Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-06

Scrt Tor the simple reason tnaC Sucn d
body can in the nature of things, very
rarely have any capital Of its own. Our
national government was born In poverty.
At every emergency in its history it has
had to borrow money. We owe our exist
ence today to the war bonds. And SO with
our city. When has the city of Washing
ton ever had money capital? We owe the
difference between the Washington Of 1850
and the Washington of 1898 to borrowed
money. It seems to futile to discuss
this question you have broadly put it.
Present Debt Considered.
2. You say that we owe too large debt
now. In reply to this assertion, we quote
again from the very able report of the Dis
trict committee: 1.-The per capita indebted
ness of a municipality, however, while 1t
may be interesting. affords in itself a very
unsafe basis of estimate of the burden Of
debt, or the ability Of the municipality to
meet it's obligations. The per capita Of true
and assessed valuations of real and per-
sonal property, upon which the burden of
taxation must rest, is a safer and more re-
liable test of the debt-paying power Of a
state or city. Bulletin l92 Census
office) shows that the assessed valuation
per capita Of property in the District is not
only nearly three times that of Virginia,
but that 1t is larger than that of any state
in the Union, except New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Montana and
California. A still better and the most re-
liable test that can be made of the burden
or the DEBT OF virginia ana the DlStrlct OIL
Columbia upon their respective inhabitants
and property holders is shown by compar-
ing their true valuation of real estate with
their respective debts. The total debts of
Virginia, the combined debt, and the Dis
trict are stated in Bulletin No. 176 at $780,
S37,315 and $40, ISL $50, respectively. or
0.106 per cent and 0.064 per cent of their
respective true real-estate valuations. The
Indebtedness of Virginia is thus shown to
be nearly double as burdensome as that of
the District-that is to say, it will require
nearly twice the length Of time in which
to pay it, or it must pay nearly twice tho
rate per year on it's valuation But the
present debt of the District of Columbia is
but $1S.2O0,0O0, about $5,OO0,000 less than it
ness $40 per capita during the last fourteen
years. and yet has enjoyed, during that
period the greatest prosperity of its en-
tire history. These figures would seem to
District to sustain the increased indebted
ness contemplated by this bill, without
feeling the additional burden. But the
burden will not be felt for a more import
ant reason-that no increase in the rate Of
taxation will be necessary, the amount
required each year for the sinking fund
the Commissioners estimate at consider
ably less than 100000, which is safely
within present surplus revenues. More
over, the organic law absolutely prohibits
increasing the rate of taxation"
Some Erroneous Statements.
3. You say that "there is today scarcely
a serviceable foot of pavement, sewer or
water main in existence which was pro-
cured with the money the (eXisting) debt
represents" Even We're you accurate in
this assertion, you would only urge an
argument in favor of the doing of better
work in the making of future improve
ments. But in reality your statement is
inadequate and misleading We today en-
joy the full benefit of the permanent feat
ureS of that great plan of improvement
w changed SlinytOn m
to the beautiful metropolitan capital Of
1895 The grading of the streets "a source
OF large expenditures, the parking, the
tree planting-all of these we enjoy now in
full measure. The Slash run and the Tiber
creek and other great trunk sewers are in
efficient use today. While our concrete
pavements need resurfacing from time to
time, their sub-struct'lre remains. The
large water mains are serviceable as
ever. In fact, your statement is only
curate when applied to the wooden pave
ments, originally too freely used for they
were in the eXperiPental stage only, and
to the tile-pipe sewers laid without cement
(and thus admitting tree-roots through the
jcints), put down at 4 time when the cor
rect method Of laying them had not been
discovered. The general result of the i'm
provements for which the debt was in
Cured has been to convert a small and un-
known city into one most beautiful and
famous. This alone would have justified
the debt as it has practically created the
fame, wealth and population of the District
urge these minor failures reasons why
we should stand still or revert to the mu-
nicipal policy In favor before the war.
4. You next object to the bond bill be-
cause fifty years interest at the rate of 3
per cent per annum upon s7,5OO.O00 will
amount to large sum. While this is a
fact, it Is not an argument. We all make
our daily necessary expenditures with a
free mind, nor are disturbed by the
arithmetical computations Of those who
show us how much the price of the daily
considerations than these fix the rate Of
interest on money, and no business man Is
disturbed by the knowledge that he pays
6 per cent annually on borrowed money by
the use of which he makes ten per cent.
We shall not have to pay fifty years in
terest in one year. We shall have all Of
fifty years in which to pay back principal
and interest. If we get an adequate con-
sderation each year for the payment which
we make that year, then we shall be on
sound basis even from commercial point
of view. But when that consideration is
expressed not merely in dollars and cents,
but also in increased health and vitality,
then must admit that not merely the
expediency but the duty Of the main ex-
penditure has been established.
Immediate Need of Funds.
3. You next declare that the sale Of
bonds is unnecessary, because our annual
surplus of revenue will enable us to there
with pay in cash for these needed public
Improvements. Upon this point we ask
you to consider what we have already
quoted from the District committee and
the mayor of Philadelphia, as to the in
justice of charging the whole expense of a
great permanent public improvement upon
those only who are citizens now, while
generations yet unborn will enjoy the bene
fetal results OF that Improvement, at least
in an equal degree with, and probably to
a greater extent than. the men Of today.
Individuals deal in their private transac-
lions with matters affecting their own
adult lives. But municipality should pro-
vide IN every department Of public i'm
provement, which is at all permanent in
it's nature, for at least half century in
advance. No street, sewer, or water sys-
tenn is an affair of the present only. Such
needs are too crushing in their magnitude
to rest for their qualification upon the
narrow shoulders of one generation of men.
Even were our present revenue sufficient
for the purpose, it would be unjust to
charge this whole burden upon us. But
our revenue is not sufficient for the pur-
pose. AS has been shown, this comprehen-
sive system of improvements must be ex-
ecuted as a whole and not IN piecemeal.
We must at the outset have this whole
sum of $780, 900. Even were 1t practicable
to carry out this plan bit by bit, your sug-
IN he of SnpDly