Evening star., 1915-03-29
BY THEODORE W. MOVES.

p We wv .Ss
representation can be made OF the ex-
ercise Of full power over the municipal
fund by its half-contributor. But as
soon as the nation becomes minority
contributor to this pitai.maintenance
EQUITABLE right exclusively to control it
It must devise some way in which the
will of the majority contributors to the
capital-maintenance fund shall prevail
as to the amount of taxes to be raised
the forms of taxation to be employed
in raising 1t, and as to the purposes
for which the capftal-maintenance fund
shall be expended.
The turning over Of the local taxing
power to the majority taxpayers should
be genuine and not bogus and deceptive
If Congress retains exclusive power Of
LEGISLATION under the Constitution over
District of Columbia affairs, including
taxation, and merely enlarges the city's
opportunities to be heard in petition. or
merely increases the number Of official
petitioners, or merely gives the District
the right to name its official petitioners to
Congress as Commissioners and a vote
less delegate. the municipal taxing power
will not be transferred. and Washington
will be buncoed and gold-bricked.
If It sold its birthright for mess Of
pottage at the founding of the city it
will have been deprived of the pottage
without restoration of its birthright. and
will have been swindled of both birthright
and pottage.
Not an American Birthright.
The theory that the nations half con-
tributlon In lieu Of taxes gives It a plaus-
ible ground Of controlling the municipal
corporation assumes, of course. that
while representation in Congress is. when
certain conditions are met. an American
right, representation in q municipal cor
poration Is not an American birthrfght-
In fh0
officers of cities are by delegation from
the people of the whole state, in whom
the ultimate sovereignty. as modified by
the Constitution of the United states, re-
sides. In New York. from 1771 to ls2l.
the officers of the municipal corporations
were appointed by the governor. and four
senators chosen every year by four sub
divisions Of the assembly. Instances OF
the Intervention Of the state government
into the affairs of cities, amounting in
some cases to Indirect Acknowledgement.
have not been lacking in later years.
Universal suffrage Is demanded by re-
publican principles only In the choice OF
those officers who exercise purely gov
ernmental functions, and not In the &C.
lection Of agents by municipal corpora-
lions to perform duties affecting private
property interests.
Taxpayers take the place Of share
holders in other corporations. In dis
bursting funds for municipal purposes the
only II those who contribute the money
direct Its expenditure In the case OF
our local municipal corporation the nation
pays half the taxes. so to speak, ana.
with moro or less Of Difference to the
wishes Of the other taxpayers. does all
of the deciding as to the methods OF
disbursement. Such a system Of expend-
Ing the municipal funds while 1t ts very
far from perfect. comes much closer TO
enforcing the will Of the taxpayers than
. - l&k. liz fvSf fku q p
Of determining such ex-
penditures by unlimited popular suffrage.
which gives to non-taxpayin9, trresponsi.
BILE voters the power to expend exeravar
gantly and corruptly the money sup
Piled BY the taapayss. an ta6 n.seso e.
. fund upon an equal footing In the mat
ter Of deciding how and BY whom the
fund shall be distributed. Under II have
resulted In intolerablo mis1ovefument ana
robbery Of tho taxpayers In many OF our
American cities
Taxation and Representation
Tho requirement Of local residence
for eligibility TO the commissionership
goes far to work q practical compli-
ance In tho local municipal govern.
without Representation" the gist Of
which is that the man who puts up the
money should say what shall be done
with Il The District taxpayers Include
9heis amount sn T. and no al al, 9Th other local prop
erty owners combined as to the other
so per cent. Uncle Sam. through Con-
gress, decided all questions OF tax
raising and ta1 disburstng & But tne
sioners. who under the law are local
residents and representatives. Of the
community. take the initiative IN franz
ing appropriative legislation BY pre-
Thus the one-half taxpayer through its
representatives the Commissioners
proposes the tax raising and tax dis.
bursting which will meet the needs OF
the people OF the Dstrict; ana aI.entsr sns e1asr
these propositions When an appropria-
ton Is made in this way II represents
the will of all or the great bulk OF the
In sharp contrast with this practical
compliance with the principle that only
those who contribute to fund should
say how much should be raised and how
practice in many other large American
cities. where tax questions are de-
termined by unlimited popular suffrage
and where organized non-taxpayers have
by mere force Of numbers been able to
seize the city's purse and to spend as
they pleased or to steal the money con-
tributed by the taxpayers. AS long as
the Commissioners remain, as they are
vision OF the law to be. the genuine
representatives of the Views and wishes
Of the local taxpaying community. the
taxing and approprtattng legislation for
the District will thus come closer to
representing tho will Of the taxpayers
than that In any other great American
city.
~ Vtoe- hn
right on equitable American principles to
control the finances Of. the municipality
But It Is doubtful whether under the
Constitution. in its present shape, It can
make genuine bona-f1de transfer Of this
fun power to the local a majority w. tsse Sc
ington Law Reporter. November 10. 1879.
and 1t may be found that nothing less
than the absolute divorce OF nation and
capital. which would follow total repudi-
alton Of the capital-maintenance obliga-
ton. will accomplish fully this equitable
transfer. II this turns out to be the case
all the protests against total repudia-
tion of Observation-Disclosures obligations.
which lOpically means the destruction OF
the nationally controlled capital Of the
to the mere diminution of that national
since such diminu ton
threatens the same destructive result.
Not Genuine Self-Government.
In 1888 in a Star article pointed out
the limitations upon the power Of Con.
gress under the present Constitution to
give genuine municipal self-government
to the District even If 1t wished. Much
of what was then said is applicable to.
day. ,,,,..
of Representatives, in a report made
I,,na 1874 stated the following truths: