Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-02
FIXED ANNUAL SUM ONLY
FROM FEDERAL TREASURY
Members of House of Representa-.
tives Said to Back Scheme.
ORGANIC ACT TO BE SET ASIDE
Claim That Residents of Capital
Should Pay for It's Development.
Probable Effects of the
Change.


threatened. it is said. with fhe abolition
the federal government contributes one
half and the citizens of the District the
other half of the appropriations for the
support Of the District.
In its stead. it is proposed to have the
federal government contribute a fixed
share of the expenses of the National
Capital. This fixed share has been va
riously estimated by members of Con-
gress who favor the change, at from
S.. 600 900 to $4,000, 600 a year.
This proposed radical change in the af-
fairs of the National Capital has been
brought TO the attention of The Star by
men prominent in the business circles of
the city. and by members Of Congress
themselves
1t has become known that Representative
Ben johnson of Kentucky, chairman of
the House District committee, is imbued
with the idea that the federal government
is paying too great a share of the eX-
penses of the National Capital. His aim,
while he is in control of District affairs
in the House, it is said. will be to do
away with the half-andhalf principle
The investigation of the finances of the
District, which he insisted should be
made by his committee is looked upon
merely as a forerunner of a recommended
ton that the half-and-half principle bs
abolished.
National Governments Share.
Representative Johnson favors fixins
s., ,000. 900 IS the amount to be contributed
annually by the federal government Il
the support of the capital. Represent
ative Burleson of Texas, an infiuentia
member of the House committee on ap
propriations, who has been d member o
the subcommittee in charge of Distric
affairs for a number OF years, believes
that the sum to be contributed by the
federal government should be S6VoJ.oo
which approXimateS the amount at pres
ent appropriated from the National
treasury.
"A calamity which would destroy tn
chances of the further development of tn
National Capital along the lines whicl
have been maintained since the so.caiie'
organic act of 1878 became law, Wa
the comment of a Washington busines
man yesterday, when the matter Wa
broached to him.
THE abolition of the half-and-hal
principle of appropriating for the Dis
would cripple the city for years to come,
said the head of one of the largest bank
ing houses in the city.
IF this plan should be adopted" sai'
f.. j. Stellwagen. 1--WE shall have a ma
tional city. exclusively under nationa
control. supported wholly by taxes col
lected from its disenfranchised citizens
Mr. Stellwagen took the ground that
the organic act was repealed and fAe'
sum substituted as the federal govern
ment's share in the maintenanGe and de
velopment of the National Capital, Their
was no reason why Congress would no
reduce that fixed sum in future years
until il was mere pittance compared Il
the sum contributed by the citizens of tn
District.
Another View Expressed.
1t has been suggested that Congress
would probably fix a sum of about S6,oJo
600. should it decide to put the plan mt
practice and repeal that portion of tn
organic act relating to the haif-and-hal
principle Friends of the plan-and it ha
been learned that officials high up In tn
District government are looking with iaNo
upon it-declare that it would be bette
for the District to fight for as large
fixed appropriation as possible, instead o
fighting to retain the half-and-half prln
ciple.
Residents of the District who nave
gone closely into the matter, however
are utterly at variance with this opin
ion. They believe that it would De {.
return to the days before the organic
act of 1878. when the great ourdeh vi
the District was placed almost en-
tirely upon the citizens. Inc NatioIidi
Capital, they say was then nttle petler
than a disgrace to the country.
Should the federal government not
nav its share for the support ana de-
velopment of the capital. the burden
would necessarily fall upon the resi-
dents. To keep the deveiopmeh. OF ,e .ne
CITY up to the standard which has been
set will necesSitate large increase
in the taxes collected. This means an
increase in the rate of taxation.
Detrimental in Two Ways.
AS the matter was put by resident
of the District:
.Taxes will be increased. The prop
erty taxed will be less valuable be-
cause of the higher tax IT must pay.
Real estate in Washington will dimln-
ish in value. new assessment VIII
be necessary and a still higher rate
of taxation will be demanded TO prlng
in the required revenue from property
which has deprecated in value
1t is predicted that every form OF
taxation will be invoked to make IT
possible to collect Sufhcient revenues
to carry on the work of developing the
capital The citizens of the District
will have no voice % levyins these
taxes. They have no voice in the pres
ent levy. I Taxes on inheritances, on
stocks and bonds, taxes on incomes,
taxes on every conceivable form of
property, will be the outcome of this
movement. it is predicted. Burdens OF
taxation will be so great that much
of the wealth which has come TO
Washington in recent years Will go
elsewhere.
Washington is the national city.
President Taft has so declared many
times Recently in Michigan he re-
iterated this declaration, and pointed
to the nations pride in its capital,
which was rapidly becoming the most
beautiful city in the world. If this be
true residents of the city argue. the
government should pay its
share in the upkeep and further de-
of the city.
Developed on Big Lines.