Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-07
Washington's Alleged Wealth. "

The other day in the House of Repre-
-Seutatives Representative Proutv of
Iowa. talking on the District bill. as
sorted that tine District people arc under
assessed for taXations purposes and that
they are At the same time the WeaIthieSt
per capita. of any citizens Of the United
states. In proof of the latter assertion
be stated that the average wealth of the
citizens of the capital is $1,000 and in
the next highest city $1.soa. This. he
said. shows that the people of Wash
iPgton are at least able to bear their
share in carrying on the burdens of their
purely local government"
Elsewhere in The Star today i printed
an article which demonstrates that Mr..
PrOuty. like many other critics of the
District who essay to discuss it's financial
situation i'm the halls of Congress- has
been misled by his statistics. and that,
instead of being the wealthiest city in
the United States, the people of Wash
inSton are. per capita, the most highly
assessed of those of any city of reason
ably comparable size. and that their in
diyidual tax contributions are steadily
increasing and are heavier now than
those of the people of such cities as
Cleveland. Buffalo. Detroit, New Orleans,
Louisville. indianapolis and ST. Paul.
To argue that Washngtons taxa
tion assessment. raised to the 100 per
cent point and divided by its population.
yields figure that proves this to be the
Wcalthicst city i'll the country, and there
fore the most able to bear what is al
legged To be its full burden of taxation. is
to put the case with singular departure
from fact The taxation assessment is
. not necessarily an evidence of wealth. 1t
is primarily and directly a token of the
degree in which the people are assessed
for taxation purposes. Washington is
not wealthy city compared with such
communities as Cleveland, Buffalo De
troit and Cincinnati 1t has no great
manufacturing establishments, no large
industrial investments, no great mercan-
tile population, no citizens of immense
wealth 1t is, as far as its taxation op-
portunities go, distinctly city of small
holders and moderate incomes, and of
definitely restricted business opportunities
Yet the taxed fraction of Washington's
physical properties is today bearing a
tax burden for the purpose of maintain
ing the municipal establishment at a
per capita rate exceeding those that pre-
vail in some of the largest industrial CEN
tiers of the United States.
Representative Prouty's mistaken use
of statistics of municipal finance is not
the first case of its kind that has oc-
CURED Frequently on the floor of the
House and Senate, particularly the House,
figures are advanced to show Washington
to be tax dodger,' and it has always
been possible by reference to trustworthy
records of taxation and assessment to
demonstrate their falsity. But despite the
repeated proofs that Neutrality-suspicious. are
today heavily taxed as compared with
the residents of larger and richer cities
this effort persists. and will probably con-
iinue as long as Congress passes the
annual local appropriation acts and con-
tinues to exercise exclusive jurisdiction
over the District of Columbia. 1t is to
be hoped, however that the unsoundness
of the reasoning To which this particular
correction is addressed will now be rec
ognized, and that whatever impression
of Embarrassment and excessive wealth
in the District may have been created in
the House the other day as a result of
Representative PrOuty's essay in munich
pal statistics will be removed.