Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-09
Hunters for New Revenues.

Full consideration of all the facts re-
lating to the recent deadlock between
the House and Senate over the District
appropriations might, but for one word
lead to decision by the Speaker of the
House to ignore the resolution passed
in the closing hours for the appoint
ment of Committee of Seven to inquire
into the matter of the Federal contri-
button to District expense. The resolu-
ton as adopted reads, 1.-The Speaker is
authorized and directed to appoint a
select committee of seven members of
the House, whose duty it shall be to
investigate the various elements, fac
tors and conditions which may be
deemed pertinent and essential to the
accumulation of data and information
bearing upon the question of fiscal re-
1ations between the United States and
the District Of Columbia" etc. The
word directed" requires that the COM
mittee be named, and the word duty"
requires that the committee, when so
named. proceed to the inquiry indicated.
So. If the Speaker obeys the orders
Of the House there is no way out of the
appointment of the Committee of Seven.
And If the Committee of Seven does
its duty as commanded by the House
It must proceed with the investigation
into the various elements, factors and
conditions which may be deemed per-
tinent and essential to the accumulation
Of data and information" But the
Speaker is not required to select seven
members who have already engaged in
the contest against the substantive law
and the principle of a definite proper
ton Of Federal contribution to District
maintenance.
The phraseology Of the resolution
makes it especially important that the
committee be most carefully selected to
prevent further inequity against the
welfare of the District. The committee
= directed not merely to recommend to
the House what amount in their judg-
ment the United States should contrib
ute annually toward the development
and maintenance of the municipality, :"
but to Investigate fully the various
forms of municipal taxation and sources
Of revenue of the District Of Columbia
and to recommend to the House such
new forms Of taxation and sources OF
revenue as to them may seem just and
fair"
In other words, the Committee OF
Seven is to find ways and means OF in
creasing District taxes. This proposed
increase in the local taxation is obyi-
ously intended to justify a reduction OF
the lump sum contribution OF the Fed
eral Government, even below the nine
million point 1t is always to be borne
In mind that the spokesman for the
House on Thursday last, in his eulogy
of the House conferees, declared that
the acceptance Of the compromise on
80 100000 did not mean that Gin the
future the House will agree even to
s9.00O.oo
So the Committee of Seven, according
20 the evident purposes Of the propo-
nents Of this between-sessions plan Of
action, is to bring in new budget OF
taxation, guaranteed to raise enough
revenue from local sources to warrant
the Committee on Appropriations In
cutting down the Federal lump sum ever
lower. And that is another reason why
the personnel of the committee should
be chosen with great care to give the
District a chance for equity.