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

Imaginary Bankrupting Riches.
Is not the proposition reduced to an
absurdity? Prouty. Johnson and Crisp
Tor taxation and confiscation purposes
impute such vast imaginary values to
Washington realty and personally as
to threaten to deprive this property OF
all real value and to bankrupt these
unhappy Croesuses, destroying them
with the weapon of their own alleged
but non-eXiStent wealth. The imputa-
ton of riches which they have not is
used to rob them in excessive taxes OF
the little which they really have.
Does any one suppose that Washing
ton. if il could by any possibility bear
the tax burden of Baltimore and Min
neapolis combined, and could meet
from its own resources the full eX-
penses of capital maintenance and up
building. would endure for u moment
the government of an anti-District
House District committee exercisin :
unsympathetically. unfairly, despotic-
ally and even cruelty the power of eN-
elusive legislation over it Entrusted
to Congress by the Constitution?
II these imaginary taxable resources
really existed Washington would de-
mand and secure the American priv
heSe of taxing itself for municipal
purposes. and the American right OF
representation on the same basis as
other Americans in the Congress and
the electoral college.
The imaginary wealth of Washington
consists of: First, realty assessed on
the single-taX basis up to point
where through excessive and unendur-
able taxation private ownership may
be destroyed, and by virtuous robbery
of the individual on the single-tax
principle the state may come into pos
session of it's own. The imputation OF
vast wealth is not designed to enrich,
he h limo hut RI
stroy him as a property owner, to de-
prive his land of all value and to take
1t away from him. Being in fact a
individual of small
means, he is called, SO far as private
land ownership is concerned, a Dives
in order to transform him into a Laz-
arus. The second item of Washington's
imaginary wealth is one or two or
three hundred millions of Intangible
which multi-millionaire tax
dodgers are alleged to have brought
here from various states of the Union
Assuming that any such money has
t-en brought here. 1t is not an avail
ahle tax resource of the capital. Wash
1pgton is far from being the only
jurisdiction where intangible person
atty is not assessed for taxation, and
whatever millions, if any, have been
brought here to escape taxation would
promptly go elsewhere if taxed
The eXaggeration of riches in both
aspects tends to bankrupt and pauper-
ize. 1t imputes too great riches in
order to destroy the small resources
actually enjoyed. The Washingtonian
is bloated verbally into the aspect o.
vast wealth in order that he may be
destroyed. He is like the
pasha in Marryat's novel who is de-
scribed as a man whose head is ele-
waited somewhat above those of his fell
lows in order that he may be the more
decapitated.
If Congress were convinced of the nc
curacy of Mr.. Prouty's figures and be-
heved Washington to possess the al
legged enormous taxable resources 1t
ought not to impose the taxation pro-
posed. 1t should withdraw the nation
from financial participation in capital
and leave this community,
blessed with such taxable resources,
to tax itself. If Washington can raise
easily an annual tax levy of $4,000, 900
the nation should take no part in
financing the municipality; and as a
logical and necessary sequence 1t
should take no part in determining in
what amount and by what methods and
for what purposes the community shall
be taxed.