Evening star., 1902-02-15
Washington Taxpayers Bear
Heavy Burden.
NATION SHIRKS DUTY
LOCAL PROPERTY OWNERS THE
CAPITAL BUILDERS.
Relations of the United States Govern.
ment to the Federal City
Lucidly Explained.

Zens shrk payment of taxes, ana because
of the erroneous opinion which many pup
lie men hold of the relations between the
general government and the Dlstrlct Oh
Columbia the Washington Board of Trade
has reprinted the pamphlet written py
Theodore w. Noyes during his term of serv-
Ice as president of the Board of Trade,
1S9S-99 and entitled Finances of the Ma
tional Capital Partnership
Mr.. Moves first contention is that the
primary responsibility for the support and
development of the national capital Is upon
the nation. He says:
The original owners of Washington do
mated five-sevenths of the city's soil and
yielded the right of self government to the
nation the understanding and implied
agreement that the nation was to build up
here a magnificent capital at it's own eX-
penSe reimbuI sing Itself in part from the
proceeds of the sale of the donated lots.
pretentiouS city was planned and lots were
sold by the government on the strength or
this understanding. 1t was from the be-
ginning, in theory at least the city of the
nation. and not the city of its residents, and
the primary responsibility for it's develop
ment has always been in equity upon the
nation. and the residents. who have no
voice i'll the disposition of the money exact
ed from them. are the incidental contrib
utorS.
Citizens Build the Capital.
I'm spite of this conceded relation of ma
ton and capital. the local taxpayers of the
District for three-fourthS of century
We're compelled to assume practically the en-
tire burden of capital-making. the nation
violating and neglecting the obligations
which it had incurred In 1873 the amount
of the contributions of the resident tax
payers toward the expenses of the capital
was fixed by law at one-haf the total
amount the nat tion tardiy and nadequately
agreement. DPODlp
of Washington, under this agreement,
make a double contribution First, as
American citizens. paying national taxes
direct and indirect. they contribute their
proportionate share of the national money
expended on the capital and. second, as
local taxpayers they contribute an amount
equal 10 that supplied by the people of the
United States as Il whole, including them
selves. They are thus assessed on both
sides of the partnership. and they the
only contributors who have say in the
partnership affairs. for they are American
citizens only for the purpose of taxation and
military service. and not for the pur-
pose of representation in the national legs-
lature. which controls all the partnership
concerns
In the matter of taxation Mr. Noyes
proves that the burden imposed by Goa
gress upon the local taxpayer is fully as
heavy as that which the average self
governing American municipality imposes
upon itself. and in view of the peculiar
disabilities under which the District Of Co.
lImha labors Its tax is harder to meet
than that of the average American COM
munity. After citing the per capita2:ax levy
dianapois. Washington, Cleveland New
ark. Milwaukee, st. Louis and Chicago, he
says:
The Washingtonians' Tax.
These figures show that the average
Washingtonian is as heavy taxpayer and
labors under many times as heavy a bur
den % municipal Indebtedness as the av-
erage taxpayer in the cities enumerated.
Not one Of these cities has large per-
centage OF floating non-taxpaying popula-
ton the capital. with its one-third negro
population and its thousands of temporary
visitors and the government employees, and
this non-taxpaying population reduces the
nominal per capita tax levy without re-
ducing il In fact by cash contributions.
Not of the cities enumerated has SO
few moneymaking resources in manufac-
lures. trade and commerce, in proportion TO
its population To meet this drain of taxa
tion.
'The assessed and taxed fraction Of
Washington is less than one-half of the en-
tire area. the government owning the ex-
empted remainder. 1T appears that this
half Of the capital is assessed at more than
seven times the value of all Omaha, more
than three times the value Of all Indian
apoS. per cent more than the value of
all the great city Of Cleveland. and ten mil
lions more than two-thirds of the assess
ment Of Chicago, with its vast area-more
and costly buildings and fine resi-
denCes.
National Taxation.
Mr. Noyes brings prominently to the front
the point that Washington makes a strong
comparative showing as a contributor to
the national taxes. He says:
THE District has shared in every such
tax and has undergone special national bur-
dens. Through its custom house it has
made contributions to the national treas
ury and if the consumers of dutiable goods
pay this tax, II has contributed far above
the average of municipalities, one OF
the large seacoast cities, which are recog-
nized as the heaviest consumers of i'm
ported and dutiable articles The only ma
ttonal taxes that fall directly and unmis-
takably and in ascertainable amounts upon
Americans are the internal revenue taxes
The states and territories which contribut-
ed in 1895 less In internal revenue collections
to the national treasury than the District
of Columbia are Alabama, Arkansas, Della
ware Idaho Maine, Mississippi, Montana
Nevada North Dakota, Oregon, South Da-
kota. South Carolina. Utah. Vermont
Washington and Wyoming Sixteen states),
and Alaska Arizona. Indian territory, New
Mexico and Oklahoma Give territories).
The per capita contribution of the Dis
trict of Columbia for that year Is greater
than that OF Alabama. Arkansas. Colorado.
Delaware, Georgia, Idaho Iowa, Kansas
Maine. Montana. Mississippi. Nevada
North Dakota. Oregon. South Dakota
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah.
Vermont, Washington and Wyoming uwen-
ty-two states), and Alaska. Arizona Indian
territory. New Mexico and Oklaho (hve
territories).
THE District Of Columbia contributed in
1S9. in internal revenue taxation for the
support of the national government CON
siderably more than the combined contrfbu-
tionS OF Maine Vermont Mississippi North
and South Dakota. Idaho and Wyoming
The per capita contribution of the Wash-
ingt gtonian TO this national fund was fifteen
times great that of the resident Of
Alabama. eleven times that of the resident
of Arkansas, twelve times that OF the resi-
dent of Maine, eleven times that of the
resident of South Carolina, ten times that
Of the resident of Vermont, and 12O times
that of the resident of Mississippi
''Does not the WaShingtonian pay enough
both in national and local taxes? Is he in
any respect favored by the legislative body
which not chosen by him. de cides for him
all the questions of equitable taxation?
Which is the Mendicant?
THE figures above given concerning ma
tional taxation throw light upon the ques-
Gun whether the western congressmans av-
erage constituent is really robbed to ease