Evening star., 1929-06-25
'bACK-TO-D.-C. CLUB
! LISTS 81 MEMBERS
Arguments For and Against
!, Retrocession Heard at
Initial Meeting.
Special Dispatch to Til. Star

gratifying beginning was made in the
formation of Back to the District
Club" last night in the Lyon Park
Community House when 81 members
were enrolled following number Of
speeches both for and against the pro-
posal of the retrocession of Arlington
County to the District of Columbia.
Clayton E. Emig of Washington, was
unable to attend the meeting but prom
ised to sreak before the club at future
date. r. L. Eacho of Ashton Heights,
who is sponsoring the movement and
arranged last nights meeting. presided
and in his opening address cited many
reasons why he favored the return OF
the county to the District.
He outlined the procedure to be
adopted by the club in that it would
make an appeal to Congress by specia!
resolution calling for the return OF
Arlington County to the National Gov
ernment. 1t is expected that the Con-
greSs will act favorably upon the pro-
posal and request the Attorney General
to institute proceedings before tne
Supreme Court to test the constitution
aIitv of the act of 1864 The speaker
said it was his conviction that Arlington
County would be back in the District
at the time of the celebration of the
George Washington anniversary In 1882.
Advantages Cited.
Speaking of the pecuniary advantages
TO be gained. Mr.. Eacho said there are
approximately 10000 automobiles in the
county paving an average tax OF $50
each. and of this $500, 600 paid in taxes
only about per cent was returned TO
the county. and compared this with the
81 tax in the District. Telephone, elec-
trio light and gas rates in the District
were also said by the speaker to be
much lower than in Arlington County.
He said the merchant license tax IN
Virginia is 5000 a year and in the Dis
trict of Columbia 1t Is SIS a year and
the merchant can do three times as
much business. He stressed the neeo
for an adequate sewerage system IN the
county and said that it would be neces-
sarv to float q bond issue OF between
s3 600 900 and $4,000,000 to install
complete system Immediate relief, Mr..
Eacho said. would be provided by the
District at q much lower cost aIter re.
PROCESSION. Lower water rates, increased
fire and police protection and better
health facilities were also incluoeo IN
the list of benefits.
Takino issue with Mr.. Eacho, Frank
@. Campbell, referring to the returns
from automobile taxes, said he did not
need a road when he was at nome a
GOOD road was of value only Wnen II
enabled you to get to some place, ana
therefore was of value to him IN any
part of the State. II his tax helpeo
To build the road to Richmond, every
time he travelled over it he would get
sone of the tax back. He launched
into an attack upon the claim OF pro-
T,onents of the retroceSsion movement
that taxes would be lower, and salo
that they closed their eyes TO the 1act
that the people Of Arlington County
are not assessed for road. streeG or aley "
improvements, while In the District OF
Columbia they may be assessed lor
these things at such figure that the
total tax paid Is substantially nlgner
than the tax in the county. ~
He pointed out that the front foot as
sessment for water in Arlington was 81
as compared with the average charge m
the District of sewer and water COM
bined. as estimated by a real estate ex-
pert of SIS per front foot.
AS an example he cited that the peo-
ple of the Anacostia section have been
complaining for years about Jner M
ability to get sidewalks, roads and sewer
and water connections IN reasonanie
period, alleging that their tax money
was being devoted to the Improvement
of the northwest section. While beau
tiful ornamental lights were being doub-
led in number along Sixteenth street, ne
said, existing lights along the Ridge
road in Anacostia were being diScontin-
wed or limited 10 number.
Answers Argument.
Answering the argument that the
county government Is unprogreSSlVe
and incompetent, Mr.. Campbell said
we have three supervisors, elected by
the people, while the District OF Co
lumbia has three commissioners, ap-
pointed by the President. Arlington
County people can change their repre-
sentativeS on election day, but the DIS
trict cannot Both have commits
sion form of government, conceded 10
be one of the most desirable. He SAID
the county supervisors powers are not
limited and under a special act OF the
Virginia Legislature may do anything
that a city council may do. Mr.. Camp
bell compared the speedy justice meted
out in several cases in the courts OF
Virginia with the delay experienced in
he District courts and said the con-
dition was due to "delay-minded'
machinery because it was used to IT.
The people of the District are not to
blame for these conditions and he did
not criticize them. They are the VIC
tins of a pernicious system grown up
through the years which can only be
corrected by Congress.
In closing, Mr. Campbell referred to
the legal aspect and cited the Const1-
tuition giving Congress exclusive Juris-
idiction over such territory, not exceed
ing 10 miles square, as authority for
fixing the District at such size as IT
sees fit not exceeding the 10 miles
square limit. He said there were none
of the things the advocates OF retro
cession claimed that could not be ac-
complished under the Jurisdiction OF
Virginia, and the National Capital Park
and Planning Commission recognized
this when 1t fixed the metropolitan dis
trict within a circle with a radius Of
90 miles.
Cloyd F. Byars devoted his talk large
" to a discussion Of the legal phases
and suggested that the people of Ar
lington County might make con-
Gition precedent to going back into the
District, provided 1t was done through
legislation and reserve the right of
suffrage to vote In national elections
for President and Representatives in
Congress.
Arthur Orr, Miss Bessie Christian and
Col. j. c. Pepper also addressed the
meeting. II. E. Hay was nominated
by Col. ByarS as temporary secretary,
but declined, and Mr.. Eacho suggested
w. E. Sias be asked to serve and he ac-
cepted. A meeting of the club will be
called shortly after July 4, Mr.. Eacho
says. to formally organize and elect
pfficers.