Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-26
An Improbable Research.

III the House DISTRICT committees
wishes to reach a dependable conclusion
as to the finances of the National Cap
ital IL will do we'll to abandon its pres
cnt line of inquisition in an attempt
TO show small Inconsistencies and pos
sibly Determinations In the actual as
sessment Of properties for taxation pur-
poses and undertake to ascertain now
washington stands in this matter OF
assessment and tax-raising as COM
pared with other cities. The important
question is not whether the law re-
uuires q two-thirds assessment or
merely permits it or whether in apply
ing this rule Of assessment there nave
been some isolated instances of favorit-
ism. II Is whether the District IL rals-
ing an equitable amount of tax reTe-
nues from the real and personal prop
erty subject to taxation, to match the
federal money appropriated under the
organic act for the support of the fed
eral city.
ANY such research conscientiously con-
Quoted, not In spirit of ayowed hostil-
ity or in championship of some other
method of levying taxes than that now in
vogue. will quickly lead the committee
to the conclusion that the District is BEAR
ing today its equitable burden of taxa
ton. Far better could the time and funds
at the disposal of the committee be en-
ployed in obtaining tax figures of other
cities of comparable size, than in probing
for inconsequential details of the assess
ment system
If II is the purpose of the committee to
change the present system by the adop-
tion OF the single tax. principle, it need
not delay in making Its recommendation
to that effect. If the minds of it's men,
5ers are already made up on this point
why go through weeks OF cross examina-
tons to show the shortcomings of the
present method? What is needed is con-
structive work not merely the searching
for scandal that very probably does not
exist.
There seems to be a disposition in this
so-called investigation to get something
''on" the District, to unearth evils, to
show corruption. The committee may as
well make up its mind at the outset
that there are no evils calling for SO
elaborate and expensive a research as
that contemplated. II. as Representative
Campbell said yesterday in the House,
the District owes a large sum of money
on certain bonds wrongfully paid out OF
federal funds in the face OF the law re-
auiring il to be paid out of District reve-
nues. the fact can surely be ascertained
BY the accounting officers % the Treas
ury Department. As for conditions in
the assessors office. could not the House
depend upon the Commissioners them
selves, newly appointed. and in no way
identifeu with preceding administrations.
70 return a trustworthy report In re-
sponse 10 a resolution of inquiry?
Already the investigation. conducted by
the House committee have cost large
sum OF money, and now another consider
able amount is to be spent in a proceed
ing that cannot possibly return results in
proportion TO the expense. The citing
of instances of so-called recovery of fed
eral money are misleading. The govern
ment has a well organized auditing sys-
tenn from which the truth can be ascer-
tained. again The Star suggests that the
committee undertake a practical line OF
investigation and acquire information as
TO how the District stands in the matter
OF tax raising as compared with other
municipalities Of correspondingly the
same size