Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-15
The Double-Tax Remedy.

The Double-Tax Remedy.
After six weeks investigation Repre-
sentative Berger in effect severely ar
raicns Congress for the manner in which
II has for over a century exercised its
exclusive power of legislation in respect
to the District. He also indicates indi-
rectly strong disapproval of the trainers
of the Constitution for the provision they
made in respect to the national seat of
government. He has discovered that the
nation largely owns. exclusively and
despotically controls, and as q one-half
contributor helps to maintain the nations
city. He traces all local evils. real or
imagined. truthfully or slanderously al
legged, to the National Capital partnership
and would upset the arrangement. He
would have Westinghouse vote. and he
would have the local taxpayers meet all
the expenses of maintaining and develop
ing the National Capital. He would with
draw both national control and national
support from the nations city.
Mr.. Berger knows doubtless that the
capital was planned by the nation on
grand scale for national purposes, in
volving an expense In maintenance and
development which the small. poor and
slowly developing local community has
never been able to bear. He knows
doubtless that the consistent policy of
Congress in the exercise of its exclusive
power of legislation has been to bar all
industries from the capital, to check its
commercial development. and to reduce to
a minimum its taxable resources and as
sets. He knows doubtless that the ma
ton in the beginning undertook for a
valuable consideration to bear the bur-
den Of capital-making, that 1t neglected
its obligations in this respect and threw
Its own burden on the local taxpayers,
who In 1885 and again in the seventies
we're bankrupted In the attempt to per-
form, unaided, this national task He
knows doubtless that the partnership ar
rangement Of 1878 was made deliberately
as q permanent semi-judicial determine
ton Of the equities in the case, and has
been and Is viewed by the District, not
as an act Of grace. to be withdrawn at
pleasure, but as a compromise settlement
by the nation of an outstanding, long
neglected, much greater obligation. He
knows doubtless that Washington con-
tends and holds itself ready to demon
strate that the city taxation imposed
upon It by Congress under the half-and-
half arrangement is fully as heavy as
that which the average self-governing
American municipality imposes upon it.
self. and that in view Of the peculiar
disabilities under which the District of
Columbia labOrs it's tax is harder to
meet than that of the average American
community.
II Mr.. Berger overturns this anti-graft
(Which has saved the capital
from the corruption and graft-thievery of
other large American cities) the entire
burden of capital maintenance and de-
velopment will fall upon the local tax
payers. whose limited taxable resources
have been strained to meet one-half this
expense. Mr.. Berger paradoxically pro-
poses to reduce rentals and the prices at
which Washington real estate is sold by
doubling the taxes upon this real estate
Running through Mr.. Berger's interview
is note of sympathy with the smaller
as against the larger taxpayers, with the
poor as against the rich. with the COM
mon people as against the ''shoddy aris-
tocracy." But the blow Of double taxes
which he aims at all local taxpayers, rich
and poor alike, will fall with special Sc
verify upon the poor man, who is bound
to the District by his conditions. The
rich man will be only Inconvenience by
excessive taxes II he remains; or If he
prefers he can escape the annoyance of
exorbitant taxation by fitting elsewhere.
and removing himself from the list of
local taxpayers.
If reasonable uniformity in assess
ment Of all taxpayers Is secured land
that is, always has been and should
be the aim Of the taxing power), the
interests OF the large and the small
taxpayer are identical. The latter is
not benefited in the long run even by
special taxes bearing only upon the rich
men who are attracted to make their resi-
dence in the capital, since the effect
OF these impositions is to prevent such
men from coming here or to drive
them away II already here. The net
result Of Mr.. Berger's tax suggestions
would be to throw the whole Of the
unabridged and abnormal expenses of
the nations city on the small local
taxpayers. who cannot escape from the
city. and whose tax-paying abilities
Congress has deliberately crippled.
Uncle Sam. the largest present tax
payer, is to be exempted, the other
wealthy taxpayers are to be chased out
or prevented from coming in, and upon
those whose interests Mr.. Berger has at
heart are to fall confiscation Of property
in the guise Of taxation. and municipal
bankruptcy as in 1885 and in the Shep-
herd era.
The nation. which is now proud of the
city and even affectionately solicitous for
its welfare. will never surrender control
Of its vast interests in the capital and of
the capital itself to a voting. self-governing
local community, and since 1t will not
surrender control 1t will not evade the
accompanying financial obligation, and
the responsibility Of capital maintenance
and development. But If Mr.. Berger
earnestly wishes to promote the welfare
of the common people Of the District land
his suggestion of radical governmental
action in solution Of the problem of
housing Of the poor indicates that he
does he will earn the gratitude of his To-
cal constituency ~ If. protecting them
from double taxes or new taxes Of any
sort. he aids to bring about an ideal uni
formity OF assessment and taxation. so
that every property owner. rich or poor,
will pay in proportion to his taxable
tangible property: CD II he cooper
ates to keep the pubhc-service cor