Evening star., 1955-03-12
Heart Of a LocoI Matter

hedrt OF d locoI Natter
have followed with great interest
the debate in the columns Of The Star
between advocates of home rule and
your editorials regarding the conflict Of
interest between local and Federal in
terests In the control of the District
government. No one has. In my opinion.
come close to the real heart Of the mat
ter-the contribution Of the Federal
Government to the District budget.
The past collisions" between the last
elected District government and Con-
gress were due entirely to the unchecked
expenditures of the Board of Public
Works between 1872 and 1874. Alexan.
der Shepherd, the moving power behind
the board, later appointed Governor Of
the District by President Grant, had
attempted to carry out improvements
to the city in period of two years,
which should have been spread over q
far longer period in view of the Dis
trict's limited resources. AS a direct
consequence, Congress was forced to
step in and assume more direct control
OF District affairs. It should be remem-
bered in this connection that the Legis-
lative Council of the Territorial Gov
ernment consisted entirely of Republic
cans favorable to Shepherds plans, ap-
pointed by President Grant. Thus the
system of checks and balances provided
for under the Territorial Act of 1871
were rendered ineffective from the out
set. The larger property owners of the
District, who had the largest special
assessments to pay, were unanimously
opposed to Shepherd, but powerless to
stop him, having failed to do so by
court injunction and in the special elec-
ton which followed in 1872. They be-
came accordingly opposed thenceforth
to an elected form of government for
the District.
When the Organic Act Of 1878 was
passed, setting up the commission form
of government for the District on a
permanent basis, these same property
interests were successful in incorporat-
ing into it provision under which the
so per cent of the District budget This
provision, which remained in force until
1924, when the Federal contribution
was changed to a fixed amount. was Of
inestimable value to the development
of the District and it enabled taxation
to be kept at low level for many years.
The collisions" to which The Star
refers have become far more serious
within the past 80 years, when congress
sional appropriations to the District
budget have gradually been shrinking
to the point where they now amount
to less than 10 per cent Of the total.
The problem has been especially acute
in the case of the public schools, owing
to the fact that the District has been
unable to float bond issues for school
construction ever since the financial
debacle of 1874.
In my opinion neither home rule nor
national representation can become
completely effective until similar pro-
vision to that of the 1878 Organic Act
such a provision there will always be
an annual crisis in District financial
affairs, and individual members of the
Senate and House District Committees
will continue to blackmail District off,
cials by threatening to cut off funds
unless their own particular desires or
prejudices have been appeased. Since
the Federal Government continues to
own more than so per cent of the tax
able land in the District, it seems
eminently fair and reasonable that it
should contribute more than 10 per
cent to the annual District budget.
Such.a provision, made on fixed-per-
centage basis, should be made a major
feature of the home rule bill now pend
ing in Congress.
James III. Whyte.
Editors note: One defect in the
pending home rule bill is its failure
to include any provision relating to
the fiscal relationship between the
District, under home rule, and the
Federal Government.)