Evening star., 1915-11-16

and taxing before we appropriate. and
that We have the benefit of the indefinit9
iproportionate plan. 1t is completely
that plan that Commissioner BrownloV
! says all we need to do is to change
: the opening clause in the appropriation
: bill.
| THE law of 1878 contemplates n careful
statement of the Districts legislative
needs by the Commissioners in the form
OF estimates, revision OF these estimates
by the Secretary of the Treasury. an ap-
preparation of the amount of these es-
inmates to the extent that Congress ap;
proves them. and then. and not till their.
the collection as taxes from the local
community of precisely one-half the
amount of This appropriation, no more and
no less.
But in practice and in fact Congress
imposes n reasonable tax upon the capital
community IN advance of the appropri-
alton. and if it fails thereafter to APP
/ propriate twice the amount Of the tax
mus raised in conformity with the direc-e
tioh OF the organic act IT has in the past.
disposed as 1t pleased of the surplus thus
uniawfuily created. spending il on the
| District without duplication. or divertincS
IL TO purposes more national than local
or ttne lawful and equitable way) hold
ing IL to the credit of the District to ba
duplicated at some future time when it is
needed. - -
-
! Weakness of Proposed Plan.
| summarizing, friends of Washing,
! ton who believed in the abstract merits,
OF the Morrill-Hoar plan of financing
the capital should not urge that it be-
substituted for the half-and-h half arr
rangement: % Because its princip,sr
is already in force and controlling i'm
the practical operation of the law OF
80 10 the extent of giving the half.
| and.nalt provision a necessary or de-e
sirabie fexibility; (2) because at it's,
| pest Is equitably construed and applied,
1T would make little If any difference
| IN .ne degree of national interest and
participation in capital upbuilding to-,
| DAY. and thus would do no good. (35
ana because at it's worst if ineauitablv
applied it will destroy the fixed andA
easily ascertainable measure of ma
ional participation in capital deyelop.,
| ment and open the way to non-partici,.
| pation, for which powerful influences
inimical to the capital are scheminr:
great harm.
| III the committee decides that the
present taxation at the SI.5O rate and
| tWo-thirds assessment is reasonable
Wny NOT recommend repeal of the law
| limiting the Commissioners in their
| estimates and otherwise leave matters
| as they stand?
| Congress has put the cart before the
morse by taxing the District before theo
| exact amount which il was to raise,
and pay under the organic act had
| been determined by the annual appro-,
| priation. 1t has, however, tried sue,
| cessIul!y to keep an approximate half,
| and-half balance of account in spites
OF small fluctuations from one side Of
the account to the other in a series
| of years."
Must Promote Peoples Good.
Mr.. Noyes said further:
The governing and the financing OF
the capital are inseparably coupled
and intertwined in the act of 1878. AMI.
no substitute for that act will be wel''
balanced and entirely equitable unless
it takes into account and closely CON-
meets the power to control with the OBJ
Iligation to maintain and develop, and
unless 1t protects and promotes the
rights and the welfare of the people Of
the city with the same jealous care thar
is shown in adorning and guarding th,,
interests of the material inanimate
capital. q,
Conclusions. :,
| 81 Primary and full responsibility
| both in respect to the control and to
the maintenance and upbuilding of
| the capital, is in Congress. represent
ing the nation. and should forever rel.
main there. Power and obligation are
inseparably coupled. =
| lie PcUptc Ot Tie Cdpltal SnOul0s
have full representation on the same
basis as other Americans in their ma,
| tional legislature; and the fact that
] Congress is their sole local legisla +,
ture as well as their national legisla-
| ture only emphasizes their right to this
representation. u
'Such representation should be pro-s
vided in a manner not inconsistent with
| the supreme power and obligation Of,
Congress, representing the nation, I'M
| respect to the capital. This doctrine I.
| is suggested in my individual and not
in my representative capacity.
| "3. With primary and full financial
responsibility for the maintenance and ,
| upbuilding of the capital in Congress- II
| representing the nation. what amount
of definite proportionate contribution +,
| can equitably be eXacted for capital
| maintenance from the people Of the,
District of Columbia? ~
No Heavier Tax Equitable. =, =.
1--WE have endeavored to prove that
| the Districts contribution under the
act of 1873 of one-half of the total OF /.
appropriations provided in the District
appropriation bill is not too little for
| Washington to pay. We have tried to
1 show that this contribution imposed
upon the local taxpayer a tax BURDEN
| equal to that which is borne by the
4 Americans resident in cities most close
| ly approximating Washington in size
and conditions of environment We
| have contended that a local cont-iburo
| tion in this amount is reasonable a.I
between Washingtonians and other,
Americans and as between the locat,h
community and the nation, and THAR
no heavier tax burden than this can
eouitably be imposed. y
IF in the judgment of the committee,
| some other proportionate contributiop-
than that now required should be provias--
ed our contention has been that thiS1
new proportionate contribution should
be definitely fixed by this committees
and related to minimum annual ape
preparation by the nation for capital'
maintenance. Our reasons for urginSf-
this safeguard against excessive taxa
tion of the capital community by a tax
ing body in which it is not represented
have been fully set forth; and also our-
reasons for urging you to determine
for yourselves the equitable proportion
ate contributions while the facts and
reasonings are all before you, and not
to leave the question uncertain and,
fiuctuating to be determined annually
without the thoughtful deliberately
which you are able to give 1t. in the
rush and hurry of each recurring sesr,
sion of Congress.
Suggestions as Individual. =,
"In my individual and not my repre-
I raStf hat h..