Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-29
UNDERSTANDING Would Help.

fair-minded members Of the House to
point out that their greater interest in
legislation more directly affecting tiaeir
own constituents has deprived them OF
the time and study necessary to make
them familiar with the root Of the con-
troversy over District fiscal afYairs
which has so far resulted in con-
fusion over the fate Of the 1881 Dis
trict bill.
This general lack of understanding
becomes obvious on the rare occasions
when the House grants d relatively few
minutes for debate on some OF the con-
troversial issues that beset considera-
ton Of District affairs. A unique fea-
ture Of these debates Is the repeated
admission, by distinguished members,
that while they themselves have not
had time to study the question, they
know generally what 1t Is ali about and
rest confidence In those who have
studied it. And when all Is said and
done, one finds that only handful Of
Representatives have studied 1t.
But one Of these Is Representative
Anthony Grimm of New York. In all
sincerity The Star commends to the
membership Of the House q reading Of
his remarks, inserted In the Congress
sional Record Of Thursday, June 26.
Mr.. Grifin's conclusions are his. own.
one does not have to agree with them.
But his statement should be studied
as an example Of fair and dignifed APP
proach to q problem, the solution Of
which he does not attempt TO suggest
in its entirety. Even the most bitter
enemies Of fixed ratio or increase in
the lump sum win admit that their
own formulate for settlement are made
quate. The only result Of their insist
ent application Of arbitrary theories
has been to tie legislation for the Capt.
tai into a Gordian knot and to throw
affairs at the District Building into
confusion and threaten the city's nor
NAL progress, not to mention the very
tangible hardships on dependent men,
women and children that now are
threatened. Their plan viii not work.
It is self-evident that some other plan
must be tried.
Why not try TO find it2 Mr.. Grimm
points out that where knowledge il
absent, there is the inevitable ternpta-
ton to make up for the lack Of infor-
nation by q resort to passion and
prejudice" AS an example OF where
knowledge is lacking, Mr.. Grimm refers
to the characterizatiors by some Of his
fellow members Of the Federal contri-
button as a 'gratuity." gift" or a
''lollypop," He also discusses the IRE
quent references to the $1.7o tax rate
as something for which the taxed but
unrepresented people Of the District are
responsible and for which they are
heartily condemned by those who con-
troll not only the levying, but the spend
ing Of tax money. Aside from that,
however" Mr.. Grimm says, sit Is not the
tax we pay, but what we get that
counts. The people Of the District get
no more than they pay for" and that
is getting down to the realities.
Mr.. Grifan points out as one Of the
evils of the present system the fact
that residents Of the District in the
favored" sections get more for their
tax money than those In the neglected"
sections. This may be true, and it may
not. It is a fact that in some parts OF
town the residents are furnished with
parks and Fairgrounds and fine streets,
and in others they still lack sewerage
facilities. Ana It Is . fact that the Dis
trict has been committed TO building q
$25, 900, 900 group Of municipal buildings
and is being taxed for d $4,000. 900
PARK program. but there Are not enough
seats in the schools to go around and
nearly is many portable shacks are used
in lieu Of permanent school buildings now
as there were during the war emergency,
when the portabIes were adopted as a
temporary expedient.
But the amazing thing about MT
Grifnn!s speech. Is that he does not at
tack the defenseless people Of the Dis
trict for these shortcomings, nor abuse
them as tax-dodging mendicants or
greedy grabbers at the public money
bags. He merely asks that big men
with Judicial minds and . real live In
terest IN the future Of our capital" APP
ply themselves to the problem and de-
eide on the solution. The people oi
Warrington have never asked for any
thing else.
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