Evening star., 1934-12-23
Queer New Deal
In District Finances.

hS lOI tIicoc UuSlIlcoo CouSciLLo'
Queer New Deal
In District Finances.
ORGANIZED civic Washington
has been pleading for a new
and square deal as to its
finances, but was not prepared for
the one now under way by the
subcommittee Of. the House Com
mittee on Appropriations. The
Commissioners gave the citizens a
much appreciated opportunity to
study the preliminary recommen-
dations of their subordinates and
agencies and then listened to their
recommendations. This was fol-
lowed by satisfactory conferences
between the representatives Of the
organized civic forces with the
director of the Bureau Of the
Budget of the United States. A
petition for fiscal equity for the
District of Columbia, addressed to
the President of the United States
was accepted by the director and
by him presented to President
Roosevelt.
The petition appealed to the
President to recommend to Con-
gress a more equitable share of
the District budget being borne by
the United States. The President
was sufficiently impressed to order
a survey to determine whether or
not the District pays fair tax
as compared with other American
communities. Such survey is now
under way to supply the President
with the required information to
govern any recommendation he
may care to make in transmitting
the District budget to Congress.
This entire procedure, up to this
point and the firm stand made by
d the Commissioners for a more
adequate payment by the Federal
Government has been the source
Of much qualification and aroused
considerable enthusiasm among
the civic bodies.
The queer new deal which has
civic leaders puzzled Is the action
of the House subcommittee in
going forward with its secret hear
ings on the items of the budget
which has not yet been officially
submitted to Congress and its
contents being absolutely unknown
to the voteless taxpayers of the
District.
The hearings are scheduled to
close before Christmas and the
bill will be "marked-up" during
the holidays. This procedure is
entirely different from that which
has several times been proposed
by the chairman of the Senate
subcommittee, Senator Thomas of
Oklahoma. He has urged a joint
hearing Of the two committees on
the District budget as a time
saver and means Of arriving at a
better understanding between the
committees.
Students Of the financial prob
lens of the District government
are agreed that an estimate of the
funds available Is the first factor
to be considered in framing the
budget, and this, Of course, must
include knowledge of what the
Federal share will be. The civic
bodies and the Commissioners, as
well as some of the members of
Congress, recognize that the Fed
eral payments do not represent an
equitable share. Civic leaders be-
lieve that thorough understand
ing Of the matter in Congress
would result in much more liberal
treatment of the District.
In the report of the Congress
sional Joint Select Committee on
Fiscal Relations in 1856, Sena-
tor John D. Works, California,
said: ct do not believe that Con-
gress has purposely or willfully
neglected the interests Of the Dis
trict. I think there are very few
members Of either house who have
made themselves familiar with
conditions in the District or ap-
preciate its needs as they should"
THAT the Government
should assume the attitude of q
mere contribution to the support
of its Capital Is not only illogical
and absurd, but Is a violation Of
the Constitution, which gives Con-
gress exclusive Jurisdiction over
and thereby makes 1t exclusively
reSnonsihle for IL -