Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-09
CONGRESS AND THE DISTRICT.
Unjust Treatment OF the Capital City BY
Legislators

Il
Legislators
WRONG rMPRHssIoys OF THE CONVENIENT
| DuTY-IScRKAsIyo BURDENS OF A PEoPL
WITHOUT VOICE IN THE CONTROL OF THEIR ow
AfTAIRs-A VIEW OF THE CASE FROM An oU1
SIDE STANDPOINT.
Warrington Correspondents Phila Press, March O.
In the debate on the District of Coumbl
appropriation bill this week some OF the ne'
members Of the House, such as Mr. De Al
mond, Q democrat from Missouri, and III
Otis, an alliance member from Kansas, gave al
illustration Of the ignorance that prevails Il
the country generally as to the attitude OF tn
government toward the people of this District
1t 10 the common belief that the people OF tn
District Of Columbia have their taxes paid 10
them by the government, or, in other WORDS
that the people Of this District do not bear
fair proportion of the cost Of their own gov
| eminent Coming here from rural districts Of
| from western and southern cities which are De
void Of good pavements and enjoying the al
vantages Of the smooth asphalt payements O.
| the capital, the new member IL inclined u
think that the people Of this city are nnduil!
favored, and thatit all comes out OF the Cniteo
| States treasury. Even an old member ike MI
| Dockery justified the cutting down o. the ap'
| preparations for the streets on the ground thai
in this city they are in a much better condition
| than those Of western and southern cities.
There never was q greater mistake than &c
| assume that the people OF Washington are
unduly favored in the matter Of taxation
because the city il the seat OF government II
should not be forgotten that the people OF this
District are absolutely DISTINGUISHED. They
have no voice whatever in the government OF
their own city, nor in that OF the United States.
That this is not right is indisputable. Every
body will agree that there ought to be some
great compromising advantages for being de-
prived in this way from participating IN the
government of the country, as even aliens. who
have only resided six months within its borders,
are allowed 10 do in many states But there
are no such compromising advantages The
government does not pay penny more tnan
its fair share Of taxes, while 1t refuses the
people many improvements that they ought to
have and has loaded them down with many
unjust burdens
WHAT THE PEOPLE GAVE.
That the Nation has saved q large sum OF
money from having located its capital in this
District il easily shown. The citizens donated
to the United States in the very beginning
fve-sevenths of all the land in the city OF WASH
ington-for streets and avenues alone 81 per
cent OF the entire area was given. One-hau OF
all the lots in the city were given to the gov
eminent, in addition, with the understanding
that they were to be sold from time to time and
the proceeds used to assist in the erection OF
public buildings and for other Improvements.
In addition, the government took SAL acres for
reservations, for public building sites and
parks, which land was paid for out OF the pro-
ceeds Of the lots donated by the citizens to the
government SO that, as a matter OF fact, the
very ground on which the Capitol and White
House stand never cost the United States gov
eminent 1 cent. Up to 1878, as shown by re-
port Of the Secretary Of the Treasury. the
United States had expended, aside from the
public buildings, for its own use less than
&c, 600 600 for city improvements, while the
citizens had expended, by means Of taxation,
go DOC, OCO for the same purpose and S25, 0OO,
600 for local government schools, DC.
THE STATES FARED BETTER
The general government has given to the
states sS5, oO0. 600 surplus cash from the treas
ury, and $50, OO0, 900 acres of public lands fol
schools. agricultural colleges and other inter.
nal improvements, but il has never given to the
District Of Columbia q dollar Of money nor ar
acre OF land for similar purposes Even in the
last Congress, when . law was passed securing
to each state and territory $4,000 year fol
she more complete endowment and mainte
nance Of colleges, for the benefit Of agricultural
and mechanic arts, not one dollar was given
to the District Of Columbia for a similar pur.
pose. Having provided literally toward
aiding the school funds in the states
Congress absolutely refuses, or the House has
this week. to allow the people Of this District
to provide schools for all the children who de-
sire to attend them. Two or three years ago il
was shown that there were Il, 900 more children
In the District Of school age than there were
seats in the public schools. There were last
year over 81. 600 children Of school age in the
District and only $1,000 in attendance on the
schoola There 10 q law compelling parents to
send their children to school, but It is not en-.
forced for the lack of accommodation, and vet
q democratic House has actually cut down the
appropriations for the schools nearly 800, OOO
and then members get up and assert that the
city IL unduly favored by the government!
TIE DISTRICTS BONDED DEBT.
The general impression that prevails in the
country that the people Of this city do not pay
their fair share of taxes grows out of the fact
that one-haK Of tho cost Of the city govern.
ment, or rather the expenditure Of the District
is paid out Of the United States treasury. But
the public does not understand that a large
proportion Of this expenditure is for purposes
FOR which the people of the District get no re-
turn whatever and had no power to prevent
The bonded debt of the District is nearly $40,
900, 900. This is sS3 per capita. almost sever
times asmuch as the per capita debt of the STATE
Of Virginia, which the people OF that state have
partially repudated because they assert that it il
80 excessive that they cannot pay it. The
census shows that the combined state, county
municipal and school debts OF the states snd
territories is only SIS per CAPITA or little more
than one-ffth the per capita debt of this city
The interest and sinking fund Of this debt
which comes out Of the people OF the District
amounts to o. ,2l3. s47 per snnum.
CONGRESS swINDLEs THE PEOPLE.
This is the sort Of management that Congress
imposes on the people of this city. 1t refuses
them any voice in the management Of its owl
affairs or any voice in the management Of tn,
national government. 1t denies them any schoo
fund, such as that provided in every other ter
| ritory and state, it imposes on them an annua
tax Of 81, 2l3, 947 as interest and sinking FUND
for q debt which they had practically no yoic,
in contracting and for which they received YER,
| little return; 1t gives away valuable city fran
| chises and gives the city nothing in return; i
compels the people to pay more for gas, cleo
trio light and other such privileges, by putin,
them at the mercy OF corporations, than is paiC
| in other cities OF the country. For instance
the city itself pays by congressional imposi.io,
| s182.50 year for. each electric light
whereas New England cities are get
ting the same service for so and eco o year
Congress swindles the people by such means a.
that OF the fraudulent aqueduct and impose
| many other unjust burdens on them, which
adds enormonsly to tho cost Of living, and the,
Simpson, Otis, lie Almond and other such in
dividuals get up in Congress and assert tina
1 the people Of the United States are taxed 10
the benefit of the people Of the District and
democratic House refuses to allow the peopl
| the right 70 expend the necessary sums Tor tn
| improvement o. the streets or for sewers O
| even to provide accommodations for the chill
dren In the primary schools, simply becaus
| the government, as the largest property owner