The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-02-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
(By Clyde Fl. TavcDner, special
Washington Correspondent to The

Washington Correspondent to The
Reportcr) n. htss
| Washington, Feb. 15.--Three mill
lion dollars is to be the saving to the
people of the country as the result
of the fact that Congressman Ben
Johnson of Kentucky is chairman OF
the house committee on the District
| of Columbia. He discovered that the
people in the states are paying one
| half of the taxes for those who re-
side in the District Of Columbia and,
until he began to make a tight in
congress they did not know it. Even
some of the members of congress
did not know it. i
The practice of the government
standing one-half of the taxes for
residents of the District Of Columbia
is an old one. 1t has been going on
for years. Custom is hard thing
to break down. But there is
really no more reason why the people
of the states should bear half OF
the expense of maintaining the Dis
trict of Columbia than there is why
they should pay half Of the taxes OF
the residents of the capitals OF states.
The old policy of the government to
stand one-half of the taxes makes
Washington a fine place for the tax
lodging millionaires to build their
palaces. 1t might only be expected
that when Mr. Johnson began his
fight pressure would be brought TO
bear on him to force him to abandon
it, 1t was The great newspapers
of Washington tlayed him and ridl-
culed him; the senate set itself up
against him, he was opposed on the
floor OF the house. and he had to
fight, and fight hard, for every inch
of Roadway he made.
But Mr.. Johnson took the attitude
that he was sent to congress to serve
the best interests of all the people
and not for the purpose of perpetual
ilg soft snaps for the wealthy Of the
District of Columbia. Mr.. Johnson,
after hard fight, succeeded in strik-
ing more than three millions Of dol
lars out Of the last appropriation bill
for the District Of Columbia.
"Thc people back in the states are
taxed to carry on their local city,
county and state governments; and,
in addition, are taxed to pay one
half OF all the municipal expenses OF
the City Of Washington declared
MI. JOuiSOI. NOuS leSS ludl ielo
and fights within itself over the
question as to whether one or two
battleships shall be built, and with
out batting an eye or asking queS-
ton votes the price OF a dreadnaught
to Washington each congress. Wild
ows Of the old soldiers are compelled
to fight and scramble for an eight
dollar or twelve dollar a month pen
sion, but the widow OF Washington
policemen is paid a pension OF fifty
dollars a month and no questions
asked, while the eight dollar pen
stoned widow back in the states is
taxed TO help pay it. The same
may be said of the old soldier him.
self
The county school teacher bears
her part OF tax burden in order to
pay the school teacher $500 for
teaching $50 hours in the schools OF
Washington The school child back
in the states bears its proportion for
the child of the millionaire who lives
in Washington The farmer on the
rural route in the states must carry
"a lantern on his road or travel in
the dark while he pays his proper
ton of the cost to put electric lights
on the rural routes which lead out
of the city of Washington to the
limits of seventy square miles which
constitute the District of Columbia.
THE school child back in the
states is given desk room in it's
humble school at cost of dollar
or two, while that child bears it's
proportion of tax which is imposed
upon the American people to give
desk room costing $1,210 for each
child which has entered the school
age during the last five years in the
City of Washington.