Evening star., 1914-04-25


SOD. Buffalo ($9,4 400, 73D or Baltimore (ss,-
S43 .OOO. The small taxed fraction Of
Prouty's Washington, fabulously wealthy,
though comparatively destitute Of visible
tax burden as great as those of wealthy,
rich and populous Baltimore and Mime
apolis combined: or Buffalo and New Or.
leans combined; or st. Louis and st. Paul
combined.
Mr.. Prouty's speech contains table
which gives the figures Of expenditure OF
the states of the Union, "the entire ex-
penses of the state, including the pay OF
all state officers. its legislature and the
maintenance Of its universities, eleemosy-
nary institutions, penitentiaries and state
departments" These figures may be COM
bined with the census figures concerning
city's tax burdens to put in an even more
striking light the excessive and bank
Prouty for Washington.
Washington's tax burden at $15.OOO.OOO
would be only little less than that OF
st. Louis ($12.354,91S and Of Missouri
Baltimore ($s.s43.O .Oo5). MARYLAND (s27o7.-
800 and Georgia G3, 79s. 622) combined, or
Baltimore, Maryland and Louisville t$3.-
4,226 combined. or Baltimore, Mary
land and two cities Of Des Moines (s3.-
OIL .47s) combined. Washingtons tax bur
den would be equal to that of Louisville
CS3, ,eo26) and all Kentucky (s4,966. .s7O.
Des Moines Cs1,535, 739) and all Iowa E3,-
127 ,69O, and Atlanta, Ga. (S1.93o34D,
combined. Is it reasonable for Johnson
Prouty and Crisp to impose upon the re-
sourceless small owners of the tiny taxed
fraction Of Washington burden as great
In dollars as the combined burdens OF
Louisville and OF Kentucky and OF Des
Moines and Of Iowa and of Atlanta?
Mr.. Prouty proposes to crush the 5000
taxpayers Of Washington. only about 500
OF whom. including corporations. pay over
81 600 in annual taxes, and 10000 OF whom
are small home owners, with tax bur
troit 0S,e7757D and all Michigan s5.-
9.62N combined: about the same as
those Of Cincinnati G7,5ss.51S and all
Ohio 81, ,493. 599) combined; considerably
more than Minneapolis $5692.24D, St
699. .054) combined: considerably more than
Milwaukee e6,s5a. .113). Wisconsin Gs5Soe',,
543), Charleston. S. c. ts547,s6O, and
South Carolina G1. .7sD combined: /:
more than New Orleans ($5.1s2. .42I, all
(s5. .s1e) combined, and more than all
New Jersey (s53s6s34s), Jersey City G3,-
570,954) and Indianapolis 33,4 $3.50, with
other cities or states amounting to TWO
and one-half millions thrown In for good
measure.
Imaginary Bankrupting Riches.
Is not the proposition reduced to an alb
surdity7 Prouty. johnson and Crisp for
taxation and confiscation purposes Inn
pute such vast imaginary values to
Washington realty and personally a. to
threaten to deprive this property OF all
real value and to bankrupt these unhap-
py Croesusee, destroying them with the
weapon OF their own alleged but non
existent wealth. The imputatiQn OF riches
which they have not Is used to rob them
in excessive taxes Of the little which they
really have.
Does any one suppose that Washington,
IL 1t could by any possibility bear the
tax burden of Baltimore and Minneapolis
combined. and could meet from its own
resources the full expenses OF capitai
maintenance and upbuilding. would en-
dure for q moment the government Of an
anti-District House District committee,
exercising unsympathetically, unfairly.
despotically and even cruelty the power
Of exclusive legislation over 1t tntrusted
to Congress by the Constitution?
II these imaginary taxable resources
really existed Warrington would de-
mand and secure the American priv
ilege OF taxing itself for municipal
representation ON the same basis as
other Americans in the Congress and
the electoral college.
The imaginary wealth Of Washington
the single-tax basis up to point where
through excessive and unendurable taxa
tion private ownership may be DESTROYED.
and by virtuous robbery of the individual
d. the single-tax principle the state may
come into possession of its own. The I'M
putatfon Of vast wealth is not designed to
enrich. in fact the Washingtonian, but
to destroy him as property owner, to de-
prive his land of all value and to take it
away from him Being in fact self-sup-
porting individual Of small means, he is
called, SO far as private land ownership
is concerned, Dives in order to trans
form him into Lazarus. The second
item Of Washington's imaginary wealth
is one or two or three hundred millions of
intangible personally which multi-mil-
ionaire tax dodgers are alleged to have
brought here from various states of the
Union. Assuming that any such money
has been brought here, 1t is not an avail
able tax resource Of the capital Wash
ington is far from being the only juris-
diction where intangible personally is
not assessed for taxation. and Whatever
to escape taxation would promptly 20
elsewhere IL taxed.
The exaggerati0n Of riches in both as
poets tends to bankrupt and pauperize
1t imputes too great riches in order to
destroy the small resources actually en-
Joyed. The Washingtonian is bloated YER
bally into the aspect Of vast wealth in or
der that he may be financially DESTROYED
He is like the pasha in Marryat's novel
who Is described as a man whose head
is elevated somewhat above those of his
fellows in order that he may be the more
conveniently decapitated.
III COn8ress were convinced Of the
accuracy Of Mr. PrOuty's figures and be-
lieved Warrington to p0ssess the al
legged enormous taxable resources 1t
ought not to impose the taxation vPo-
posed BY this tax bill. 1t should with.
draw the nation from Aaancial particle
patton in capital uDbuildinE and leave
this community, blessed with such
taxable resources, to tax itself. II
WashinktOn can raise easily an annual
tax levy Of $15.OOO,OOO the nation
should take NO part I'm financing the
municipality3 and ~ q logical and
neeessary sequence It should take no
part in deterninfng In what amount
and by what methods and for Whaf
purposes the Community shall Be
DENIES DESERTI0N CHARGE.