Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-14
History Repeats Itself.

History Repeats Itself.
In its report on fiscal relations be-
tween the District and the Federal Gov
ernments the Bureau of Efficiency very
properly devoteS a large section of the
textual matter to a relatively brief his
torical discussion of the question.
The summary is necessarily brief. But
recurrent mention emphasizes certain
points. The excerpts below tell their
own story:
A review of the fiscal affairs of the
District of Columbia during the period
1890 to 1871 indicates that no definite
plan of contribution by the Federal
Government toward the support of the
District of Columbia existed during any
part Of this period, and that appeals
we're continually made 70 Congress by
the residents for Keller from a situation
which they claimed was becoming in
tolerable. It was held that the District
of Columbia, as the Capital of the Ma
ton, was being developed on scale
beyond that which could be afforded by
the average municipality and that,
therefore, the Federal Government
should share with the citizens the cost
Oh It's Op6TdtlOIl anu IIidlI1GS1ldtlCc
In 1885 the committee of the District
of Columbia of the Senate made an in
vestigation of the subject and recon-
mended that the Federal Government
should pay definite proportion of the
expenses, based upon its property hold
ingS in the District. No action was
taken on the committees report, and
the Federal Government continued its
irregular voluntary payments y.
The act Of June 80, 1874, created a
temporary form Of commission gov
eminent for the District, under
which the legislative functions
were reserved by Congress to it
self. No definite plan of con-
tribution by the Federal Government
was provided for although the
committee recommended a division of
the expenditures for the District be-
tween the Federal Government and the
citizens on the basis OF fifty per cent
for each.
BY the act of 1878 the Federal Gov
eminent obligated itself to defray half
the cost of operation and maintenance
of the District of Columbia. I" :"
The fifty-fifty basis, as it came to be
known popularity, continued unchanged
until the fiscal year 1921 How
ever, the plan was attacked In Congress
from time to time, particularly on the
score that the citizens of the District
were undertaxed, and upon several oc-
casions. notably in 1896 and 1915, spe-
cial studies of the subject were made by
congressional committees, which brought
about no change.
Congress in making appropriations
for the fiscal year 1921 provided that
forty per cent. of the sums necessary
should be appropriated out of any
money in the Federal Treasury not
otherwise appropriated and sixty per
cent out of the revenues of the District
of Columbia. The same provision was
contained in the appropriation act for
1922, and in 1928 the sfxty-forty basis
was provided for that and subsequent
years.
The appropriation act for the year
ending June 80, 1925, provided the spe-
cific sum of 100000 as the con-
tribution Of the Federal Government to-
ward the expenses of the District Of
Columbia, ignoring the sixty forty ratio
In force under the substantive law.
The story of the development Of the
American Capital is closely interviewer
with the story of fiscal relations between
the Federal and District Governments
The indissoluble partnership between
the local community ana the people Of
the United States in the task Of Capt.
tai building makes this so. The years of
neglect of the Capital have been those
years in which the Federal partner ig-
nored his own responsibility and shifted
it to the shoulders Of the Capital COM
munity. The years Of progress in de-
velopment have been the years when
Congress, acting for the people Of the
United States, definitely committed It
self to fixed program of appropria-
ton.
From time to time some of our legis-
lators have shouted in alarm and raised
the old hue and cry against the men,
deity of the Washington community
and the nnunihcence of the Federal
Government, demanding that something
be done. Investigation has followed in
:. vestigation. In the end the results
have been the same. The fact is redis-
covered that Washington is being de-
veloped as the Capital Of Nation and
not as an average American municipal
ity. It is reaffirned that the Federal
Government must share in this develop
ment. and the logical method of shar-
ing has been to contribute a fixed pro-
portion of what the local government
contributes Abandonment of the plan
brings the recurrence of conditions
which led to its adoption. History. in
other words, repeats itself.