Evening star., 1928-10-21
Governor and Capital.

If by his statement regarding the
District of Columbia finances, made in
the course of his speech at Sedalia, Mo,
last Tuesday. Gov. Smith meant to irn-
ply that the Federal Government bears
the whole cost of maintaining the Dis
trict of Columbia, he has only expressed
what great many people in the United
States have in the past been led to
think. Of course, all Washingtonians
know better, and few of the people Of
the States at large also know that it is
not true that the United States Gov
ernment is the sole supporter of the
Washington municipal organization.
Some members of Congress have in the
past betrayed their belief on newly COM
ing to the legislative halls that the
District is in no degree self-supporting
and it has in some cases taken long
time to correct this impression.
During the many years that the half
and-half principle obtained in the di-
vision of cost of District government be-
tween local and Federal funds there
came into existence state of mind on
the part of the people of the country
generally that the District was not
merely a ward of the United States
Government, but wholly dependent
one. Whenever the subject of District
maintenance arose in Congress and a
discussion on the subject attracted at
tention outside, it was not uncommon
to find expressions of surprise that the
District people paid anything at all
toward the upkeep of their administra-
ton.
OF course, Gov. Smiths statement at
Sedaia, like the flowers that bloom in
the Spring, had nothing to do with the
case of Federal finances, economies or
extravagances. Certainly If one were
to apply historical accuracy to the mat
ter the deduction would be quite the
reverse Of that which Gov. Smith drew
from the record of District costs. For
during the period mentioned, that be-
tween 1921 and 1928, Congress repudiat-
ed its own agreement as written in the
form of the substantive law pledging a
forty per cent contribution to the Dis
trict's maintenance cost, and without
formal revision of the act set up
lump sum provision, whereby it effected
a large saving of Federal funds in the
face Of a large increase in expenditure
of District funds, accompanied by large
payments of Federal taxes by District
residents. In Short the increased
cost of District living to the District of
Columbia during that period as mat
ter of fact was attended by a decrease
in the cost of District living to the
United States.
This is perhaps too complicated a
matter to be bothered about by cam
didate for Office engaged in stumping
tour. Praiseworthy protests are being
voiced by citizens organizations of the
District with demands that Gov. Smith
correct his error, demands which he
probably will never hear, or If hearing
will never heed. Because. as matter
of fact, all this is simply small change.
However great may be the Importance
of the matter of fiscal relations between
the District and the United States to
the residents and taxpayers of the Dis
trict, it is featherweight in the scales
of national campaigning. For the peo-
pie of the District have no votes, and
however high their indignation may
rise, they cannot express themselves at
the polls, a fact of which Gov. Smith
is perhaps still unaware, as he seems to
be of the fact that the District of Co.
lumbia is far more nearly self-support-
ing than the law requires.