Evening star., 1914-02-06


Since the Washingt"nian is aIrcady
reasonably taxed and since the dupIica-
ffen of that taN money nt this time
represents no more than the needed,
equitable and adequate expenditure By
the nation for capital maintenance and
uPbuiidfnE. the present haif-snd-ha
arrangement should not he overthrOwn
In order to substitute in Its place IA
>Sstem favored in the abstract by some
infuentiai friends Of the District and
b! some good NaShinEtOnians as well.
which treats local taxes as national
taxes to he covered into the Treasury
and imposes the obligation of ap-
propriatin. for capifni maintenance
and development >quare'. and eacim-
s1ye1S upon the nation. the amount of
such appropriation varying however
from yeur to year, In the discretion Of
Congress. without my relation what
ever to the local tax contributions.
There are strong arguments in favor
of this financial relation between nn-
tfon and capital. and il was near to
adoption in the seventies of tine last
century. when II was advocated by some
OF the best friends of the District. in
Guiding cOnspicuOusiy senator Morrill,.
Hut after deliberate conside rut ion the
hnlf-and-half arrangement was. 1
think. wisely adopted III 1873. and un-
der its fair and beneficent operation the
Capital city has ceased to he
preach and shame TO the nation and
has become an object OF national pride.
The vital feature of the act ct 1873 is
that IL fixes definite equitable stand
ard of national participation In capital
making, and does not leave this stand
ard 10 the shiftinEs of caprice. II
practicall. makes the taxpaying abiI-
.ty of the community the measure of
prov lsfon for meeting the capitals mn
nicipal needs and Of the annual M
tfOnal expenditure in capital Upbuild-
ing. In the years when the nation.
desiring as always TO d" what Is right.
is indifferent 10 detail In local con
Germs. II provides n stable. reliable na-
tiOnaI expenditure upon the capital.
which is prevented from being "N-
cessiye by the require that it shall
he duplicated by taxation upon COM
muEity which lacks IN sUpeTlattNc
degree taxable resources II the nation
In any year has wished to do more In
capital upbuiiding than its local CO.
contributor could afford. il has ad-
yanced the additional money needed by
the District as loan To he repaid
with interest In in>taliments. When
the nation has, on the other b1nd. been
in a scrimpin. mood nnd has been un-
" ilIiBg to appropriate in any year an
amount equal to that which the capital
community could raise by reasonable
taxation. Congress has not scrupied 4"
appropriate only the smaller amount,
and thus TO create for future DISPOSE
tion an uDexpendcd surplus of Dis
frict tna money not contemplated by
nc law.
Summarizing. real friends Of Wash
inEtop who believe In the abstract
merit. of tho NOrrfIi-IIOar plan of
financing the capital should not at this
time urge that Ii bc substituted for the
haIf-and-hnIf arrangement: Ga he
cause IL. principle is already in force
aud controlling in the practical opera
tian Of the law of 1S.S. TO the extent
of giving the half-and-half provision "a
necessary or desirable fextbiiity; 90
because at its best If eauitnbl4 con-
strued and applied it would make hstir'
if any, difference in the degree OF
national Interest and participation in
capital upbui Idinr today and thus would
dc no good: go and because nj ITS
worst II incauitnhiy applied II will de-
strOy the fixed and easily ascerfnfnabIe
measure of national participation IN
capital dcN eIopmeni and open the way
= tu nom pa rticipntiOn. for which power
fuI ipfIcnccs tntmicni To the capital are
scb~minS and Inb"rinE. And thus II
mig mt do Z reat harm.
Nby destroy arrangement which
il iair aud hns worked wonderfully
well for nation "a well capital and
throw relations between nation and
,nujtaI into chaos II nothing mate
rinIIy fnir~r and brtter can emerge
from this chaos than the system which
now prevails, aud when there mn,
emerge relation and arrnngemen,
which to the ruin of the capital COM
munttv will wholly Or largely eliminate
| the nation from participation IN capita
maintenance and upbuiidinE: