Evening star., 1937-09-21
Just Another One.


Washington, embracing areas of the Dis
trict and nearby Maryland and Virginia,
nave made an adequate study of the
history of the Capitals creation and de-
velopment. Else they would not so
lightly, almost casually, propose that "as
an experiment" the Federal Government
should cooperate with the States of
Maryland and Virginia and make use of
the unique opportunity to devise COM
plete scheme of integrated government
for the District of Columbia and the
urbanized areas within the metropolitan
district.
Quite wisely the report did not 60 so
far as to suggest specific boundaries for
the enlarged municipality, nor did it 60
into detail concerning which govern
mental functions would be combined for
all the communities. For such specifi-
cations would have been very difficult to
formulate and in the light of the history
OF Capital making-which, as already
suggested, it is evident that the COM
mittee did not closely study-they would
II proposed, have been certainly subject
to immediate critical analysis by the
people of two States and by the Congress
of the United States not to mention the
diSfranchiSed but still sentient COM
munity known as the District of Co.
lumbia.
Tho initial lhroc of hn tfoos
statement relative to this matter sufices,
If taken seriously, to arouse the appre-
tensions of the residents of all three of
the jurisdictions directly affected, Mary
land, Virginia and the District of Co.
lumbia. That phrase is "as an expert
ment." Thus it is proposed to make
sort of proving ground" of the national
metropolitan area for experimental
projects of State and municipal admin
istration, in matters of health, sanitation,
public safety, education and other func-
tions in overlapping urban districts.
1t is readily to be acknowledged that
there are some very loose parts in the
American municipal machinery. And it
is quite evident that the public health
would be more surely conserved, public
education would be more effectively ad-
vanced, public safety would be more
definitely and economically assured if
one system of administration were
adopted-provided, of course, that it were
a good system, soundly and efficiently
conducted. But why make the national
metropolitan area-as already thus de-
scribed-the laboratory field of expert
mentation? Is it because this area, with
its politically helpless population, could
not effectively protest or resist? Such
an answer is justified by the experiences
which the District has suffered for many
years of government without repre-
sentation.
But there is another angle to this
matter. 1t relates to the adjacent COM
munities that form part of what is gen.
orally known as the Greater Capital
area, the nearby sections of Maryland
and Virginia Both of those States con-
tributed-more or less willy -nilly-to the
creation of the Federal Capital, author
lied by that paragraph of the Consti-
tuition which gave to the Congress the
power ito exercise exclusive legislation
in all cases whatsoever over such Dis
trict mot exceeding ten miles square)
as may, by cession of particular States,
and the acceptance of Congress, be-
come the seat of the Government of the
United States" One of those States,
little more than half century after
the cession of a slice of its territory to
the Federal jurisdiction, was granted it
back. The other was not thus restored
of its territory.
Now, can it be believed that Virginia,
having given and recovered jurisdiction
over its share Of the hundred square
miles that constituted the original Fed
eral District, would ever consent to a
second cesSion to permit the conduct of
an experiment in co-ordinated municipal
management? Or that Maryland, al
ready stripped of jurisdiction over some
sixty-six square miles of it's terrain, would
agree to extend to the Federal jurisdic-
ton an uncomputed area of land lying
in the twilight zone of political enlight-
enment?
These are practical questions, however
impractical may seem the proposal OF
the National Resources Committee.
Even though the report as it is now
outlined may be no more than bit of
wishful thinking-which seems to be
quite the style in Government circles
just at present-it is to be considered Sc
riously, as indicating trend in official
thought that if carried out into works,
as have so many other extraordinary
projects during the past four or five
years, will reduce the Constitution and
innumerable statutes to mere scraps of
paper with no guarantee of the main
tenance of a tribunal of justice capable
of resisting encroachment upon the basic
law of the land.
So numerous have been the de-
partures from the normal lines of ma
tional thought during the past fifty-four
months that each now becomes in turn
in the public estimation lust another
one of those things" Yet each requires
to be noted as a part of a pattern. with