Evening star., 1914-12-13
New Yorker Urges Investiga-
tion of Tax Conditions Be-
fore Taking Action.
CRITICISES HIS OPPONENTS
FOR LACK OF STATISTICS
Data Not Supplied to Support Claim
That Federal Treasury Pays
Unjust Proportion.

Indefinite and inequitable" are the
terms used by Representative Oglesby
of New York in describing the johnson
amendment to the District appropria
day in committee of the whole. Rep
resentative Oglesby. in three-minute
speech, advocated "a full and fair in
quiry into the relations between the
District and the United States. In the
course of his speech he said:
"If it be believed that the so-called
half-and-half plan is nequitable, the
matter should be determined by in
tain what proportion of the total cost
of maintaining the District government
should be borne by the national gov
ernment. Upon such inquiry full op-
portunity should be afforded all in
terested property owners to be heard.
either personally or through their duly
authorized representatives. The infor-
nation thus obtained would enable US
to fix the proportionate shares of the
expense of the District government
that should be paid. respectively, from
the federal Treasury and by the other
property owners and citizens of the
District.
I'm arriving at our conclusion every
phase of the subject, including the val
ue of all the real and personal property
of the national government located
in the District; the value of all other
real and personal property in the Dis
trict, and of all other property owned
by residents of the District, of nature
properly subject to taxation therein;
what property should be exempt from
taxation, and what items of expense,
if any. of maintaining the District gov
ernment should not be shared at all by
the national government.
Is a Simple Matter.
The proportionate shares being
agreed upon and the total expenditures
ascertained. it is simple matter of
arithmetic to figure the amount to be
appropriated from the national Treas
ury, which amount being deducted
from the total expenditure, the remain
der is the net budget to be raised by
taxation. The rate will then follow
the budget as in every other city i'll
the United States, and whether prop
at so or 100 per cent of it's true value
would be of no interest to Congress.
and for that matter of little concern
to the taxpayers of the District, pro-
vided, of course. there be no favoritism
or discrimination.
There has been no argument sub
mitted in support of the proposed
amendment other than the oft-reiter-
ated assertion that the national gov
ernment is paying more than it prop
erly should. No facts are presented
from which a finding can be made as
to what proportion of the expenses of
the District government should be paid
from the national Treasury. Advo-
Gates of this amendment admit that
they have made no attempt to ascer-
tain such facts. They have not even
given US the benefit of their best guess
on the subject.
Permit me to illustrate what they
do propose. Assume that ] am the
owner of farm in a fertile valley ad-
jacent to stream which would an
nually overflow its banks and cause |
temporary dykes had been constructed
and annually rebuilt or repaired. As |
sumo also that l am fortunate enough |
to have for a neighbor my friend the |
gentleman from Iowa. Mr.. Prouty. |
owning land in the rear, having sub |
stantially the same elevation and sub
ject to similar damage from overflow,
but with no frontage on the stream.
Then They Disagree.
Assume that for number of years |
we have shared equally the expense of
protecting our lands from overflow
in the manner above indicated. Now
he comes to me and says that he has
carefully examined into the subject and
has figured it all out, and has arrived
at the conclusion that he has been pay
ing more than. his fair share of such
expenses and wants a readjustment.
| answer him: Very well. in what pro-
portions should we share such expense?
Show me the figures and tell me what
facts you have taken into considera-
tion III making your estimate.
He replies: L have not figured it out
that way ] have ascertained as nearly
as l could the cost per front foot of
maintaining similar dykes for the pro-
lection of other farms in our valley
whose boundaries extend from the
stream to the foothills and the expense
OF which has been borne wholly by the
men who own the lands fronting on the
stream. | have even ascertained. IS
near as | could from men in your en-
ploy. what it costs you annually per
front foot to construct and maintain
the dykes on another farm which you
yourself own fronting on this stream.
My proposition is that you pay over to
me Il sum equal to the average cost
per annum per strea am-foot frontage,
and since I wish to be fair, yes gen
erous, l will fix the sum which I pro-
pose that you pay at really less than
estimate the average cost to be of
maintaining the dykes to protect these
other farms which l have mentioned.
l will use this money which you pay
nCC6S-
sary expense. the amount of which 1
shall use my own judgment, in main
tanning our dykes. and if. after 1 have
used all the money which you have
paid over I find it is not sufficient. 1
shall pay the deficit out of my own
pocket. If it develops that the amount
which you have paid is more than suf-
ficient to meet all the expenses, l shall
again be generous and return to YOU
the surplus.
Contradicts Statements.
Il have heard it repeatedly stated in
discussion on this floor that real estate
owners within the District of Columbia
pay very much lower taxes in propor-
tion to the actual value of their hold
ings than are paid by property owners
in almost every other city of any inn
portance in the Union. Based on my
experience, / say that this statement is
inaccurate. I pay taxes on a number
of parcels of real estate distributed
through four boroughs of the city of
New York and in the city of Yonkers
as we'll as on modest house ! own
within the District of Columbia, and
the general average paid on my New
York and Yonkers property in proper