Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-04
De Armond Hits the Nail on
the Head.
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT
The True Remedy for the Evils OF
Our Present OIigarchy, in Which
Imported Satraps Rule the ROOst
land Squander the Money Of the
A PeOple-The Personal Tax a Fraud
and Snare.

In the debates in the House over the Dis.
trict of Columbia appropriation bill Mr.. De
Almond mentioned Hon. Champ Clark's bill
to create popular form Of government for
the District, designating II as "a bill to
pass from an empire to a republic"
There was no prospect that this bill
would become law, Mr. De Almond adj
nitted. There was objection to it in Con
gress and objection to it among the people
of the District He thought a remedy for
existing ills might be found in local self
government. There were several objec.
tions, but they came down to one-that the
poor whites and the negroes would rule the
town. taxation would be excessive and
property thus conhscated. 'I do not know
why people here should be protected from
inability to govern themselves any more
than the rest of the people Of the country"
said he. I'VE cannot do business on the
theory that only. the wealthy are fit to gov
ern"
This sentence hits the nail on the head
and it Is because of this SEM lment in the
District, that the wealthy arr alone fit to
rule, we are. indebted for the Macfarlands,
Boyntons sf. aL who go up and down the
by ways and lecture platforms expatiating
on and eulogizing the present form of gov.
ernment Of this disfranchised section of
the Imperialistic,Rep
The personal tax fraud is the remedy
fallen back on despite the exper-
fence of every community, city and
state where it is in effect. The rich do not
pay it Notwithstanding that it apparently
concerns them exclusively. And when we
say the rich we refer to the bond holders,
-.
talists and nabobs who ride in their car
riages and live in the modern palaces along
our aristocratic avenues. The merchants
who employ large numbersof people, the
struggling trader and the modest house
holder pay the personal tax in the cities
where it is enforced.
The banker hides his money, the stock
Broker his wealth and the bond holder his
bonds when the assessor makes his annual
visit, and the nabob in the aristocratic
palace cheapens his pictures, his horses, his
carriages, his plate and his jewelry, so that
an oil painting by the masters is re-.
turned at chrome valuation, the blooded
horses with pedigrees as long as the Prince
of Wales at the cost price of veteran hack
horse and the diamonds, plate, iewelrv,
pianos, etc, at the lump sum for which one
ing glass; The assessor, too, Is usually of
that class who knows as little Of the value
Of a rich mans belongings and luxurious
surroundings or how to properly value them
as an organ grinder does of astronomy
The merchant whose goods can be seen
and approximately estimated the dry
goods and the wet goods emporiums, the
shoe store, the tailor shop, the average
ftfn rn1 "a or
the tax on personal property in the cities
where it is enforced aud the very rich
escape with ridiculous assessment.
II Congress restores to this District its
inherent rights of self or local government
it will solve the problem which annually
confronts it of an equitable division of the
cost between the Government aud the Dis
trict of the expenses and outlays for i'm
provements, sewers, etc. Tax on real
property will be levied so as not to conhscate
the poor mans little home aud exempt the
Connecticut and Massachusetts, avenue mil
lionaire's palace.
The people can hold their servants to
strict accountability and the enormous
waste and expenditure under imported
satraps of the Macfarland si al type
of rulers will cease. The money squandered
and mis-spent by the District Commis-
siOners if properly applied, as it would be
by elective officials responsible to the citi
zens who placed them in Office, would of
itself be sufficient to almost pay all the ex-
penses Of local self government and carry
out the improvements which all good citi-
zens desire aud have at heart.
The ring which has the capital Of the
nation by the throat is almost too powerful
and strong for even Congress 10 throttle.
II has been permitted to strengthen itself
year after year bv the addition to its
numbers Of the imported rich and specula-
tive Congressman and Senators. But il Is
to be hoped the growing evil will cure itself
and that having reached a limit Congress
will finally be compelled to enact legislation
restoring to American citizenship the rob
bed, plundered and misgoverned residents
Of the District.