Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-13
Rep. Crisp Sees an Imaginary
Washington of Fabulous
Values.
HEAVIER ASSESSMENT
THAN RICH CHICAGO
Poor Capitalize Would Be Taxed Far
Higher Than in the City
of Highest Rates.
No. III.

the half-and-half provision OF the
organic act, Representative Crisp
pictures Washington, in magma
ton. as d most extraordinary and
incongruous paradox On the one
hand. IT has. he SAYS. very few
wholesale houses. practically no
manufacturing industries or en-
terprises" and rs maintained and
supported almost entirely by the
money paid out to government
employees, On the other hand,
this community. without indie
pendent resources. onc-third col
orcd, composed almost entirely
OF government employees and
those who supply the latter's
needs. owns more taxable real es-
tate than is owned by Baltimore
and Cleveland combined, or by
New Orleans. Indianapolis,
Louisville and St. Paul COM
bined; owns a greater total valua
ton oil real and personal prop
crty than Chicago, and not very
much less than Cleveland, Mil
waukee, Cincinnati and New Or
leans combined: and is so rich
and strong in the possession OF
these fabulous riches that it can,
without hardship, much more
than double its present tax-bur-
den under which it pretends to
be staggering, and can pay per
capita tax levy greater by far than
is paid in any other city OF the
United States. and twice the per
capita tax levy paid by other
cities OF its class, like New Or
leans. Milwaukee and Detroit.
The fundamental error of the
George taxation report and the
Crisp assessment is the assump-
ton that in American compari-
sons OF assessment and taxation
the highest conceivable market
price, constituting full value in
the owners mind if he is to sell,
is in America the taxable or as
scssment value of real estate The
figures and comments of the 1910
census show, as / have already
pointed out. that in respect to
iull valuation OF real estate for
taxation purposes nobody IS
doing it. In Massachusetts and
New Jersey and in a very few
scattered cities in & few other
states there is nominally full
valuation. but analysis OF the as
scssment figures shows conclu-
sively that full valuations are not
made even there i'll fact, and the
census slurs the accuracy of the
reports of full valuation. Hardly
anywhere else in the United
States do the assessors place in
actual figures OF dollars and cents
so high an assessment valuation
on taxable real estate as in Wash
1ugton. The census figures which
have printed show. for instance,
that. assessing on the two-thirds
basis. they report greater real es-
tate values in Washington than
III the whole OF Baltimore, and
that their two-thirds assessment
~ the taxed fraction OF Washing
ton exceeds by many millions the
iull 100 per cent valuations of
such cities as Detroit, Newark
aud Jersey City.
Relatively to the other cities
with which tax comparisons are
made. the Washington assess
mcnt is already excessively high.
To double this assessment, as by
adding S4I4,ooo,ooo to an assess
ment OF SSSo.ooo,ooo. as suggest
cd. would mean quick and COM
Dlctc bankruptcy.
This bankruptcy is not of the
yealthy tax-dodging winter resi-
Tents. whom our constitutional
legislators make verbal pretense
~ pursuing. since they can afford
"a lose their conhscated Wash
iugton real estate, if they have
my, and will promptly remove
themselves from the city's tax
list and fit elsewhere, if their in
Icrest suggests this course. This
bankruptcy will be suffered by
he 10000 small property owner:
and homebuilders in this city. on
our $4,000 tax list, whose little all
is invested here in supreme conf
dence in the good faith of Uncle
sam, and who cannot escape o,
rcsist his heavy, conhscatins
land.
The tax revenue which the
local taxpayers could reasonably
contribute would be entirely mad
equate to sustain the capital a:
Il NOW exists, or to keep it in lin,
OF natural development A re
pudiation of national obligation
III respect to the nations cit,
4