Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-20
QUESTION @ TAXES
Injustice Of Congress 1S5xard Citizens,
Of the district.
[ - Ia,
I'll
TEE Case STATED ). AT LENGTH
u o.
Mr.. B|ankman's Views Against
Street txteusion Plans.
POWERS OF CONGRESS
POWERS OF CONGRESS

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
The history of taxation imposed by Con-
gress upon the private owners of real prop
erty in the District of Columbia from its
organization to the present time presents to
the careful student of past events one of
the saddest and most lamentable chapters
of oppressive and unjust taxation to be
found recorded in the annals of constitu-
tional government.
Statement of the Case.e
More than one hundred years ago the
people of the United States realized, as
other nations had done before them. that
they must have a permanent seat of gov
eminent. with the necessary public build
ings, streets, avenues and other instrument
talities, in order to transact the necessary
affairs of the nation.
A provision of the federal Constitution
was therefore adopted giving to Congress
the right to acquire by cession from the
tract Of territory not exceeding ten miles
square. No money was appropriated by
Congress for the purchase of the lands
within this area, and Congress or the gen.
eral government therefore merely acquired
not property, but exclusive jurisdiction or
sovereignty within the limits thereof; that
Is to say, the exclusive right to make laws
for and govern the same within the limits
anu powers allowed OF given Dy the Con-
stitution of the United States to the ex-
clusion of jurisdiction of any state or terri
tory of the United States. The territory
now known as the District of Columbia
was therefore coded to the general govern
ment by the states of Maryland and Vir-
GINA, but the land from high-water mark
on the Virginia side of the Potomac was
subsequently receded to the state. of vir-
ginia.
Gift of the People.
When the general government acquired
the District of Columbia occurred a spec
tacle never before known in the history
Of governments, namely, the individual
owners of the land upon which the national
capital was to be located gave to the gen.
eral government free of cost all the lands
required for Streets avenues, alleys and
also every alternate lot in the various
squares into which the city was subdivided
These alternate lots were sold for cash by
the general government to purchasers from
time to time and the proceeds thereof paid
into the treasury of the United States as
the money of the United States, and
amounting to many millions of dollars, a
very large part Of which was used by the
United States to pay for the erection of the
government buildings IN the city of Wash
ington. Notwithstanding the facts above
stated, from the organization of the city
of Washington down to the passage of the
act of Congress Of June a., 1879 a period
of seventy-nine years. almost the entire
cost of Improving the streets. avenues and
public roads of the District of Columbia
and the cost of maintaining the police
force and other incidental expenses of mll-
nicipal and county affairs in the city and
county of Washington were paid from the
taxes levied upon the real property of pri-
vate individual property owners in the city
and county of Washington, and not from
the funds of the general government of
the United States. II
But for the generous acts Of these private
owners hV
GUS private individuals of numerous private
dwellings for the. use of. government en-
ployes. it would have been impossible for
the government to have carried on the af-
fairs of the nation at the national capital.
In other words. the general government
paid scarcely any of the municipal ex-
penses incident to it's own existence at the
nations capital city, Notwithstanding the
millions Of money 1t had received directly
and indirectly from the generous owners of
land upon which its capital was located
and its public buildings erected. :. =
Unjust Taxation. 4
How unjust, oppressive and cruel has
been the taxation imposed upon the in
dividual real property owners of the Dis
trict Of Columbia by Congress will appear
from the following statement of facts,
which I hereby call upon any reader of
this article to refute If he can, viz: Re
move from any one or more lots in the
city Of Washington the buildings thereon
and there would not then be in that city
twenty-five vacant lots which would sell
for an amount equal to the amount Of gen.
eral and special taxes with the interest
and penalties which have been imposed
upon said lot or lots for the last thirty
hve years. In the year 1883 there were
not twenty-five vacant lots in the city To-
Gated upon improved streets and avenues
which would sell for an amount equal to
the previous fifteen years of special and
general taxes with interest and penalties
assessed against said property. There ar,
now numerous lots in the city, improved
and lnimproved, the taxes upon which
have not been collected by the District Of
Columbia for many years past because the
property thus taxed would not sell for the
amount of taxes, interest and penalties
assessed against it. 1t is not necessary in
this article to go into details Of amounts
and dates of taxes imposed upon the prop
erty owners of the District of Columbia.
Suffice to say that instead of Congress
making appropriations from the national
treasury to defray expenses incident to
providing pace for the national govern
ment to conduct the affairs of the nation,
Congress has imposed upon the private
property oNn erS of the District of Column
bia in from fifteen TO thirty-five years a
burden of taxation amounting to more
than the value Of all the lots of land with
In the city of Washington. That is to say,
Congress he's practically in that space of
time confiscated ali the lands of private
owners in the-city of Washington for the
purpose of defrayipg the expenses incident
to providing the general government with
a place of business wherein to conduct the
nations affairs.
Yet, in the face of these facts, and be-
cause the people of this District have been,
and still are, without representation in
Congress. possessing no voice in their own
government and affairs, and reduced by
operation of law to the condition of polit-
ical nonentities. there are always those in
Congress ready and willing to brand the
people of the Districtaef Cpaumbia as pau
pers, feeding on the national treasury
Having in the past conYiscafed by taxation
the property of the individuals, as above
shown. and now after such property has In
consequence Of said oppressive taxation
mostly passed into the POSSESSION and own
ership of newcomers TO the, national capt.
tai. Congress has enactedaa new measure
of taxation worse than all Others and this
measure has received theAGonfirmatio ton: of
the Supreme Court oFIthe United STAGES.
refer to the case reEgntII, decided in the
Supreme Court of the United Stataes ana
known as the street extension cases.
Street ExtedSion Plans.
1t is my belief. afteff CAREFUL calculation,
that II that plan is carried out the cost Of
opening, grading, sews4fng and paving the
new streets and avenues And the s,,bsa