Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-11


Since the Washingtonian Is already
reasonably taxed. and since the dupli-
cation of that tax money mt this time
represents no more than the needed.
equitable and adequate expenditure by
the nation for capital maintenance and
arrangement should not be OveTthrOwn
in order to substitute In it's place n sys-
tenn favored I'm the abstract by some
influential friends of the District, and
by some good WashinGtOninns AS well.
which treats local taxes national
taxes to be covered into the Treasury.
and imposes the obligations of apprO-
priating for capital maintenance and
development squarely and exclusively
upon the nation, the amount of such
appropriation varying. however. from
year to year. i'm the discretion of Con-
geess. without any relation whatever to
the local tax contribution.
There are strong arguments in favor
ton and capital, and 1t WINS near to
adoption in the seventies Of the last
century. when 1t was advocated by some
Of the best friends Of the District. in
Guiding cOnspicuOusly senator Morrill,.
But after deliberate consideration tho
half and half arrangement. was.
think. wisely adopted in 1878. and I'M
der its fair aud beneficent operation the
Capital city Inns ceased to he re-
prOach aud shame to the nation and
The vital feature of the act Of 1878 IS
that 1t fixes n definite equitable stand
ard OF national participation I'm capital
making, and docs not leave this stand
ard to the shiftinEs Of caprice. 1t
practically makes the taxpayinE abil-
ity of the community the measure of
proSision for meeting tho capitals mu-
nfcipal needs and of the annual mr.
ftonnl expenditure I'm capital upbuild-
Ing. In the years when the nation. de-
string, as always. to do W hat is right.
Is Indifferent rs to detail in local con-
Germs it provides n stable, reliable ma
tiOnal expenditure upon the capital.
which is prevented from bein~ eX-
cessive by the requirement that s!.all
be duplicated by taxation upon COM
munity which lacks fn n superlatiVe
degree taxable resources. If the nation
In any year has wished to do more in
contributor could afford, it has nd
vanced the additional money needed by
the District ms a loan to he repaid with
Interest in instnllmcnts. When the
nation has, on the other hand, been In
scrfmDinG mood and has been I'M
willing to appropriate In any year an
amount equal to that which the capital
community could raise by reasonable
taxation. Congress has not scrupled to
appropriate only the smaller amount,
and thus to create for future DISPOSE
ton an unexpended surplus Of Dis
trfct Tux money not contemplated by
the law.
Summarizing. real friends OF WASH
inEtOn who believe in the abstract
merits of the MorrilI-HOnr plan of
financing the capital should not ut this
time urge that 1t be substituted for the
hnlf-and-haIf arrangement: ~ he
cause its principle In already in force
and controlling in the practical opera
ton of the law of 1878. to the extent
of giving the half-and-half provision n
necessary or desirable fexibIIity; CD
because at it's best if equitnbiy, con-
If any. difference in the degree of ma
tfenal interest and participation in emp
nal upbuildinE today. and thus would
dO~nO good; 80 and because at it's
worst il inequitabIy applied It will de-
strOy the fixed and easily nScertainabIe
measure of national participation In
capital development and open the way
to DISQUALIFICATION. for which power
full influences 1nimicaI to the capital
are scheming and labOrinE. And thus
II might do great harm.
Why destroy nm Arrangement which
Is fair and has worked wonderfully
we'll for nation we'll as capital and
throw relations between nation and
capital into chaos If nothing mate
rally fairer and better can emerge
from this chaos than the system which
now prevails. and when there may
emerge q relation and ARRANGEMENT
which to the rain Of the capital COM
munity will wholly OF largely eliminate
the nation from participation in capital
maintenance ind upbufldinE.