Evening star., 1933-02-19
NEW RELIEF PLAN
ASKED BY CITIZENS
Federation, Against Borrow
ing, Would Empower Commits
SionerS to Spend Local Money.

The Federation of Citizens Associ-
ations, after two hours of debate last
night, disapproved the bill to authorize
the District Commissioners to borrow
up to $2,500,000 for relief of distress in
the District, the borrowing to be al
lowed only when all appropriated public
and available private funds have been
AS a substitute the feder-
alton proposed that Congress authorize
the Commissioners to draw an un-
specified sum of money for relief from
the Federal Treasury after appropriated
funds have been exhausted. This sub
stitute was embodied in a report by the
federation's Committee on Law and
Legislation, which was adopted. 81 to 15.
The arguments against the bill were
that the bill is unnecessary, since the
District has large surplus to its credit
in the Treasury and the sensible thing
to do is to take money out of the sur
plus; the bill Is bond issue in disguise,
and the federation Is opposed to bond
issues; the Commissioners would rush
to borrow the money soon as the law is
passed and borrow all that they could,
thus putting the District heavily in
debt; under the organic act Of 1878, the
District Is not allowed to 60 into debt;
much of the money would go to per-
sons not residents of the District OF
Columbia; no emergency could arise
because Congress would always appro-
pirate enough money to take care OF
money for unemployment relief here;
If the bill is passed, Congress would be
to appropriate any money for
local unemployment relief, but would
tell the Commissioners, instead, to bor-
row from the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation.
Brennan Supports Bill.
Those joining in opposing the bill
George E. Sullivan, who wrote
the committee report; John c. L. Rit-
ter, Southeast Citizens Association;
Fred Emery, Society Of Natives; w. D.
North Capitol; George B.
Bishop, Sixteenth Street Highlands;
Fred S. Walker, Park View; Thomas
E. Lodge, American University Park,
and H. I. Quinn. Sixteenth Street
Highlands. President James G. Yaden
voted against the bill, although he took
no part in the debate.
The fight for the bill was led by E. J.
Brennan, Michigan Park; William NICK.
Clayton, Brightwood; L. A. Carruthers,
Forest Hills, and C. E. La Vigne Of
the Citizens Forum of Columbia
Heights. .
Mr.. Brennan pointed out that the
federation had approved the Capper-
Cramton act providing for loan of
sic, 10000 from the Federal Govern
nent to the District for the purchase
of parks and Fairgrounds, and yet it
quibbled about the possibility that
81, 100000 might have to be borrowed
to feed the hungry. He pointed out
that under the scale of relief now being
the recipients get IA
cents per day each for food, clothing,
fuel and shelter, whereas the Army
ration Is 28.81 cents per day for food
alone.
Mr.. Hege pointed out that the bill
would only allow loans If and when all
other avenues of relief had been def
nitely closed. He said:
II dent want to go back to my
and say that our federation,
and all things which are domestic and
not commercial, has voted against some
last reserve for the hungry and the
naked in their last and most dire time
of need"
Carruthers Pleads for Needy.
Mr.. Carruthers pointed out that next
month an administration will take Of
flee in Washington pledged to reduce
Federal expenses by Is per cent
Suppose" he said, that this saving
Is to be made by dismissing Is per cent
Of the Federal employees in the District
Of Columbia. Most Of these people are
home owners. Could they pay their
taxes? Supposing that they did not
and we could not borrow the money
from anywhere, then must we let the
unclothed go naked and the hungry
starve? The very idea is preposterous Z"
La Vigne and Clayton said that Re-
construction Finance Corporation loans
are available to all of the States and
that as matter Of political equity the
District should be included 1t was
declared that had the District been in
cluded when the act was first passed
nobody would have objected to the
commissioners borrowing from the cor
poration in times Of emergency.
impression that there Is now in the
FEDERAL Treasury surplus of $4,000, 900
to the credit of the District of Colum-
bia, although the surplus on June 80
will be less than 100000, according
to estimates of District Auditor Daniel
j. Donovan.
The federation adopted a report urg-
ing that the two incinerators be con-
tmued In operation.
Survey Suggested.
Another resolution approved the plan
TO centralize collection and distribution
among the schools of the milk and
cracker fund and disapproved Of "the
several proposed plans of furnishing in
the public schools of the District SUBJ
stantlal meals to so-called starving and
undernourished school children" In
lieu OF these plans the report suggested
that school officials, through the teach
ing force, make survey as to the num-
Der and identity of needy children and
that the relief of the children and their
!amllles be provided through estab-
lished welfare agencies.
BY unanimous vote the federation in
dorsed compulsory liability insurance
Tor taxicabS and continuation of the
testing laboratory of the Highway De-
partment which was ordered discon-
tinued by the House passing the Dis
trict appropriation bill for 1884.
Mrs. Clara Wright Smith of Cathedral
Heights was elected a member of the
Executive Committee over John A. Saul
of Brightwood by vote of 40 to 29.
The federation voted to request the
Senate to replace school construction
items eliminated from the District bud
get by the House.
The next meeting Of the federation,
which would have fallen on March 4,
was advanced to February 25 so as
to avoid conflict with the inaugural
ceremonies.
The federation extended a vote of
thanks to Representatives Norton, Con-
merry, Simmons, Smith of Virginia and
Holiday "for their efforts to obtain a
more substantial measure of justice for
the taxpayers of the District than was
provided for in the pending appropria-
ton bill as reported to the House, and
to resist the efforts of other members
Of Congress on the floor of the House
to provide a measure of justice for the
District taxpayers far below even that
recommended by the House Appropria-