Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-11
Broken Promise-So Soon?'


public works program and its financing has
been evident from the start. It lies in the i'm
possibility of committing Congress to an unal-
terable program in financing the needs of this
Capital City. For no matter what the commit
ments might be in the legislation authorizing
such a program, the decision whether to meet
these commitments or to repudiate them
has always been left to the House Appropria
tons Committee.
Now, in the first test of good faith with the
taxpaying residents of Washington, that defect
has revealed ITSELF The Appropriations Com
mittee has welShed on the implicit agreements
written into legislation to finance the program.
The committee has cut the lump-Sum payment
81 million under the authorized $40 million.
It has based this action on en erroneous compu-
tation of available revenues, resulting in
completely misleading picture of the Districts
financial situation.
The error itself is not as serious as the
Implications of committee action. The error is
serious only because it is made in what seems
to be an attempt to rationalize broken pledge.
The error could be quickly repaired. But II the
House follows the policy Of its Appropriations
Committee, and votes to reduce by 81 million
the authorized lump-Sum payment, the carefully
prepared public works program is hardly worth
the paper it is written on.
This program represents lot of hard work,
extending over the past two years. 1t was
originally prepared by a committee of citizens,
reviewed time and again by the Commissioners
and the Budget Bureau before submission to
Congress with the Presidents complete ap-
prevail. It successfully underwent the word
by-word scrutiny of two committees OF Con-
gress. It was approved without a serious dissent
in House and Senate. At each stage of the
preliminary proceedings, the local taxpayers
share of the expense was increased. But the
increases in the local tax burden were accepted
with a minimum of protest from citizens just
as the higher Federal commitments were &C
cepted without opposition in Congress- because
the need, in fact the necessity, for this program
was so generally recognized. The concept and
the eventual approval Of the program were the
results of joint effort by the community and
the exclusively controlling Federal Government
to draft a workable plan to finance pressing
needs which, If they remained unmet. would
mean the deterioration of the Capital City.
1t is true that, under the law, if the full
$50 million is not appropriated in one year it
may be increased in subsequent years by the
amount previously disallowed. Next year the
Commissioners could ask $24 million, instead
of 500 million But it is unrealiStic to believe
that such restitution will succeed. This 81
million cut in the lump Sum-in this very first
year of its authorization-in effect scraps
basic premise of the public works program It
leaves the District charged with $l5-mllnon
local tax increase this year, with taxpayers put
on notice that they, and not the Federal Gov
eminent, will eventually have to make up the
a. million cut from the Federal Governments
Just share.
It is to be hoped that the House will refuse
In sanction what amounts to breach OF
promise-and before the ink is hardly dry on
what seemed to be, when it was written, a tirm
agreement entered into in good faith by both
parties.