Evening star., 1937-01-17
Fiscal Relations Report
Fails to Get Civic Approval.

THE report of the independent
study of the fiscal relations
between the United States and the
District of Columbia will be re-
corded one of the keenest disap-
pointments in the history of the
District of Columbia. Such fine
local civic cooperation was given
the director and Advisory Commit
tee conducting the study. and their
attitude appeared so friendly to
these District citizens that much
was expected.
The Citizens Joint Committee
on Fiscal Relations at a consider
able expenditure of effort and
money produced an Illuminating
argument upholding the side of the
District. This argument was sup
ported by various statistical tables
compiled from reliable sources and
trict is fairly taxed as compared
with comparable cities and meas
ured by a reliable yardstick. These
calculations were all based on
actual figures, and not upon some
improved and unreliable theory.
The citizens committee argu-
ment was supplemented by history
of the fiscal relations between the
Federal Government and the Dis
trict and other pertinent matter.
This whole document, including
table of contents, index and bibli-
ography, embraced total of 246
pages of letter-size typewriting.
Two supplemental arguments
were submitted by the Citizens
Joint Committee in which was
pointed out the impracticability Of
the attempt to measure accurately
the service rendered by the District
to the Federal Government and
the service rendered or alleged to
be rendered by the general Gov
ernment to the District.
These documents were supple
mented and explained in several
conferences with the director and
his advisers.
Many consider the report a far
better document in support OF
suffrage for the District than
thorough and impartial study Of
the fiscal problem. The report.
however, goes wide of the mark
even as to the granting of the fran
chise, which they appear to be-
lieve the District willing to pur-
chase at any price. After discuss
ing the question of local suffrage.
which they tell is available when
ever Congress shall enact the re-
uuired legislation, reference is
made to national representation in
this remarkable sentence: THE
provision of Federal suffrage and
national representation requires
constitutional amendment and is
more remote from the fiscal rela-
tions problem
The vast majority of the organ
lied bodies of the District have
always labored under the impress
sion that the Congress Of the
United States exercising the ex-
elusive tax levying and appropriat.
ing power over the District, was
pretty close to the fiscal relations
problem. In like manner, they
have the thought that the right to
voting representation in the
houses of that Congress which
possesses that power over the fiscal
relations was a question far from
remote from the fiscal relations
problem.
Among the Districts friends in
the Senate and House of Represen-
tatives the report seems to have
been received with no more favor
than among the civic groups. It
appears due for a critical study
by committees of Congress with
the fullest opportunity for the
District citizen to be heard. The
director and members Of the Ad-
visory Committee are expected to
20 the limit to have the report
sustained and, incidentally, sus-
tain their regulations as experts.
But there is one thing which
stands out more conspicuously than
ANYTHING connected with this
study, and that is that no solution
has been found or offered for the
problem of ending the annually re-