Evening star., 1913-12-18
THE EVENING STAR, THURSDAY, DECEMBER Is, 1913

South Dakotan's senators and represent
atives more than four times as much
in internal revenue taxation as the
South DalSotan; toward the salary OF
much as the Kansan; for the Texan
congressman tiye times as much as the
Texan: for the Vermont congressman.
twenty times AS much as the Nermonter.
for the congressman from South Care
lima or Arkansas. eighteen times as r1uch
as the Arkansan. and sixteen times
as. much as the South Carolinian- and
for the Mississippi congressman eighty
six times as much as the Mississippian.
1t is not intended in presenting these
figures to suggest that the states or cit-
zens contributing the most per capita to
the internal revenue tax or other national
taxes should on that account have any
weightier voting power in respect to the
disposition OF the national revenues than
those states and those citizens whose
contributions to the national taxes are.
comparatively speaking. iafinitesimal,
and ii is not intended to discredit in
any way the small contributors to the
national taxes or even to argue in denial
of the latter's claim that il is more vir-
tuous not to contribute than to contribute
TO internal revenue taxes derived so
largely from whisky. beer and tobacco.
The sole purpose is to convince the rep
resentatives of small-contributng con-
stituencies in the states that they should
not berate their National Capital con-
stituents (whOse legislative interests are
intrusted to their care by the Constitu-
tom. on the ground that the latter
are untaxed mendicants supported by
the tax money unjustly drawn from
their local constituents: first because
in so many cases these contributions
by their constituents to the national
taxes are infinitesimal far less than
those made by the District itself Sec
ond. because the District, instead OF be-
ing untaxed. is reasonably. and. owing
l<pn sn,1L an
heavily. taxed. both in municipal and in
national taxation. and third because the
tax conditions are not Of the District $
making. but of that OF congress. If the
local tax burden is too light the reproach
attaches not to Washington, but TO Con-
gress: but, as has been already demon
strated. this burden is not too light.
1t should not be that harsh and unjust
criticism Of the expenditure on the Ma
tional Capital of tiny fraction of the
national revenue should be in inverse
proportion to the amount of confrlDu-
tions to that revenue. those being the
most vociferous and unfair critics whose
constituents through superior virtue.
plain living small consumption of I'M
ported luxuries and rural residence far
from custom houses. breweries and dis
tilleries. have been only infinitesimal con-
tributors to the national funds.
In developing the nations city the
Washingtonians are by far the largest
contributors among Americans. They
contribute on both the local and the
national side Of the account They pay
one-half the expense as local taxpayers.
they are heavy contributors to the Gus
toms duties and internal revenue taxes
from which the national funds are de-
rived that meet the other half. They
are the only Americans who have ab-
solutely nothing to say autaofitaIiNely
concerning the disposition of the funds
to which they are such large contributors.
Washington's Tax System.
Usually Americans tax themselves for
specific purposes. in the way most easily
borne by them, with an accurate ADJUST
ment of rate and assessment to raise
as nearly as possible the exact amount
required. Here the necessary tax total
under the law is one-half of the amount
that Congress is willing to authorize &c
be expended each year Oh The Natlona
Capital. Washington is accustomed tc
! raise this amount By heavy realty tax
under an assessment much higher than
that of the average American city. and
! by a comparatively light personal tax.
This method of taxation imposes, as We
have seen. a net burden Of tax levy upo1
the Washingtonian heavier than that i'm
posed upon the vast majority OF Ameri.
can cities containing over 10000 popula-
! tion and at least as heavy as that OF the
average American city approNlmatiDi
Washington in population: and this II,
system raises the amount of revenu,
! which is and will be required from tn,
/ local taxpayers under the organic act.
Why meddle with this system to which
i taxpayers have become accustomed an,
which raises the needed revenue? VIII!