Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-15
Congress Must; Washington Cannot.

Airport night at the Board Of Trade
on Monday was great success. Mem
bers of the board and their guests were
stirred to enthusiasm by addresses OF
prominent speakers on the National
Capitals need for an adequate mu-
nicipal landing field to care for the
steadily increasing demands of air
travel. Each speaker stressed the i'm
portance Of work and more work on
the part of Washingtonians in order
that this desired project may be car
ried out and every Washingtonian at
the meeting was inlbued anew with
flaming civic spirit.
But, despite the success Of the meet
ing, Just where does it leave the
problem of securing an airport for
washington? Is the enthusiasm, not
by any manner of means aroused for
the first time on Monday night, all
that Is needed to carry the project
through? Or is the enthusiasm OF
politically impotent Washingtonians
for a municipal need merely futile
thingP If hearty Endorsement OF a
project by a united community Is all
that Is necessary Washington would
long since have had an airport, but the
actual fact appears to be that despite
Monday nights meeting the airport
situation Is precisely in the same shape
as it was before.
1t Is Congress that must work and
legislate for an airport. District cit
liens by the very fact that they are
District citizens can do neither. 1t is
individually up to Congress to work to
set the wheels going for the establish
ment of q landing field at the Nations
Capital. It is Congress that must de-
eide where the field is to be, that must
appropriate money for its construction
and see to it that work on four or
five year project be. started at the ear
Hest opportunity. Congress must DO
all of these things; the citizens OF
washington cannot.
And after Congress, as it only has the
power to do, has pushed forward to
completion a badly needed Federal and
civic airport, then the question OF pay
ment can be settled between the Federal
Government and the municipality. That
is the only way that an airport can be
secured for the city.
This question has been agitated for
more than two years by Washingtonians
who felt that the National Capital was
being grossly Disseminated against In
the rapidly expanding chain of mu-
nicipal airports. And because 1t had no
adequate field Washington nearly lost
its chance to be identified with the
North and South airmail route. Only
through the courtesy Of the War De-
partment have mail planes been able
to utilize temporarily the Army base at
Boiling Field, and there Is no telling
how long this permission will be con-
tinued.
So that despite two years or more
of agitation and work on the part OF
Neutrality-suspicious. the airport project Is
almost In the same condition as when
it was begun. Congress, which must
decide, has not decided on q site. on
the size Of the field, on how much 1t
is to cost, or how soon it Is to be started,
on the approximate length Of time for
completion or on the equitable method
for sharing the costs between the
Federal and local governments. None
Of these things has been decided and
it is obvious that nothing can be done
until all Of them are. Washington Is
anxious for an airport and Is willing
to pay its equitable share. but further