The Washington times., 1913-02-05
THE DISTRICTS FINANCES.

capacity for dealing with the problems of municipal
administration, as has been displayed by Chairman
Johnson.
| Back in medieval times, Immediately following
the civil war, bad governmental system involved
the Capital in heavy debt. When the system was
changed and the Federal Government went into a
partnership with the District, that debt was made
one of the partnership concerns Some S3O,OOO,OOO
of it has been paid by equal contributions from the
local revenues and the Federal treasury.
Comes now Chairman Johnson and proposes that
Congress repudiate this arrangement, and require
that hereafter the payment of interest and principal
on what remains of this old debt shall be borne by
the local revenues alone.
That would not be so bad, for there is not great
debt left to the District But the Johnson PROPOSE
ton involves, further the charge that the Federal
revenues have somehow been defrauded out of all
the payments they have made toward extnguish.
ment of that debt, and that the District revenues
ought be compelled to repay those amounts to the
national treasury!
1t is curious notion this that the District has
"defrauded" the national treasury. Who did it?
Each year Congress mas appropriated to care for
this old debt. Did some wicked person, in behalf
of the organized criminal intent of the District ad-
minister chloroform to Congress, blndfold it, i'm
pose hypnotic SPELL and compel it, while under
the malgn influence to "defraud itself in this fash
ion? We are loath to believe that disting-
ushed performer as Mr.. Charles c. Glover must
be, if the tributes of the Hon. Thetus w. Sims
tirely justified could quite have performed that
stunt during all these years without Congress ever
discovering what was happening to it. The thing
! is too ridiculous to be taken seriously.
During the civil hundreds of millions were
spent in building up navy. 1t wasn't so good
navy, however, as we now have. If the Committee
on Naval Affairs would solemnly resolve to
compel the Navy Department to pay back 10 the
Federal treasury the money that used in civil
war times, il would be just about as sensible and
practical the proposal of making the District pay
back the national contributions to meeting the old
District debt.
All this sort of thing is sheer nonsense. If Con-
gress should assume to require the District to pay
back that S3O,OO0,OOO, Congress would also have
&c provide the wherewitha to pay it back in other
words Congress would in one form or another, have
to do the paying; it would be simply taking the
money out of one pocket and putting it into another.
There is, however. another aspect of this matter
that needs consideration. Mr.. Johnson the other
day presented table showing just how much each
State annually contributes to the support of Wash
ington. He apportioned among the States, their
ton toward the upkeep of Washington.
Now, as no State pays dollar of direct taxes
to the General Government, we are unable to why
anv member should feel that his State is burdened by
the haf-and-haf system. The national revenues are
obtained mainly through import duties and excises,
which are shifted in the last analysis upon the con-
sunling public But in Mr. Johnsons figures, the
$50 600 and more residents of the District Of Co.
lumba are totally ignored. The population of the
District will compare very favorably with that of
several of the States. 1t constitutes about one-two
hundred and fftieth of the total population Of the
United States. Placing the revenues of the Federal
Government at 81 .000,O00,0O0, We find by Mr..
Johnson's own method of reasoning that the people
of Washington have raised four out of the six mil
lions which the General Government is asked to
tribute as its share of the expenses of the District
Bearing in mind the fact that the people of the
District have already raised by local taxation Sc OO0
OOO Mr. Iohnsons table must be amended as to
credit the District of Columbia with an additional
81, ,OOOO 600, constituting in all a of Sl0,OO0,0OO
which the District contributes toward the support
of the Nations Capital.
Taking into consideration the fact that the wealth
per capita of the citizens of the District very high
il is undoubtedly true that very few localities of
similar population in the United States consume as
much, and consequently pay as much revenue into
the United States Treasury do the people of the
District of Columbia. 1t would be very conserva-
tive estimate to credit the District with contributing
S. OOOo 600 to the General Government through the
medium of indirect taxation upon consumption Mr.
Johnsons reasoning brings to the inevitable con-
clusion that the people of the District are not only
shoulderng their half of the expense of maintaining
the Nations Capital but also the Federal Govern
ments half. The States do not pay cent, and the
District pays all Such is the conclusion of Mr.