1372 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 
expenses of the District of Columbia. It was a tremendous enlarge- 
ment in the matter of expenditures for the District. Subsequently, 
Congress finding the District of Columbia in debt to the extent of 
about $26,000,000, agreed, in addition to paying half of the current 
expenses, to assume one-half of that indebtedness of $26,000,000. 
Since that time scheme after scheme has been brought forward; 
improvement after improvement has been presented for the benefit of 
the Federal capital, and whenever any such special scheme has been 
presented there has always been an effort on the part of the District to 
escape its proper burden of taxation, and to put that burden on the 
Federal Treasury. This has not occurred in isolated instances. It is 
the spirit that animates this capital. Wherever the people here can 
relieve themselves from the part of the burden which naturally belongs 
to the locality by appealing to a patriotic sentiment, they attempt to 
transfer that burden to the residue of the country. 
This is the situation to-day. While other cities are paying for their 
zoological parks, there is an effort to build one here under Govern- 
ment patronage, and charge the expenses to the Federal Treasury, 
without apportioning to the people of this District, to whom the great 
benefit is to come, their due share of the expense. 
There is no danger, Mr. Speaker, that the Federal Government 
will not give to this capital all the recognition that it is entitled to. 
The tendency is all in that direction. This community is blessed 
beyond any other in the United States. The sums of money expended 
in this capital, according to the population, per capita, would perhaps 
not be tolerated in any other city. The very fact that only one-half of 
these expenditures is charged to the citizens here is an inducement to 
them to be continually urging various objects of improvement and 
expenditure. 
For one, sir, while I have, I trust, a due regard for the improve- 
ment of the capital, and while I participate in that pride which every 
American citizen feels in regarding this as perhaps the most beautiful 
city in the country, comparing possibly with any other in the world, 
I have other sentiments besides those. There are people outside of 
the District; there are interests away from this District. There are 
matters of taste to be considered here; but there are necessities out- 
side. The great agricultural sections of this country are to-day agi- 
tated by straitened financial conditions. The cloud of despondency 
hangs over them. Their organization indicates to us that there is 
distress and a purpose for relief. We may ignore it; we may close 
our eyes to it; in considering questions of taste and extravagant 
expenditure at the Federal capital we may overlook those necessities. 
But, sir, for one I am not willing that this continued expenditure of 
Federal treasure, by reason of influences which ought not to dominate 
as they do, shall go on without my protest. 
