Evening star., 1952-04-10
Corrupt and Dishonest

The House this year approved an appropria-
tion bill for the District of Columbia that pro-
duceS no real economy But unless it is cor
rected in the Senate, where hearings begin on
the bill today, it will produce considerable
hardship.
1t will cause an unprecedented and whole
sale discharge of municipal employees It will
impair the public services of practically every
department of local government. Among the
chief victims will be children-school children,
and those helpless wards of the community who
even now are housed in Squalid quarters that
in comparison make of the District jail a COM
modious mansion. Public welfare, public health,
public protection, public works-an will suffer.
Most of the reductions made by the House
were without point. Money cut from the budget
will reflect no savings to the local taxpayer,
for there is no compensatory tax reduction.
The money saved" will go into surplus of local
revenue that benefits nobody
But in spite of this surplus, another stiff
tax increase is threatened by the House reduc-
ton to $96 million of the Federal payment
Five years ago a joint committee of Congress-
after a month of hearings and LOO pages of
testimony concluded that this payment should
not 60 below $12 million, which in that year
amounted to 1851 per cent. The lump sum has
now been cut to 7.6 per cent of the general fund
in more than 10 years.
During the brief debate in the House which
preceded formal ratification of these reductions,
Representative Furcolo of Massachusetts,, men,
Der of the House Appropriations Committee,
made speech. He was right in what he had
to say and here is what he said
"I think all of us want to try to achieve
whatever economy we can. In most cases there
Is only one issue. The issue is: Is this going to
save money? There is not any collateral or
other issue involved. -&
But I do not believe that is the situation
on this particular amendment (the amendment
to reduce the lump sum-. It seems to me that
there are two things we have to consider. :.
There is the issue of honor and principle here.
"In the District of Columbia the Federal
Government has used in water in the past fiscal
year over $1,237,0OO. That is the bill that is
owed by the Federal Government to the District
of Columbia and nobody questions it. That is
admitted.
"But does the Federal Government pay it?
No; we do not. Sitting in this Congress we
say we going to pay ST million and that
is all. That is the attitude of the Government
of the United States. And there is nothing the
District can do about it.
"In this body we say to the District of Co.
lumbia: we are going to take your water, We
owe you over a million dollars for it but
are going to pay you only million dollars, and
we are going to cheat you out of 100000
"By the law of Congress we have told the
United States Government to take that atti-
tude There has been some talk of what
the District of Columbia wants or does not want.
Whether the District of Columbia wants it or
not, when the Government of the United States
makes use of certain property of this District,
takes it's water and it's land, we have duty to
pay for it, whether they want to receive the
money or not.
"It does not make any difference what the
District tax rate may be, whether it be high
or low It does not matter if the District be
rich or poor 1t does not matter whether the
District needs it or not. 1t is what We owe. If
you owe money to a poor man or rich man,
the question of whether you pay it is whether
YOU owe it, . The only thing that matters Is
that we owe it and we should pay it, even If
we have the power to cheat the District out of it,
1--WE talk great deal about corruption in
Government, but basically the reason for cor
ruption in Government goes right to this issue
here If we do not pay the District a fair and
lust sum for the water, the property the serv-
ices and so on that we take from the District
then the Government itself is corrupt and dis
honest"