FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, 1889-1891. 1407 
from year to year in which they have no voice to say what that amount 
shall be. I believe that the American people in some previous Con- 
gresses have initiated this measure and desire to have it carried out 
in an economical way; and when I heard the statement of the chair- 
man of the Appropriations Committee, appealing, it seems to me, rather 
to the prejudices of this House, that this was substantially in favor of 
legislation for the men who dodge from taxes in Washington, I can 
only say that his experience is different from mine, and I consider it an 
exaggerated statement. I believe that some of the American people 
have selected the city of Washington on account of its beauty, on 
account of its climate, and on account of the advantages it affords them, 
but that the number of rich men that come here to dodge taxes is so 
insignificant that it is not worthy to be introduced to create a preju- 
dice in the minds of this House. 
I would rather remember this, Mr. Speaker, that the city of Wash- 
ington to-day and in the future is to be the home of great numbers of 
families that should not be burdened with heavy taxes. We should 
endeavor to provide and legislate with the view that these men in the 
Departments, with their families, should have every advantage that it 
is possible to have without a large expenditure of money. If this was 
for the schools of the District, if it concerned the people in a regular 
and a proper appropriation for the municipality, I should then say 
defeat the amendment of the United States Senate; but-if this great 
Government, representing 60,000,000 of people, proposes to extend 
the Smithsonian Museum, let the Government do it. Some gentleman 
the other day in the debate upon this floor stated that his constituency 
had only a small comparative interest in the matter. It is not the 
constituency of any single district in this Union. It represents the 
constituents of the whole, of all of the districts, and when you take 
the aggregate we can well see that the American people have a larger 
interest than a single city like Washington. It is too large and ina 
different form, a different kind of an appropriation from those we 
should make continuing from year to year in a district or city like 
this. It is $78,000 to-day; it may be $100,000 next year. And every 
man who is familiar with this city, without any manufactures to tax, 
knows that it is a place where many of very moderate means locate 
with their families, where numbers of retired officers make their 
homes, and they should not be burdened with heavy taxation, and you 
should not tax this city, with its requirements for new streets, for its 
schools, for developing these institutions that are to educate the 
people of the nation under direction and sole control of the Govern- 
ment of the United States. I hope we shall agree with the Senate. 
[Here the hammer fell. ] 
The Speaker. The time of the gentleman has expired. 
Mr. Cannon. Now, Mr. Speaker, I ask for the previous question, 
