Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13
SINGLE TAKERS
AND ORGANIC ACT
ParadoxicaI Friendly Unfriends
Who Stab HaIf-and-Half
Law BenevoIentIy.
ALL OF CITY BENEFITS
BY HALF-AND-HALF LAW
Single Tax Here Means Multiple
Taxes-No Single Taxer Should
Wish Repeal of Act of 1873.
No. TX.
February .. 1914.

No. TX.
February o. 1915
Among the paradoxical friend
" uniriends OF the hali-and-half
provision are those citizens who
think that they individually or
their section or their street have
not secured a fair share of the
benefits enjoyed BY Washing
ton from the INSTRUMENTATION of
the United States in the past. and
who instead OF remedying the al
legged injustice by compelling a
more equitable expenditure of this
District revenue in the future. pro-
pose or assent to the withdrawal
of the national differentiation.
Because they have received too
little OF the benefits from this rev
enue in the past they propose or
are willing that they shall receive
none at all for the future. Be
cause as taxpayers their individ-
ual burden has not (they think
been relieved by this revenue as
much i'll proportion as that OF
some other taxpayers III the past
they are willing now to reject en-
tirely the national half-contribu
ton and to double the future tax
burden imposed upon all District
taxpayers. including themselves.
All of City Helped by Organic Act.
1t is not true that only a few tax
payers. a "sans" of real estate owners
and operators In one section of the city,
have prOnted by the half-nnd-half pro-
vision of the organic act since 1878.
Most OF the great improvements which
have been accomplished since that date,
and wrought by the organic act. have
been such as are enjoyed by residents
as individuals and not in proportion to
taxatiOn-by the small taxpayer as
much as by the great. by those who
contributed only intellectually to the
improvement and by those who have
not contributed at all.
Only those who lived here thrty-siX
years ago appreciate how infinitely bet
ter it is now as place of residence,
how much cleaner, safer, more cultured.
more comfortable and more convenient.
The Washington of 1878 was a shabby.
ill-paved, ill-lighted. inadeGuately polfced,
nsufficiently schooled. almost uncleaned
city. with surface rent and ridSed as by
an earthquake, with streets of dust or
mud 1t had few sanitary safeguards.
Its sewers We're insufficient its water
supply was questionable in quality Crime
was frequent and in certain stretches OF
the city it was unsafe to walk alone.
Deadly railroad grade crossings took
heavy toll annually in human lives.
There were only poor excuses for street
transportation. fire-fghting facilities We're
insufficient. Washington was a struggling
country village. sprawled out over a large
area and offering proportionately few
benefits to its jewellers, i'll comparison
even with those enjoyed by the resi-
dents of other cities of that day. To-
day Washington is a city of clean
smooth streets. good sidewalks. eff
fect!ve sewerage. pure water. numer-
Gus. we'll equipped and exceptionally
well administered schools, admirable
street lighting. one of the best iire-fight-
ing forces in the world. perhaps the best
police force for its size i'll the United
States. the finest system of rapid transit
anywhere to he found, a complete free
dom from disfguring and dangerous aeria'
wires, emancipation from the evil of
embarrassing death traps-in short,
and education. of protection and pro
gressiveness. city so close To being a
model that il needs now only continued
work along the lines laid down since 1878
and pursued until very recently by wise
congressional enactments and co-opera-
ton with the citizens to become the fair
est. most prosperous and best equipped
city in the world All this change has
occurred not merely coincidentally with
the working out of the organic act. hut
in direct and unquestionahle result of il.
Thus. these improvements have made
the city more healthful. giving il better
protection for life and property. a better
water supply. better police and fire pro-
lection, better sewerage. better and
cheaper transportation facilities. better
and cheaper heat and lighting. better and
cleaner pavements and sidewalks. cooler
and healthier streets, shaded by thou
sands OF additional trees: better schools
and libraries more extensive park areas
the lungs of the city. the peoples breath
ing places. and hospitals. Fairgrounds.
etc in the old times entirely lacking.
infinite ways in which under "A system
which secures from the nation equitable
participation in the cost of capital nc.!n-
tenance and upbuildng, the city has De-
veloped for the physical mental and
moral betterment of all Washingtoni.tGls
as individuals. whether poor or weit-to-
do, however small their tax contributions.
whatever their occupation and il What !
ever part of the capital they may reside. !
How any individual taxpayer could pos I.
sibly be agSrieved by tne assum?ton of (
| -ncIe Sam of onc-haf Of the bCrt-a OF !
Observation-Disclosures ara !
capital-maintenance. and could suggest /
or assent to its withdrawal is beyond the /
reach of the nor:-al Imagination II the ,
is that in respect to the ,
item of street extension and improvement /
of the city or one small |
section Of one-quarter of the city has
received more in appropriations from
the general revenues than il is en-
titled to when compared with other sec
tons in REORGANIZATION and population.
then the remedy is obviously 70 devote
less of the genera revenue in the future
to an unduly favored section and more
to a neglected section. and not to render
his equitable equalization impossible by
cutting down one-half the general reve-
me to be devoted in part to this purpose.
IF the small taxpayer believes that as
with the large taxpayer he has
aeen or is made to bear an undue proper
lion of the burden of canital maintenance
viii he improve his condition by rejecting
I5Tcle Sans half contribution and oou-
bling the tax-burden 10 be borne by the |
District taxpayers as a whole, including
himself?
No Tax Reform Repeal of 1878 Law.
Those Who thtnk they think that It