Evening star., 1914-02-05

method of spending this revenue than
that proposed by the Commissioners and
rejected by Congress, the Districts leg
islature is blamable. The reasoning
which treats this failure of Congress to
select from the many municipal needs of
the District sufficient to absorb the avail
able revenues as proof of the absence of
such needs and of an excess of local rev.
enue is fallacious and palpably unjust
Every dollar of available District rev.
enue under the act of 1878 is absolutely
needed and should be now applied by
Congress CD to adequate current main
tenance. bringing neglected branches up
to the mark; t2) to permanent public I'M
provements and projects Of DEVELOPMENT,
adding to the municipal plant for the
benefit of posterity as well as the present
generation; and go to payment of the
legitimate floating debt of the District,
including newly discovered Indebtedness
like that in connection with the heavy
additional charge against the District
taxpayers for the care at St Elizabeth's
of such of the nations insane as have
been arbitrarily and noninally treated
in the past as hailing from the District.
Under the previous local administration
the amount of District revenue not abso-
lutely needed for current municipal main
tenance was used largely in great ma
tional projects at the capital, Increasing
the attractiveness and incidentally i'm
proving the health of the city. Under the
present local administration the plan is
to utilize the funds left after current
maintenance needs are met in the phys
ical mental and moral betterment of the
people of the community as distinguished
from the material city. Every dollar
raised by doubling Of the city's taxes
which is not expended in meeting cur
rent needs is needed and should be spent
in capital development along one or the
other Of the two lines above indicated,
or it should be apportioned between them,
so that both the city as capital and the
people OF the capital community may be
benefited.
The truth that every dollar of this reve-
nue. is needed for capital maintenance
ana development Is not altered by the
fact that some congressman after cutting
down current maintenance appropriations
to the lowest point would make little pro-
vision for capital development along
either of these lines. and would seize for
the United States the surplus Of District
revenue thus unlaWfuily created either
on the preteXt of some imaginary ancient
debt or of a refundinS of some payment
alleged to have been improperly made for
the District by the nation, or by turning
this unlawful surplus into the Treasury
as miscellaneous receipts. and thus de-
voting District funds to national uses.
Examination of what has been accom-
plShed in past administrations in munich
pal betterment by this District revenue
above the cost of current municipal main
tenance and of what the present Commits
sioners proposed to accomplish with it In
such municipal betterment and of the
outsta nding projects Of capital develop
ment like the Anacostia flats reclama-
ton. Great Falls power development and
high pressure fire-hghting system for the
business section will convince any unbias
ed investigator that much more than the
revenues derived under the organic act
can wisely and economically and in the
public interest be expended on the Won
derfulIy developing capital.
Since the tax burden imposed upon the
Washngtonian by the present system is
reasonable. neither too light nor much too
heavy. and since the fund derived from
this reasonable taxation, when doubled,
will not exceed the amount required for
capital maintenance and development no
change or disturbance of the existing
financial relation should for moment
be considered.