THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The first Government of the District of Columbia consisted of three
Commissioners appointed by the President of the United States. Then 21
mayors served from 1802 to 1871.
A Territorial form of government, consisting of a governor, a board of
public works, and a legislative assembly, was provided for by an act
of Congress of February 21, 1871. The legislative assembly consisted
of 11 members, called a council, and 22 other members, called a
house of delegates. The District also had a Delegate in the House of
Representatives of the United States. The governor and the board of
public works were appointed by the President of the United States,
and the legislative assembly was elected by the people. This form of
government lasted three years, until June 20, 1874, when Congress
provided that the District should be governed by three commissioners,
appointed by the President. This was known as the temporary form of
government and lasted until June 30, 1878.
Thereupon the Congress, by an act approved June 11, 1878, created the
present form of government of the District of Columbia, to become
effective July 1, 1878. By this act the District was created a
municipal corporation with right to sue and be sued.
The act provided for the appointment of three commissioners, two of
them to be selected by the President from persons residing in the
District of Columbia for a period of three years preceding their
appointment. The third member was to be an officer of the Engineer
Corps, United States Army, detailed by the President, and to be
known as the engineer commissioner. The appointments of the civilian
commissioners are for a period of three years, or until their
successors are appointed. The detail of the engineer commissioner is at
the pleasure of the President. This detail is usually about four years.
While the District has a municipal form of government, Congress, by
various statutory enactments, has treated it as a branch of the United
States Government by including it in legislation applying to the
executive departments, such as the budget and accounting act, the act
classifying the salaries of Federal employees, and the act providing
for retirement of Federal employees.
In the act of June 11, 1878, it was provided that the expenses of the
government of the District should be borne 50 per cent by the United
States Government and 50 per cent from the revenues of the District of
Columbia, raised by taxation. This method of financing remained in
force from 1878 until 1920. In that year the proportionate expense was
changed by Congress so that 60 per cent of the expenditures was raised
by taxation and 40 per cent was contributed by the Federal Government.
This provision continued in force until the year 1925, when Congress
determined on a lump-sum contribution of $9,000,000 annually, the
balance of the expenses to be raised by taxation; the amounts of money
appropriated have varied since then.
The heads of the various departments make recommendations to the
commissioner in charge of their respective departments, and each
commissioner brings these recommendations to meetings of the board of
commissioners, which are held on Tuesday and Friday of each week. The
secretary to the board of commissioners records the action on these
recommendations and acts as executive officer of the board by issuing
orders and carrying on correspondence.
Not all of the municipal duties are, however, vested in the board of
commissioners. The management of the public schools is vested in a
school board of nine members appointed by the justices of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia. The Public Library, with its
branches, is managed by a board of trustees appointed by the board of
commissioners. The penal, charitable, and correctional institutions are
managed by a board of public welfare appointed by the commissioners.
The public utilities are under a public-utilities commission,
consisting of two civilians, appointed by the President, and the
engineer commissioner, who is a member ex officio. The public parks
are under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, which
is also in charge of public buildings and grounds. The water supply
is under an Army engineer officer, designated the district engineer,
but the distribution of the water is under the jurisdiction of the
commissioners. The zoning of private property as to height of building,
use of building, area of ground to be built upon, is handled by a
zoning commission, of which the three commissioners are members and, in
addition thereto, the Architect of the Capitol and the Director of the
National Park Service.
The justices of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia and the
judges of the police, municipal, and juvenile courts are appointed by
the President, as is also the recorder of deeds.
The National Capital Park and Planning Commission has been created by
Congress to advise the commissioners as to the planning of the city in
laying out new and changing old highways. This commission purchases
all land for parks and playgrounds. The land so purchased for parks
is placed under the Department of the Interior and the land for
playgrounds under the commissioners.
All expenditures for municipal purposes, including the schools, parks,
water supply, land purchases, etc., are appropriated by Congress
annually, and are based upon estimates submitted by the heads of the
District government and the other officials hereinbefore named.
These estimates are submitted by the Commissioners to the Director of
the Budget, a Federal official, and when approved are submitted by
the President to Congress, together with the estimates of the Federal
Government. Before submitting such estimates the Commissioners fix upon
a tax rate which they believe should not be exceeded. This tax rate is
such that, when applied to the taxable value of real, personal, and
intangible property in the District of Columbia, it will raise the
funds necessary to meet the estimates of the appropriations submitted
to the Director of the Budget. The present rate of taxation for real
and personal property is $1.75 per $100, based on full value. For
intangible personal property, such as money in bank, stocks and bonds,
etc., the rate is $5 per thousand.
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 1938, the assessed value of land
in the District of Columbia was $480,473,718, and of improvements
$713,025,368, a total of $1,193,499,086.
The assessed value of tangible personal property for the same year was
$81,566,107. The value of intangible personal property was $575,472,070.
The budget estimate as submitted by the President to Congress each year
is reviewed by subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees of the
House and Senate, and the total amount of the Appropriation is fixed by
Congress and approved by the President.
Under the provisions of the Constitution, all legislation affecting
the District of Columbia must be passed by Congress. The advice of the
Commissioners is usually sought before such legislation is enacted.
What has been stated is but a brief outline of the government of the
District of Columbia. It can readily be seen that the District has a
dual status as a municipal corporation and as a branch of the Federal
Government. This situation has no parallel in any other city of the
United States. The District is also unique in having no bonded debt.
All of its expenses are borne from current revenues.
The residents of the District of Columbia do not enjoy the privilege
and obligation of suffrage. On the question of whether the people
should be allowed to vote in national elections and in local elections
there is a division of opinion.
[Illustration: ARLINGTON CEMETERY, ARLINGTON MANSION, AND FORT MYER]