Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-28

remarkable policy regarding the So
called surplus revenues of the District has
been outlined by the Senate District COM
mittee. In its report on the House bill to
extend street. which was passed by the
Senate Saturday afternoon. it stated:
1t has been Contended before the COM
mittee That IN Street-openiug cases as in
othef cases. the extension should be shared
by the District Of Columbia and The general
government, and while your committee be-
heVe IN the abstract justice of this Drin-
clpe- still they also believe that it is much
better To eXpend the surplus revenues of
the District in necessary impruvpments
IMAM II ~ To leave that money WINS, idle in
the treasury. Moreover so long as the rat,
81 taxation does not exceed the rate fixed
4" th' organic act the use of the surplus
revenues for any purpose Congress NAV see
M tn appropriate them is no viola ton of
the spirit of that act"
Let the organic act itself be heard on this
score IL provides that the annual esti-
mates Of the District Commissioners shall
be transmitted to Congress through the
Secretary of the Treasury, who shall care
tulIy consider and shall approve disap-
prove or suggest such changes in the same
as h may think the public interest de-
mandS" II then says:
To the extent to which Congress shall
approx IF said estimates Congress shall
Si'f"bfiat" me amount of fifty per Centum
thereof and the remaining fifty per centum
"t such approved estimates shall be levied
and assessed upon the taxable proDerty and
privileges in said District other than the
property OF the United States and the Dis
trict Of Columbia"
In other words. the process is as follows.
Tho Commissioners shall estimate the ex
penditures required for the District and
they shall be submitted to Congress
thTp4Izrb h.. II
has the power to amend them; Congress
shall theE determine the amount to be ex-
pended upon the District and shall there
with appropriate one-haIf of that amount
and the other half shall then be made I'D
out Of the District. through a system of
taxation The rate of that taxation is de-
termined by the organic act in the follow
ing language:
PROVIDED, that the rate of taxation in
any one year shall not exceed one dollar
aud nifty cents on every one hundred dol
lars Of real estate not exempted BY law.
ana on personal property not taxable else
where one dollar and fifty cents on every
hundred dollars, according to the cash val
uation thereof. And provided further
upon real property held and used exclusive
~ for agricultural purposes. without the
limits of the cities of Washington and
Georgetown the rate for any one
year shall not exceed one dollar on every
one hundred dollars"
The theory established by these enact
ments is that the District shall raise as
much money. by tax Of one and one-haIf
per centum on the real and personal prom
erty and of one per centum on tha agricul
tuual land. as may Be necessary to match
the money appropriated by Congress as the
governments half of the Districts annual
budget. Ii this theory were faithfully car
ried into execution there could be no s,1r
plus Of District revenues Only enough
money would be raised annually from the
local sources TO meet the appropriations
But Congress puts the cart before the
horse, raises the District taxes without ref