Evening star., 1915-11-16

as compared with the larger taxpayer
ne has been or is made to bear an
undue, proportion of the burden of
his condition by rejecting Uncle Sans
half contribution and doubling the tax
burden to be borne by the District
taxpayers as whole, including him.
self?
Block to Radical Taxation.
The half contribution of the nation
irterferes with single tax levy on
the naked land of the District that
will be from the radical single takers
viewpoint thoroughly and ethically
conhscatory. This is the only reason
that can be imagined for an insistence
upon an unnecessary doubling of the
capitals tax burden before applying
to 1t the improved single tax plan Of
raising the necessary taxes
Mr. Browne. assailing the law of
1873, holds that Congress has so spent
the national contribution to the capi-
tais revenues since 1873 as not to
whole: that this national contribution
has trickily slipped past the individ-
ual and gone automatically and ex-
ciusiveiy to increase ground values in
certain favored localities. and has thus
In some occult fashion increased rents
and cost of living everywhere, and
through increase of the cost of living
has caused the undesirable celibacy
OF many thousands of young men and
women in the District
There are some ppzzling features in
this reasoning. Since Congress appro-
PIRATES the District revenues from the
Treasury. where the local and national
contributions are inextricably mingled,
now can ony one be sure that the local
tax contribution separates itself and
goes wisely to the development of the
whole capital. and to the betterment
Of the whole community, while the ma
tlonaI contribution. after similar
separation goes unwisely or corruptiy
through favoritism to the undue de-
velopment of certain localities? Since
only small fraction of the total rev.
enue was spent in these streets and
kindred improvements in all the sec
ticns and still smaller fraction in
the few unduly favored localities, how
does the faint of misuse attach to the
whole of the national contribution.
even assuming that only national dol
improvements?
Slur Upon the Nation.
rs not the confident assumption that
it must have been national dollars that
thus went wrong in its essence un-
patriotic. slur upon the nation and
upon Congress and the President of
the United States, representing the ma
ton?
Perhaps after all an injustice has
been done the national dollars of con-
tribution by the charge that they
separated themselves from the local
dollars in the Treasury ana flew auto
matically like iron to magnet to the
corrupt uses: that have been ascribed
Perhaps the local tax money really
furnished the erring dollars that went
to pay for these unwise and improper
improvements. and perhaps the ma
tional contribution was All-wisely ex-
pended on schools. or sewers or police
or fire departments. Would it follow
in this event that the local tax con-
tribution to National Capital mainte-
excessive rents. high cost Of living and
undesirable celibacy, and should on
that account the local tax contribution
to capital maintenance be withdrawn?
Congress has spent the District reve-
nues since 1873 wisely. economically
and effectively for the public good. with
minimum of waste and favoritism
and graft and a maximum of material
ical. mental and moral betterment of it's
people. The wonderful changes in
Washington wrought under the opera
tion Of the half-and-half law have
been. in the main, for the benefit of all
Washingtonians. and of all Americans
abiding in the capital
Expose and Punish "Gang."
"If. as alleged. there Is gang Of
corrupt or purely selfish and seif-seek-
ing men. who have infested and preyed
upon the District. segregate. expose
and punish them. Do not punish the
community as a whole for the gangs
alleged ofYenses Instead Of sesregat-
ing and Furnishing the gang the small
, taxpayer. whose taxes have been in the
past proportionately too large, Is under
the Browne proposition to have them
doubled. or very largely increased: the
resident of section which complains
| that it has not had its fair share of the
benefits under the half-and-haif ar
rangement is to be cut Off from any
share in the future by the withdrawal
| or radical reduction of the national half
contribution. From his who has not
had is to be taken away even what he
hath.
Ruin is thus threatened to the small
property owner. the alleged neglected
and unfairly treated tax payer of the
past. For the bankruptcy to be suf-
| iered under confscatory doubling of
| local taxes is not of wealthy tax-dodg-
ing winter residents whom some oppo-
nents of national contribution make
! verbal pretense of pursuing. These
men can AFFORD to lose their confscated
| Washington real estate, IL they have
| any. and will promptly remove them
\ selves from the city's tax list and fiit
elsewhere II their interest suggests this
course: This bankruptcy will be suf-
| fered by men and women among the
| $4,000 small property owners and home
/ builders in this city on our a., 500 list Of
| taxpayers. whose little all is inyeste ed
| here in supreme confidence in the good
! faith Of Uncle Sam, and who cannot es-
| cape or resist his heavy confiscatinp
| hand. Under the present heavy burde1
/ of taxation thousands OF these small
| properties are. 1t has been shown. sold
| annually for taxes. and many Others in
| satisfaction Of mortgage debts. What
| would the result be IL their tax bur-
den were increased one-half by assess-
| ing at actual full valuation without re.
| ducing the rate? What Ii 1t were dou-
bled or tripled, as has been proposed?
Means Multiple Taxes.
Single tax here means in practice,
result multiple taxes. The primary pur.
pose of the sing1etaxer is not attained
unless the tax on unimproyed land is
substituted for other property taxes
and becomes in fact the single tax.
Experience has shown that the ef-
feet OF single-tax agitation in the Dis
trict is. first. to increase assessment
and taxation of unimproved. property
without lessenipg the. tax burden -on