Evening star., 1939-07-23
Perseverance Marks
Career Of 0verton,
Friend Of District
Greot-Grundfuther,
Was Jockson's Second
In Fumous Duel
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

rOrIy-SlX years ago young STU
dent at Louisiana State University
dived into the swollen waters of the
Mississippi and struck out for the
opposite shore, mile across, against
q food stage torrent. He made 1t.
Six months ago the same man,
older by the calendar, but just as
young in courage and tenacity,
plunged into the problem of placing
fiscal relations between the Federal
and District governments on fairer
basis. Again he made 1t.
A new acquaintance, meeting
Louisianas senior Senator, John H.
Overton. for the first time, might
not readily detect the perseverance
that lies beneath a mild manner
and never-failing courtesy. But it
was this spirit of calm reSoluteness
that played an important part in
the recent congressional contest
over District finances, which re-
suited in raising the Federal lump
sum payment from $5.OOO,OOO to
s6000000, both in the 1910 appropri-
alton act. and as basic annual au-
thorization in the new local revenue
act.
Makes Intensive Study.
Prior to his selection last January
by Chairman Glass of the Senate
Appropriations Committee to handle
the local supply bill, Senator Over
ton had a general knowledge of the
subject, gained from five years as a
member of the District Appropria-
tions Subcommittee, and several
years on the District Legislative
Committee.
1t was not until he became sub
committee chairman, however, that
he began an intensive study of the
fiscal relations issue, back to the
earliest days of the development of
the National Capital. When he
compared the long era of definite
partnership between the national
and local governments, on a fixed
percentage basis of sharing the cost,
with the more recent period of lump
sum payments, he became con-
Vlnced return to the earlier prin-
ciple would be preferable and more
equitable
He then set out to find per-
centage basis that would be simple,
mathematlcally exact and fairly
commensurate with the Nations in
terest in the Capital. He was in
search, also, of basis that would
not be dependent on conflicting in
olVldual opinions, such as the ap-
praised value of Federal property.
He decided upon the land area of
the city required for national pur-
poses as one yardstick by which the
national obligation could be meas
ured on a percentage basis, not only
today, but at any time in the fu-
ture, without annual controversy in
Congress.
Plan Wins Wide Approval.
Thus, the Overton formula came
into being. The Louisiana Senator
realized 1t took into account only
one basis of national obligation to
the Capital, namely, the large ex-
tent of Federal property here, but
ne wanted to avoid other factors
that could not be measured exactly,
even though meritorious, such as
the obligation resulting from ma
uonal control of the city; the obli-
gatlon based on heavy national tax
payments by the local community.
ana the obligation based on pa
trlotlc pride in the Nations CITY.
At the start the Overton formula
was just his own idea, but within
few months it had won the ap-
9roval OF special Senate subcom-
mlttee that studied it, the Senate
Dlstrlct Committee and the Senate
Itself, not to mention widespread
approval by local organizations.
Although he had to abandon the
formula in conference, he did so
because a compromise was neces-
sary, and not because he had lost
faith in its fairness. Discussing the
immediate future yesterday, he
said
Since. after bitter controversy,
the conferees on both the tax and
appropriation bills agreed on the
Sb,OO0,OO0 figure, it is fervently to
be hoped there will be no renewal
OF that controversy at the next
session. 1t is to be hoped that the
Budget Bureau will submit an es-
innate for the $6.OOO.OOO authorize
tlon, and that it will be incorpo-
rated in the House bill"
Predicts Fair Formula Basis.
The Senator indicated he be-
HnCpC ho MI FOL
should be settled on some fair for
mula basis.
Senator Overton. who looks much
younger than his 81 years, is a de-
scendant of early Virginia colonists.
VINO settled in America in 1868
His great-grandfather, Thomas Ov-
erton, was captain in the Amer
lean Revolution. later moving to
Tennessee in the days when An
drew Jackson was making history
there.
Thomas Overton acted as Jack
sons second in the duel in which
"Old Hickory" came out the victor
over Charles Dickinson in 1906. One
OF Senator Overton'S possessions to-
day Is the original of a letter sub
= sequently written to Thomas Over
ton by Dickinson's second, attesting
that the duel had been fought ac-
cording to the terms agreed upon.
AS the Senator relates the story,
Dickinson, who was the better
marksman, landed the first shot, but
missed Jackson's heart, whereupon
the rugged general braced himself
and fired with more effective re-
suits.
Father Was Judge.
The Senator's grandfather, who
was also John H. Overton, moved
to Louisiana about 1920, practicing
c6no;.rr >>eE