Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-17

Mr.. Prouty's figures OF compa
tax burden In the above table are shown
to be misleading and worthless, not only
by the census authorities in discussing
the basis on which these f1gurbs rest.
but by the srotesque results which fol-
low acceptance of the accuracy Of the
reports of the relation Of assessed to
true value. and the attempt to use this
false reported relation as a factor in
measuring comparative tax burdens.
According to Mr.. Prouty. Washington
is not only the lowest taxed American
city. but is the richest in per capita
deusion of vast wealth in Wash ngton
is H. ]. Brownies contiscatory single-tax
estimate of 1912 of s744.000.000 realty
values at the capital Mr. Prouty en-
as accepted by Mr.. George, because by
so doing he can at one stroke make q
point both against Mr.. George and his
capital constituents. Apparently Mr.
cessive estimate was reached. whether
it is accurate or inaccurate, fair or un-
fair to the people of Washington. The
excessive and confiscatory character of
this estimate was shown in considerable
detail in The Star Of February Il. 1911,
On the basis CT Mr.. Brownies guess at
Washington realty values Mr.. Prouty
figures that Washington can easily raise
in annual taxes s14.s37, 900. He uses his
own guesswork concerning and manipu-
lation 0. the tax rate to show ,hat
Washington can readily collect an annual
levy of $14,917, ,2e1.75.
Mr.. Prouty at the last session said:
The committee Of one hundred knows
full we'll that if property in the District
of Columbia was taxed substantially the
same as 1t is taxed in Nher cities it
would produce over sl5.0oo.o00. While it
requires about $14,000.0o0 to pay al ex-
tai IS
Washington in tax-raising capacity "A six
to seven million Il fourteen to fifteen
million city?
A Six or Fifteen Million Citye
The last column OF figures in the table
throws some light on this question. It
shows that Washington In 1912, with its
property tax levy of $5,398,9S4\ raised
mere taxes than twenty-four cities in a
list of forty, exceeding such cities as
New Orleans, Jersey City, Indianapolis
and ST Paul. 1t shows that If Mr..
Prouty's fifteen million property tax had
been raised Washington would have paid
in taxes more than st. Louis. Baltimore.
Detroit and Cleveland; only fourteen ex-
ceeding it,
Mr.. Prouty proposes to collect from
the local taxpayers $15.000,00O. approx
are now paying, making their per
| capita levy 30 per cent higher than the
| most excessively taxed city in the
| United States and two or three or four
times as much as other cities OF the
capitals class. Mr.. Prouty would raise
| from $4,000 taxpayers In resourceless
w. .shing ton more than was raised in
| 1872 in Detroit and New Orleans com
bined. about as much as Baltimore and
Milwaukee combined, % per cent more
than st. Louis, so per cent more than
lCleveland
What fair-minded American. in or out
of Congress, would attempt to collect
| from the 10000 local taxpayers. nearly
all of whom are small property own
ers. $15.OOO0OO or approximately twice
as much as the total raised in 1912
| through all kinds of taxation by Balti-
more. 80 per cent more than was raised
by the whole of Cleveland and approx
mately three times as much as was col
lected in all taxes in New Orleans?
| Where are tho Washingtonians to get
these fifteen million dollars of taxes. or
even the half of that amount, without
the sympathetic cooperation of Con-
gress. Their legislature has cut them
of from the money making opportuni-
Industrial city. They have no Rookie
| fellers or Carnegies or multi million
aires of any degree to be bled after So
cialistie methods of taxation for the
and manufacturers and captains OF In
dustry are consolidated in Uncle Sam
Their richest men are wealthy Ameri-
cans from all over the republic who at
capital These men are. like the work.
| men in the building trades, being
driven out of the capital and off the
city's tax list. Is it the plan to depop,,
on single-tax principles by excessiys .
1 fCon%Iur.1 rI1.L