The Washington herald., 1911-04-23

| Tom johnson himself, on which to pro.
! coed. A single report of the old John
son special committee has been preserved
| and has come into the hands of Mr..
! George. The other members Of the
special committee, headed by Johnson,
\ were Representatives Washington and
| Wadsworth. Those three men went into
| the local assessment proposition. studied
| the situation carefully, and on May "a
| 1892. made report. That was the end
| of the inquiry as far as results were
concerned. The conclusions reached by
the special committee were considered
| too radical and revolutionary. few copies
were printed, and no chance was given
| for its consideration by the House.
Congressman George has resolved to do
what he may in completing the task left
unfinished by Johnson, and to endeavor
to make economic conditions in the Dis
trict a model for the rest Of the world.
He asserts that he has found much en-
couragement among the Democratic lead
ers of the House, many of whom are
convinced that the taxation and assess
ment system Of the District are wrong
and need a thorough overhauling, and
that other economic evils exist which
should be given attention.
Considers Utterances Prophetic.
The utterances OF the late Tom l.. John
son concerning District affairs, Repre-
sentative George considers to be almost
prophetic. From the time-hallowed pages
of his report he cites the following:
Already the effect of the growth and
improvement of the Federal district has
been, by increase of land values, to give
hundreds OF millions TO a fortunate few,
but to increase the cost of living to such
a degree as to make 1t a serious question
with many of the officers and employees
of the national government, who are
called on to live here. And If this ten
dency continues, not only will the sala-
ries paid to employees of the United
States soon become entirely inadequate
to the scale of living for which they were
intended, but the Capital of the American
republic must ere long present such a
contrast between luxurious idleness and
poverty-stricken workers as can be ex-
ceeded in no capital of professedly aristo-
cratic countries"
In conclusion, the Johnson report de-
clared: :
THE reasons thus briefly indicated lead
your committee to believe that the prin-
ciple of combining the assessment of taxes
in the District TO the annual rental value
of land is as conformable to the inter-
ests of the people of the several States
as il is to the interests OF the residents
Of the District of Columbia and to the
interests of the property owners repre-
scented by the gentlemen who have urged
IL upon us.
Assessment of Land.
But as the assessment of land by its
annual rental value involves a consider
able change from the usual American
custom of assessing on its selling value,
your committee, while not disposed to
question the reasoning of the taxpayers
who urge it, hardly deem it prudent at
orce to recommend SO radical a change.
Since il is always the actual or expect
ant rental value of land which fixes its
selling value, we do not see any real
necessity for so great a change, at pres
cnt at least.
We therefore recommend such
change in the subject of assessment as
will embody the principle urged upon us
by the representative taxpayers of the
District of whom We have spoken, and
which we find generally commended by
the intelligent men whose views our in
vestigation has brought to our attention
that of exempting improvements from the
q assessment and combining IL TO the value |
Of the land itself. But We recommend
At the same time such provision for the |
collection of information as TO the actual |
value of land as will not only furnish re-
liable means of determining selling value. |
but will make it easier at any future time |
to change the subject of taxation from |
the selling value to the rental value of |
land