Evening star., 1941-05-13
An Opportunity Lost

An opportunity LoSt
For the reader of the Congressional
- Record containing yesterdays House
debate on the Overton formula, there
is some philosophical comfort in the
realization that much of the old
vindictiveness and petty bullyragglng
of the people of the Washington COM
munity, so characteristic of many
comparable debates in the past, was
~ absent from the discussion, There
o. was a disposition to discuss the
legislation on its merits. And de-
spite the overwhelming defeat of a
sensible and equitable proposal for
"a bringing some orderly system into
the chaotic method of financing Ma
tional Capital expenses, the Districts
cause was ably presented by an un-
usually large number of spokesmen
4 whose words reflected their sympa-
thetic and intelligent study of the
problem.
In analyzing the reasons for defeat
of the measure, it is not difficult to
conclude that it was due to state
of mind-not to any very convincing
appraisal or understanding of the
basic facts. That state of mind is
reflected by the members whose view
of the problem as whole was wholly
7 overshadowed by their impression of
Washington's crowded hotels and
streets; of Washington's scarcity OF
cheap rental quarters; of the thou
sands of tourists from all parts of
the country who come here to see
their Capital; of the Federal Gov
ernment's increasing pay roll and
as always, of course-of WaShingtons
low tax rate, which, with the
understood full valuation of
property by an assessor responsible
only to Congress, diStortS the con-
ception of Washington's tax burden.
What these members failed or re-
fused to understand was the concep-
ton of the Nations Capital as city
under the exclusive government of
Congress in which it is not repre-
sented; a city whose needs are not
measured by the demands of an
ordinary American municipality but
whose needs reflect the Nations
necessities. They failed to take into
consideration the indiSputable fact
that despite heavy local tax burden,
which has been steadily increasing,
there Is still not sufficient revenue
to accomplish both the necessary
expansion of the Nations City and
It's adequate upkeep. They spoke of
Washington's crowded hotels, but
there was no mention of Washing
tons disgraceful health record, of
its inadequate school facilities, of a
= housing situation which is deplorable,
not because of profteering or selfish
landlords or the desires of local resi-
dents, but because of the tremendous
influx of people of all classes, drawn
to Washington by National Gov
2 ernment that has neglected to make
provision for their accommodation
and which threatens private citizens
who do with confiscatory rent-con-
troll law.
The opponents of the Overton
formula, so disturbed by the fear of
creating dangerous precedent"
did not see that there is, fundamen-
tally, no precedent in the Overton
proposal. All it sought to do was to
provide system by which to measure
the extent of an obligation that Con-
greSs has recognized since the found
ing of the Capital, and the measure
ment was much less generous, to the
District, than the system followed
successfully by Congress for half a
century.
1t was the departure from that
system and the failure by the House
to provide any workable substitute
that created the existing problem,
with which the House refuses to deal
realistically. The defeat of the Over
ton plan, which would make perma-
nent a satisfactory method of divid-
ing the costs, leaves as the only
alternative another temporary in
crease in the lump sum payment.
That is now necessary. 1t is
unfortunate, however, that the
House lost an opportunity to begin
a new chapter in fiscal relations by
deciding in advance to measure
scientifically each year, without
time-wasting wrangling, the extent
of an obligation which Is inescapable
and about which there Is little differ
enne of nnininn