Evening star., 1932-03-17
REVEALS SIMMONS
SOUGHT SEPARATE
STUDY OF D. c. BILL
Report Shows He Favored
Independent Status for
Supply Measure.
POLICY OF COMMITTEE
DECLARED A MISTAKE
Cannon Questions Wisdom of Con-
sidering Additional Items in
Legislation.

A plea for consideration Of the Dis
trict appropriation bill on a different
basis from other supply measures, was
made by Representative Simmons OF
Nebraska at the outset of the hearings
on the 1888 appropriation bill, it was
revealed today when Chairman Cannon
of the House Subcommittee on Appro-
priations released the report OF the
proceedings at the first days hearing.
Mr.. Simmons, former chairman of the
Appropriations Subcommittee, which
handled the District bill, argued that
the committee would deal with District
revenues, and not Federal funds, ana
should, therefore, not be restricted by
the policy laid down by the full Appro-
priations Committee of merely approv-
ing or vetoing budget estimates.
Policy Criticized.
"I think the policy that has been
adopted by the whole committee" said
Mr.. Simmons, lis a very serious mis-
take. 1 think it has seriously crippled
not only the functions of the commit
tee within ourselves, but the functions
OF this committee in the service we can
render to the executive departments.
This bill should have some different
consideration from other bills. We are
dealing not with Federal revenues; we
are dealing with District revenues, out
side of the contribution which the
United States makes to the District,
and outside of the contribution the
United States makes to the District we
are not dealing with a treasury that
il in the red
THE District treasury, I assume, an
ticipateS it will have revenues sufficient
to meet any item carried in this bill
that is, any item within the total budget
figures. There is that difference, wherein
this bill should have a different status,
so far as the items that affect the Dis
trict are concerned, and those that
affect the rest of the ordinary executive
bills"
Hearing Of Residents.
~In connection with this bill we have
repeatedly stated to the people of the
District that before this subcommittee
they had their opportunity to express
their wishes regarding the expenditures
of money. They do not have that op-
portunity before the Budget Bureau.
They do have it, of course, before the
Board of Education, and they have 1t
before the Commissioners, as l under
stand it. They have always been &C
corded that privilege in the administra-
ton of the appropriation:
But this committee has been the
place where we have repeatedly told
them that they had their opportunity
to come and tell us wherein they dis
approved the expenditure of their
money, not Federal money, but District
money And we have always hearo
them, and, in the main, think, have
been able to meet pretty generally the
wishes of the District, wherever there
has been a concerted demonstration
of approval of an item, or where there
has been a request for expenditures not
included in the bill.
"I rather prided myself on the TACT
that this bill, when 1t was tlnally
drafted, aside from the question ol
fiscal relations, has almost universally
been approved by the people Of the Dis
trict as a whole.
"Now, this rule shuts of to the peo-
ple of the District this one and only
opportunity to tell the House OF Rep
resentatiyes how the District wants its
money spent
1T is another reason, in my judg-
ment, why the rule should not be en-
forced, but If the rule Is to be followed
/ do not want to come here ana take
days Of time, as we always have taken
days Of time, listening to these people
present their views, when we are going
to know in advance that they are not
going to get anything"
Chairman Cannon replied that per
sonally he would be glad to consider
additional items, but questioned the ad-
visibility in the face Of the full COM
mittee's ruling. He said he was "as
vitally interested in the District as any
other property owner here" but pointed
out that the committee had been in
structed by House action to limit the
Federal lump sum contribution to So
100000 and the 100000 reduction
would have TO be made up in some
other way.
Representative Blanton of Texas de-
Tended the four Mapes tax increase bills
passed by the House and declared that
unless the Senate takes similar actor
real estate taxes would be raised"