Evening star., 1928-03-11
BY BEN M'KELWAY.

CASTOR b. Means Of Department OF
Justice fame once told Senate COM
mittee that his business was answer
ing indictments" Today the District
Commissioners might say that their
chief aim in life Is to clear UP the
results OF the preceding investigation
In order to be ready for the next one.
For the District government is rapidly
attaining prominence as the most
thoroughly investigated institution in
America. The Bureau Of Efficiency
no sooner slows down than the Budget
Bureau speeds up and on Capitol Hill
the appropriations committees and the
committees on the District OF COlum-
bia of both houses. not to mention the
single handed efforts Of individual
members Of Congress. manage to keep
the District under the magnifying glass
most of the time And now 1t Is re-
Vealed that for the last two years the
District has been under investigation
by another agency. The Institute for
Government Research Is now correct
ing proofs on volume, soon TO come
of the press, which goes thoroughly
into the government. and its various
functions, OF the District of Columbia.
The volume Is very thick, exceeding
! 900 pages, and Is understood TO be
one of the most complete studies of
the District ever attempted It's pub
lication Is to be followed by another
volume. In which the various defects in
the government OF the District will
be discussed, with suggested remedies.
4 4
The Institute for Government Re-
search. which was created by men
who believe that there should be a
non-partisan, independent institution
to consider the problems Of public ad-
ministraticn. and particularly those of
the National Government. for the pur-
pose Of making known the most prac-
tical principles and procedure that
should obtain in the conduct OF public
affairs undertook the study of the
District of Columbia at the suggestion
of one OF its trustees, Frederic A. Del
! ano. AS explained by W. F. Will
loughby. director OF the institute, the
work is intended primarily to furnish
information about the District, in con-
venient and detailed form. which is
nowhere else available Mr. Delano
through a contact with District af-
fairs resulting from his position as
member of the National Capital Park
! and Planning Commission. has had
good reason TO become interested in
the system Of government here and
some of its economic idiosyncrasies
AS member of the Park and Plan
ming Commission. for instance. created
as national body and listed in the
. Congressional Directory among the
miscellaneous" Federal organizations
he has found that funds appropriated
for expenditure under its jurisdiction
are derived from local tax revenue
plus q fractional part of the nine
million dollar lump sum which Con-
gress makes available through the an
| nual local supply bill.
He has found that legally this ma =
tional body may spend these local funds
IN the adjoining States of Maryland
end Virginia as well as In the District.
but that morally and in fairness to the
District such expenditures cannot be
made. He has found that while Con-
gress enacted legislation so worded that
the resident of California believes he Is
contributing / cent a year in national
taxes TO the part development Of the
National Capital. he is actually con-
tributing a very small fraction Of a
cent. throwing the financial RESPONSE
bility for semi-national park develop
HIcAs 0AiiOSb NilOLIy upon the SnOUiQerS
OF the taxpayers who live In the Dis
trict. who have no voice in their Gov
ernment. Mr.. Delano has also discov-
cred that while residents of the District
favor park development in and about
the Capital. while they believe that a
Treasury advance OF $4,000. 900 to
hasten this development Is economically
feasible, they are against ii almost to q
man. for they know that il the Treas
ury advance is made the burden of pay
ing 1t back with interest. will fall upon
the District and will not be shared in
any fixed ratio by the Nation.
Some OF these discoveries and a
desire 10 get at the bottom of them
have doubtless contributed to Mr.. Del
amos desire for scientific study of
the District Of Columbia by the Instt-
tute for Government Research. Mr.. Del
ano Is known TO have ideas OF his own
regarding the solution Of some OF the
problems he has found here. Perhaps
they will be Incorporated in the recon-
mendations which are 10 follow the
nrst volume OF findings. soon 70 be COM