Evening star., 1914-04-13

pie are proud of their capital and, do not
begrudge the trifing contributions neces-
sary to pay one-half of the expenses OF
the federal capital. When based upon
purely penurious argument. that Is propa-
bly, correct. / suspect that based upon
purely penurious grounds the American
people would not hesitate to double the
contribution The American people could
relieve the people of Washington OF all
their burdens.
you would then have a holy city
where the select could dwell tax free
For 1000 years the Manchurians fooled
the Cinnamon in that same way Ihey
appealed to the national pride While the
ManchurianS dwelt in untaxed palaces,
the outside provinces were taxed TO sup
port them in their luxury. But after
while that situation percolated through
out even the remote provinces and the
Cinnamon revolted and overthrew the
Manchurian dynasty and property now
in that holy city is taxed Just the same
as property in other parts of the realm
Let me warn the citizens of the Dis
trict of Columbia and the members of this
House that SOME day the sunlit citizens
of America will become as bright as the
moonlit denizens OF China"
Higher Than Forty-Two States.
Mr. Prouty procured a table showing
that forty-two states spend less for their
own state governments than the federal
Treasury contributes to the support Of
Washington, while six states spend more.
Speaking Of the organic act Of 1878, he
said that 1t might have been justified
thirty-five years ago. but that no one
would claim that Congress IS barred
from changing that law II circumstances
pamphlet recently issued by the Wash
ington Chamber of Commerce, and the
statement contained in the pamphlet ina
one argument for federal aid is based on
the fact that the promoters OF tne CITY
of Washington gave to the government
the alternate lots for Its own use. MT.
Prouty said:
This is nothing more or less than the
ordinary speculative method reSorted 70
by promoters of town sites. No one Will
for a moment claim seriouslyy because
some town site boomers more than loo
years ago gave to the federal govern
ment certain lands then almost worth
less that it now creates a LIABILITY on
the part of the government to pay one
half the burden of taxation upon all the
property in the District Of Columbia.
He also ridiculed the argument that
federal aid is equitable because one-haif
Columbia is owned by the government.
Mr.. Prouty does not believe that
the government ownership of the streets
is any argument, because the peo-
pie of Washington use the streets OF
Washington exclusively.
Another claim was that Washington
has one of the smallest burdens of in
debtedness of any city of its class,
and asked why 'the citizens of Cleveland,
with per capita Indebtedness of $50
or the citizens of New Orleans, with
per capita Indebtedness Of s114. or the
citizens of Philadelphia with per cap
ita Indebtedness of s61, or the citizens
of Baltimore with per capita indebted
ness of s74, or Of New York city with a
per capita Indebtedness of S153 should be
required to come over and help carry
the burdens Of Washington with per
capita Indebtedness of s1475.
A hint of local pressure was given
by Mr. Prouty, when he said that Wash
,ngton has been influential enough to
induce Congress to carry half the ex-
penses in the face of the showing which
y -$1l