Evening star., 1902-02-15
OPPOSE PERSONAL TAX
PENDING MEAs1RE z 9b1sAppaov.
ED BY BR1eHTwooD CITIZENS.
The Resolution Adopted With but One
Dissenting V9te-Ehe 10th
Street Extension.

A meeting Of the ,Brightwood Citizens
Association was held, at HFightwood hall
last evening, President Louis p Shoemaker
being in the chair. The. principal question
before the meeting was whether or not
the association should approve or disap-
prove the project OF laying a personal tax
upon the residents of the District This
question has been before almost every as
sociation in the District, and with the sin
gle exception of the Northwest Suburban
Association vigorous protests have been
made against the passage of such an act
Mr.. Wilton ]. Lambert. chairman Of the
judiciary committee of the association,
brought the matter to an issue by present.
ing a resolution setting forth that the citi-
zens of the District OF Columbia are now
sufficiently taxed, and that the association
vigorously opposes the levy of any So
called personal tax.
Mr.. Lambert made speech In support
Of the motion, in which he asserted that
the absence of the large number of factory
employees that are usually present in other
cities made 1t necessary that no stone
should be cast in the way of bringing mon
ey to the District for the purpose Of af-
fording the greatest amount of circulation
of money would necessarily be done if
a personal tax should be added to the al
ready high tax which the citizens have to
pay on their real estate holdings.
This view of the situation was taken by
Mr.. Thomas Blagden and every other mem
ber who spoke excepting MIR. r. NJ. john
son. The latter, while he said he favored a
reduction Of the tax upon real property,
claimed that in his opinion personal prop
crty should also be made to contribute.
Upon a vote being taken the resolution was
passed with but one dissenting vote.
Sixteenth Street Extension.
A resolution was presented by Mr.. Blag-.
den, which was supported in a speech by
him, outlining the general situation In re-
gard to the 10th street extension, the ac-
ton of the courts up to the present time,
the declared necessity that exists for the
early establishment and protection of the
street and for early action on the part of
the Commissioners in approving the award
Of the jury. It was stated that the Dis
trict committee of the Senate had already
authorized the Commissioners to approve
the award and the District committee In
the House had it was understood, tacitly
agreed to the same thing, but had main
tanned the position that the Commissioners
should do without any direction from
them
It was confidently asserted by Mr.. Lam
hert that the Engineer Commissioner, Col
onel Biddle, could be depended upon to
carry out his convictions in the matter,
and he believed the colonels view Of the
situation would unquestionably lead to the
conclusion that the award of the jury
should be affirmed inaSmuch as to project
lHe matter without the uOudllOIS, DIS WOulu
have to be done for future proceedings
when taken, would subject the revenues of
the United States and the District to a
much larger drain.
The resolution was unanimously passed,
as was also another resolution providing
for the return by Congress to the terms Of
the contract of 1878. which required the
United States government to bear one-half
of the expenses of the national capital.
Address by Mr.. Hutcheson.
AT the close Of the business meeting Mr..
Shoemaker. in a few appropriate remarks,
introduced ex-State Senator r. Hutcheson,
from Ohio, who made an extended talk
upon the relations between the District Of
Columbia and the United States govern
ment. Mr.. Hutcheson characterized the
present government of the District as a
hybrid, having all the evils of the domina-
ton of the United States government with
none Of the excellencies which attach to the
centraliZa ton Of power elsewhere. He said
it was a false system, and 1t ought to be
branded as such. He thought that through
this system and the irrepressibe conflict
between Congress and the people of the
District. the result had been the scattering
of revenues Of the District, and the fierce
struggle to solve the tax problems and
other questions that were now concerning
the citizens and against which they have
to work in self-defense. Mr.. Hutcheson's
address was cordially received and given
much applause, after which speeches were
made by Capt. Patrick O'Farrell and the
members We're entertained at luncheon by
Mr.. Shoemaker.