The Washington herald., 1912-09-19
THE PEOPLES FORUM
SUFFRAGE AND
THE ORGANIC ACT
Half.and.half Plan Not Attacked by
Advocates of the Former.

To the Editor: At a recent meeting OF
the Federation of Citizens Associations
a resolution was offered in which II was
declared that our first duty is TO insist
always that Congress observe in its ful!
integrity the organic act; that any
movement for suffrage must be suhoFci-
nate to the preservation Of the contract
between Congress and the District OF
Columbia" In other words. We are 10
keen mum in regard TO District suf-
frage lest we may endanger the contract
between Congress and the District in re-
gard to the half-and-haf system OF TAXA
ton.
What Is the contract referred 10 :
The so-called organic act OF June H.
1873. provides as follows: To the extent
which Congress shall approve or said es-
Inmates. Congress shall appropriate % per
cent thereof, and the remaining % per
cent of such approved estimates shall be
levied and assessed upon the taxaole
property and privileges in caid District
In point of fact. there are numerous in
stances in which Congress has not ap-
rropriated 30 per cent Of the cost OF
nuhIic works in the District: but assum-
ing for the sake of argument that Con-
gross has entered into hard ana IdS'
contract to defray Oue-half of the DIS
triCt expenditures and will continue the
contract indefinitely, simple justice re-
orir.s that the benefits IF the contract
shall he shared by all of the people OF
the District and not monopollzed by
,riviI.ped individuals or favored sections
of the city.
The report on assessment and taxation
of real estate, commonly known as the
George report copies of which can ne
obtained by writing to Mr.. II. J. Browne
Room l3o House Office Building, gives
the total value OF real estate In the
District as SH.OOo,OoN. The law requires
tbat raj estate shall be assessed at
not less than two-thirds OF its real
value The total assessments should
therefore be si9sco0,0O0. They are actual
~ $3.50 Oo0. OO Real estate values amount
ing to Sl66. CO., 600 are lodging taxation.
The legal rate of taxation on the AS
sessed value is one and one-haf per
cent. 4 little figuring will show that
a tax OF per cent on si9S. would
produce more revenue than a tax OF
IL par cent on s35nOOo,Ooo. If all real
estate were fairly AMI honestly assessed
at two-third of its real value. the rate
of taxation could be reduced TO l per
cent So long as the Federal govern
ment pays nearly one-half of the District
expenses the present rate of taxation
Is manifeStly too high Then why not
esk Congress to reduce the rate so that
all of the taxpayers OF the District may
share in the benefits of the half-and-
half system?
That these benefits are unjustly dis
tr!buted is shown by the following
figures, taken from the George report:
Land values in the suburban areas
(mainly speculative) are assessed at 20
per cent of the true value: in the bust
ness area and the gilt-edgel residence
area, at 80 per cent: and in the areas
occupied by the small homes, at 60 per
cent With respect to improvements,
small homes are assessed at an average
Of 30 per cent while the fine residences
of the northwest show an average of
but 30 per cent. 1t is evident that the
privileged interests of the District have
sufficient pull to keep assessments in
certain favored sections far below the
legal two-thirds ratio, while the def
cheney is made up by unnecessarily high
assessments in the other sections OF the
city.
1t IL not charged. of course, that all
OF the taxpayers in the favored sections
have entered into a conspiracy to dodge
a large share Of their taxes. Probably
many Of them would be quite willing to
have their taxes raised to the legal lin
it At least one OF them, Mr.. Clifford