Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-14

any Individual connected with the Of
nee. but simply to THE STAR, or to
the Editorial or Business Department,
according to tenor or purpose.
The peculiar brand Of statesmanship
which recognizes no difference between the
relations Of the republic to its capital and
the relation of the United States to Sque-
dunk Mo-, was on tap In Congress on Mon
day National contribution toward the
municipal expenditures of the capital Ii the
rule among the civilized nations of the
world. Contributors to The Star have
pointed out how such contributions have
been made in Berlin, London, Paris, Vienna.
st. Petersburg. and for long time Rome.
These contributions are first in lieu Of
taxes, reimbursing the municipality for ex-
penses incurred in connection with national
property for which other property-owners
Of the city are directly taxed. Most munic-
ipal expenditures. such as those for police
and fire departments, for paving and i'm
proving. for supplying water, sewers. etc..
have direct reference to property, and the
property thus protected and benefited justly
pays therefor no matter who owns 1t.
Otherwise the government. which Is steadily
increasing its holdings for public purposes
In Washington. and thereby reducing the
taxable area. would impose constantly in
creasing load Of taxation upon constantly
decreasing body Of taxpayers. with the re-
suit, II we might imagine the carrying of
the process to its logical extreme, Of COM
pelling a single individual taxpayer to sus-
tain until his back breaks the burden of
supporting a great capital city, owned by a
government which exempts itself from all
financial responsibility in connection with
its property.
National contributions to a capitals sup
port are not, however. based solely on the
theory Of equitable indirect taxation. 1t
often happens that municipal development
and the corresponding municipal expendi-
lures are on a grander plan and scale in
the case of a capital, simply because it is
the capital, and because national pride and
national affection demand a conspicuous
difference between the progress and ap-
pearance Of a self-supporting, self-develop-
ing city and the city which has the honor
to be the nation in miniature. In this
case the nation justly shares the extraordi-
nary expenses which il imposes upon the
capital. such. In all the European capt.
tails national expenditures have been made
which are justified upon this basis alone.
But in the case of no other city in the
world has a nation so committed itself in
equity to the maintenance of its capital as
In the case of the creation of Washington
by this republic. 1t was founded as the ma
TONS city. Power of exclusive legislation
over 1t was reserved to the nation by the
Constitution Actual ownership of a greater
part Of its area was secured by the nation.
In connection with the gift to it of nearly
three-fourths of the soil of Washington, in
order to sell lots carved from this gift, the
nation promised that Washington should
be the permanent seat of government. and
pretended that this permanent capital would
be Improved at national expense without
regard to the scanty population that would
be at first attracted to it. The nation
planned magnificent city upon the prop
erty which it owned by gift and in the ter
ritory over which it had power of exclusive
legislation. The plan contemplated an area
of streets, avenues and reservations ridicu-
ious in the case of self-supporting COM
mercial city, but entirely suitable for the
rational city of the great republic to be
developed at the nations expense in graft
fication of national affection and national
pride. Having secured this magnificent
donation and pocketed the proceeds from
the sale of lots the nation failed until 1878
to meet its promises. In that year it re-
turned halfway to the original and ap-
propriate idea of the federal city. This
guardian, who, for three-fourths of a CEN
out making the slightest restitution for the
wrongs OF the past shares the expenses of
the ward whom he bound himself in the
beginning to support-and Squedunk calls
II charity, and an outrage upon tax-paying
SquedunkiansI
The Feople of Washir gton are not at any
disadvantage when compared with the peo-
pie OF Squedunk. They have risked life and
sned oiooc in every national war. They
furnished the first volunteers and supplied
more troops in excess of their quota in the
civil struggle than any state except one
They have paid their proportion of every
national tax, direct and indirect. They have
contributed in proportion to population far
more than any other American community
Tor national purposes. They gave to the
nation hve-sevenths of the soil of Wash
inston, an acquisition pronounced by JEFF
ferson really noble" They thus supplied
the fund from which most of the original
public buildings were erected. Nearly all
the work Of street improvement and capital
making. which was done for three-fourths
or century, was done by them. From 1870
TO 1878, according to the report of a Sec
Rotary Of the Treasury, they expended S14-
100000 more than the United States In this
the nations task, in addition to So Co., 600
spent on local government, schools and for
other municipal purposes
They now pay $50 per 500 taxation on
everything that they own, the assessment
being outrageously high, far beyond the
rate In other cities. in many cases more
than the property will now bring
In lieu of taxation upon its property at
the capital which the municipality protects
and benefits in many ways. in recognition
OF the implied contract and obligation on
the nations part which arises from the
circumstances and conditions of the city's
creation. and in qualification of the pride
which is now felt by the nation in its beau
uful capital upon the Potomac the nation
WILL Of course. maintain unalterably its
fostering relation toward Washington
squedunk to the contrary, notwithstanding.
From a source known to but few the
American University. which is to be such a
conspicuous feature in the Washington of
ten years hence, has received a gift of
NooVoo This pleasing fact was made pub
nc at meeting of the university's trustees
held yesterday afternoon and IL added mn.