Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-10
House Committee to Study
Appropriation Believed
Hostile to Raise.
ACTION UNLIKELY NOW
WITH MEMBERS AWAY
Report Expected, However, Early
in Winter-Positions of Seven
Men Analysed.

Ject by the special House committee ap-
pointed yesterday by Speaker Long
worth under the Simmons resolution.
Judging by the views they have taken
on the question in the past majority
OF the seven House members selected to
conduct the investigation have been in
accord with those who opposed any in
crease in the 100000 lump sum.
The Senate, on the other hand, has
just emerged victorious from a struggle
over the current appropriation act after
having obtained an increase from So
600 900 to $9,500,000 in the Federal con-
tribution for the next IL months.
Those Named In House.
The seven House members selected
yesterday afternoon by the Speaker to
make new recommendations to the
are:
Representatives Carl E. Mapes, Re-
publican of Michigan; James A. Frear,
republican, Wisconsin; William p. Hol-
| aoay, Republican, Illinois; Edward M.
Beers. Republican, Pennsylvania;
CHARLES r. Crisp, Democrat, Georgia
Ross A. Collins, Democrat, Mississippi.
ana wright Patman, Democrat, Texas.
All members of the committee have
left the city, so far as could be learned
today. and no definite word has been re-
celved at the Capitol as to when the
group will organize and tackle its task.
IL is assumed, however, that thew will
enoeaVor to make report early in the
December session.
Positions Are AnaIyzed.
Two of the appointees-Mr. Holadav
ana Mr.. Collins-were House conferees
DURING
over the current appropriations act. in
which the House sought to hold the
lump sum at 100000.
Representative Crisp Of Georgia was
the author some years ago of a bill to
abolish the original half -and-half plan.
under which the United States and Dis
trlct governments divided the cost of
maintaining the National Capital for
many years. When the $3.50 ratio was
nnally departed from, 60-40 ratio was
fixed, but after two years the House
again insisted on a change, resulting in
adoption Of the 100000 lump sum
policy.
Representative Frear was outspoken
during the last session of Congress in
support Of the position of the House
conferees on the local appropriation
bill, in addition to which he advocated
the collection of local income tax and
Three Not So Active.
The other three members have not
entered so prominently into recent dis
cuSsions of the fiscal relations question
Mr.. MapeS, whose name headed the list
in the appointment of the committee, has
been a member of the House for nearly
20 years and was chairman of the
House District Committee for one Con-
gress some years ago. He may be
chairman of the special committee, al
though this Is not definitely known at
present. The remaining two appointees,
Mr.. Beers and Mr.. Patman, are at pres
ent members Of the House District
Committee.
Debates in the House during the last
session, while the conferees were dead
locked over the current appropriation
act. indicate the feelings which some
members of the special committee en-
terrain toward District finances.
When the dispute over the current
appropriation act was at its height last
month and the House conferees went
back for an expression from their
branch of Congress- Mr.. Frear advanced
the suggestion for new forms of tax
alton in Washington. He spoke, in
part, as follows:
Tax Views Stated.
every one desires to do what Is right
for the District, but in all fairness why
not collect taxes here as we do in the
average State and city? Why not have
District income tax and why not an in
heritance tax, the same as we have
in 18 or 20 of the States, and prac-
tically in all States with the latter, tax?
Why should we not coIlect' inheritance
taxes from the people of the District of
mo Nf
haven of tax refuge? Why should
we not have an income tax on intan-
gible property as well as other taxes?"
Mr.. Frear, at another point in his
speech, supported the position taken by
Representative Simmons of Nebraska
in handling the current appropriation
act. Mr.. Frear said:
I'VE should support the gentleman
from Nebraska in the position he has
taken until we have positive notice that
some injustice is being done. 1 may
venture to offer for your consideration,
I trust with the approval Of the local
press, the same kind of tax laws found
in the average State. 1t may be a sug-
gestion for this committee or some other
committee of the House to recommend
both a comprehensive income tax and
an inheritance tax for the District"
Position of Mr.. Crisp.
Mr.. Crisp, discussing local finances
on the same day, recalled that he was
an advocate of repeating the $3.50 law,
and added the following comment on
the 100000 lump sum. which the
Senate recently succeeded in raising:
THE Congress finally decided that
the contribution should be 60-40, after
many of us had fought the matter for
several years, not with any feeling of
prejudice against the District, but in
the interest of what we thought was
just and equitable to our own con-
stitutents and the citizens of the United
States. Then further investigation de-
veloped that the majority of the House
thought that was excessive, and the
100000 lump sum was agreed to.
II have not given consideration to
the matter for the last or 10 years.
but have been content to follow the
lead of the gentleman from Michigan
(Mr. Cramton), who is able and in
dustrious, and the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr Simmons), and others.
and my information is that If the
Federal Government would pay taxes
on its property in the District similar |
to other taxes paid by private property
owners, its contribution would be less |
than 100000. In our respective |
States as some of you gentlemen out |
West know, the Government owns
thousands and thousands of acres of
land, and the Government does not
rOy1fr{kt1fa one rant m anan,,yAk A.