legislative budget program.
Tbis budget should be DIVIDED into
three distinct features-one showing
the actual operating cost OF the mu-
nicinaIity. the other improvements
and betterments' and the third' ne"
legislation. ,.a a.
,ha House chamber several times.
while many members have expressed
their approval of the plan, there
seems TO ,be slight prospect OF us
early adoption unless the subcommlt-
tee now considering the munlclpal al
n7inistration should advocate such
SOLUTION Of one Of the very serious
troubles.
Representative Moore has frequent
" pointed out to his colleagues that
many OF the most advanced states,
Including Massachusetts. employ the
/ ioint committee plan quite generaiiy,
having almost entirely abandoned the
old plan.
Attention has also been called by
Mr.. Moore to the fact that there IS r
growing tendency in Congress 10 use
ioint committees. some OF them stand
inc committees and some of them spe
cial committees.
Should 1t be urged that what Is pro-
: nosed would make District business
an exception to all other business
dealt with by Congress, the answer Is
that the District situation is itself
altogether exceptional, and that what
ever NAV be in the direction Of facili-
tating District legislation, and thus
conserve the time OF Congress, which
fs being more and more pressed by
It's other legislative duties, is well
worth adcpting.
r. /. easy to believe that conclu-
sions reached and presented for the
Consideration Of Congress by Joint
committee would carry such weight
MS ordinarily to forestau lengthy dis
crssion and diminish the uncertain
state Of mind IN which members Of
Congress find themselves when pass
ing on the recommendations OF a
committee cf the House or commit
tee Of the Senate. with the knowledge
that there are differences of opinion
between the House and Senate COM
.nittees. without any attempt having
been made to reconcile them.
The creation OF a joint committee
would afford an opportunity, whether
the definite proportion or the lump
sum fiscal scheme prevails, for care
full consideration each year to see If
anv injustice is done to either the
District or Federal Government. Such
a consideration is now difficult, If not
impossible, TO insure. It would aid
so in doing away with the idea that
the lump sum, # continued, should
be provided by general law covering
a definite period of, say. or 10 years.
In other words. if Congress insists on
a lump-sum policy. the lump sum
would he moro ffaxibIp To vary from
year to year, acc riding to the facts as
observed by the joint committee in
such manner as It misht determine.