Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-20
But Federation Favors 1t
After Hearing General At
tack From Representative.
$15,OO0,OO0 PROPOSED
RAISED TO $4,000, 900
Nebraskan Against ANY Return
to Percentage Fiscal Basis,
He Says.

Representative Robert G. Simmons of
Nebraska, chairman of the subcommit-
tee on District appropriations, paid q
visit to the Federation Of Citizens As
sociations at its regular meeting last
night, and spent an hour pointing out
the faults of the citizens associations,
the federation, the newspapers, the
Senate and the Districts school system.
He announced himself, with some heat,
as firmly opposed to any proposition
similar to the Capper bill providing for
loan of $l5,000,000 from the Federal
Government to the District government
for construction Of the new municipal
center and promised to use all his in
fiuence against such a measure.
The federation apparently failed to
take Mr.. Simmons seriously, however. as
shortly after the end of his exhortation
the delegates voted, with practically no
debate, to raise the sum in the Capper
bill from SIS, 000, 900 to SIS, 900 900, and
to strike out the clause providing for
the payment OF interest on the sum 70
be loaned.
The federation then appointed q
committee with instructions to go to
Capital Hill and endeavor to make the
views of the federation in the matter
prevail.
Fiscal Relations Question.
Mr.. Simmons started by stating his
intention of Withholding comment on
the question of fiscal relations between
the Federal and local governments, and
then devoted the major part OF his
speech to the subject of fiscal relations
between the Federal and local govern
ments.
The $4,000, 900 annual contribution Of
the Federal Government toward the
cost of running the District Is more
than the Government would pay II It
were a taxpayer and paying the regular
turn to any percentage basis OF con-
tribution would not be fair to the
United States, he said.
1.-THE time Is coming when there VIII
be 1000, 900 inhabitants In this city"
he said, land tell you that at that
time the percentage contributed by the
Federal Government will be not more
than 10 per cent, and that that viii be
a fair percentage. The reason for that
is that the increase in property will be
largely in private property. Federal
property remains practically static. ana
as the proportionate value OF Federal
properly u pIlVdOS pLOPcIIy 0NAAo1CS,
the percentage contributions should
dwindle with it."
Turning to the Moore bill for the
creation of fiscal relations commission,
Mr.. Simmons declared himself opposed
to any Joint commission on which Sem
ators and Representatives are members.
The Representatives have to do the
work, while Senators take the credit, he
complained.
Capper Bill Assailed.
Senator Capper's bill providing for
$15,000,000 loan to the District next en-
gagged his attention and he said that as
long as he had anything to do with it,
the District would not put a single
brick into the municipal center before
having money in the Treasury to buy 1t
with. This was the principle followed
in the construction of the capitol OF
Nebraska, he said, and he saw no rea-
son to depart from 1t.
Mr.. Simmons then stated that the
District should hire the finest archi-
tect to be found in the United States
to consult with local authorities before
approving any plans for the center.
"It would be better to spend $3.50 900
on the plans and know you are going to
have something that will be worth
looking at" he said, than to spend
$15,000,000 for the buildings and then
regret them after they are up"
In his remarks on schools Mr.. Sim
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