Evening star., 1940-04-07
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
The House Of Representatives on April
1, 1890 passed a bill providinp for the

The House of Representatives on April
I, 1890, passed bill providing for the
creation within the bound
Bill for Zoo aries of the District of Co.
Posed lumbia of National Zoo
logical Park and placing
upon the District the burden of one
half of the cost of maintaining this
wholly national project In its issue of
April 8. 1890, The Star makes the fol-
lowing editorial comment:
I'm the House Tuesday the National
Geological Park appropriation bill was
passed. The amendment imposing half
the cost of the parks maintenance upon
the District of Columbia was adopted,
and that which proposed the acceptance
of gifts for the park in the name of the
District of Columbia as we'll as of the
United States was rejected. The park is
national, the Smithsonian is put in
charge of it, gifts are received in the
name of the United States alone, but the
District has the privilege of paying one
half of the expenses. In this particular
partnership with Uncle Sam the District
is particularly silent and limited part
ner, whose participation in the affairs of
the firm consists in the payment of as
sessments. A similar compulsory part
nership in the work of tunnel building
was conducted to disastrous termina-
ton by the active and responsible part
ner, Uncle Sam. There is no such dan
ger in the present case, and until the
park is fairly established and firmly on
its legs the District has perhaps no over
whelming objection to contributing from
its comparative poverty to aid Uncle
Sam in this national project. even
though the fact of its contribution is
publicly ignored, and its name is erased
from the books of the firm. But in time
the District will arise in vigorous and
justifable revolt against the practice of
viewing it as State when direct taxes
are to be imposed, and privileges in the
States are granted to aliens and not a
State when its people attempt to sue as
citizens of State in Federal courts, and
against the latest device of making it
partner with Uncle Sam in particular
ventures to the extent Of assessing 1t,
but stopping short of making it part
ner who is entitled to the credit OF public
recognition as such"
The following day, April 4, 1890, The
Star again takes occasion to make edi-
Senate rot,,sa, m ~ tha sonote ~
TfoteetS concur in the House
District amendment imposing upon
the District half Of the cost of mainte-
nance of a National Geological Park:
"The Senate does not concur with the
House amendment which takes One-half
of the appropriation for the maintenance
Of the National Geological Park from the
District revenues The House took in
considerate action in the matter, and
concurrence in the amendment would
have established a bad precedent. This
park is established for general scientific
purposes, as an adjunct to the National
Museum and the Botanic Garden. to
preserve the types Of animals that origi-
nally inhabited this continent and that
are fast becoming extinct. 1t inciden-
tally benefits the people of the District
only as the museum and the Botanic
Garden do. Like these institutions its
purpose is national and 1t is exclusively
under national control, and like them 1t
should be maintained at the national ex-
pense.
washington as the Capital desires
that this park should be established here
and properly maintained as source of
attraction and instruction to visitors and
residents, and this desire would perhaps
prevent its people from 50 vigorously
protesting against small tax upon them
for the parks original establishment as
to endanger or postpone the project.
But the proposition to tax them for the
purpose Is logically wrong, and without
regard to the Districts reluctance to
make clamorous protest in the matter
the Legislature ought in justice to treat
the park as a purely national matter.
''The fact that the National Govern
ment has OF late years performed with
fidelity and liberality its duties in the
peculiar financial relations OF Capital
and Nation ought not to cause or to
justify . confusion Of national and local
concerns In such manner that the peo-
pie residing here shall be called upon to
contribute to national projects in their
local - wei as In their national taxea y