Evening star., 1932-06-23
Expediency-Not Compromise.

While the $7,775,00 agreed upon by
the conferees on the District appropria-
ton bill suggests compromise of sort
between the original Sc, 500, 900 proposed
by the House and the $3.50 900 pro-
posed by the Senate, it is in no sense
q compromise on the actual figure that
represents the Federal contribution to
the Capital.
The six and a half million proposed by
the House constituted part OF program
that the Senate, for lack Of time and
because the investigation of the tax
bills by the Bureau of Efficiency had
not been completed, has been unable to
take up. 1t was obviously unfair to
treat the sum as the Federal contribu-
ton when there had been no agree
ment between House and Senate as to
the foundation on which it was based.
The ss.55O,0OO proposed by the SEN
ate was reached by the application Of
q ten per cent reduction to the Federal
lump sum of ss,50O 900, and the Senate
committee reported that it did not rep
resent an equitable or permanent solu-
ton of the fiscal relations controversy
Indeed the Senate subcommittee on the
District appropriation bill had this year
formally approved $l0,l8339l as the
equitable national contribution.
So, the seeming compromise between
these two amounts represents nothing
but a temporary settlement dictated by
expediency. the press of other business
at the end of a feverish session. the call
of the Democratic National Convention
in Chicago and the harsh requirements
Of national economy. AS usual. the
unrepresented and dependent District
is the victim of such eXpediency.
The effect of the lump-sum reduction
on the District will be strikingly illus
trated within the course of year or So
In order to make cuts in a measure that
represented only essentials. even before
1t reached Congress- the House and Sem
ate Committees have been forced to
hack with relentless disregard into the
items for permanent improvement. The
Districts program of Improvement has
needs thereby represented must be made
up within the next few years by larger
appropriations. Unless there is wise and
definite settlement of the fiscal relations
program in the meantime, the develop
ment Of the Capital City will be ham,
strung and the local taxpayer weighed
down under a burden of exorbitant tax
alton.
BY reducing the lump sum this year
the Federal Government will be able
to put nearly two million dollars on
the right side OF the Federal ledger in
its budget balancing attempt. But
savings to anybody remains to be seen.
The items stricken from the District
bill meant employment; they meant
the purchase of materials-in general,
they stood for the sort of work-creat-
ing measures that the Senate is now
proposing to carry forward in the
Wagner bill by lending to the States
and the cities of the country more
than a billion dollars With work.
creating measures stricken from the
local appropriation bill unemployment
will be increased. There will be more
men on the street next year looking
for work and for food.
And because there will be more men
on the street looking for work and for
food, 1t is difficult to find justification
for the reduction by the House and
Senate conferees Of the 100000 for
local unemployment relief The only
justification, of course, was that every
thing had to be cut and the $500 900
item had been made conspicuous BY
controversy The s2500O0 taken from
this item enabled the Federal Govern
ment to reduce its contribution by that
amount. What remains will probably
be enough to meet emergencies until the
convening of the short session in
December, when the District may again
be forced to ask its legislators for per-
mission to spend its own money in TAX
ing care of suffering and distress among
the members of this conmunity