Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-11-21
HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU PAY ID KEEP
 UP WASHINGTON Each Citizen of II. S. Is Now Paying Six Gents Fer
 Year for Capital.
CONGRESS INTENDS
 TO SETTLE PROBLEM
Many Arguments. Pre- and Con, Heard ny Congressional Committee Named to Determine If Uncle Sam Get.
 ting Square Deal.
(By Jona than Winfield.)

(By Jonathan Winfield.)
 Washington, Nov. 20.--For the first time in nearly forty years. con- gress is taking official notice of the issue:
 "What should citizen of the United States contribute to the up- keep Of the national capital?'
 A special investigation committee composed of three senators and thre 3 representatives is now Investigating what Washington calls "the half-and- half plan.' This is the provision Of the organic act of 1878 wherein the legislature of that day decided that the federal government should pay Cne-half of the expenses of the national capital and the District or Colulnsbia the remaining half The annual appropriation for the distric amounts to about $12,o00,000.
 It is estimate! that the annual par capita contributions ef citizens of tha United States to their capital city is about six cents. The proponents of the existing fiscal arrangements Say that nobody obscts to, this small per capita contribution for the mainten- ance and Identification of Washing ton. The opponents of the half-and : half plan declare that if District residents were to pay their proper taxes the Federal contribution coul1 be negligible
 Tight-Wads Beneficiaries.
 For several years an agitation has been conducted in congress-and especially in the house 'of represen- tatives against the half and-half arrangement. 1t has been claimed by q coterie of house members that Dis trict property is under taxed. that . ''real estate ring" has tied up valu- able land which virtually escapes as sess'ment and that millionares cclrla here becaus9 their securities. such as stocks, bonds andA mortgages, are not taxed as intangible property is not assestsed in this city.
 The charges and counter charges about the equity of the half-and- halt plan became so heated in the last congress that it was decided to name special committee to- go into tn } question and determine whether the federal gov srnment ought to pay more or less than it does toward maintaining the city of Washington. ThiN comnlittee convened late in Oc- tober and will ba busy until congress is well on it's way next session. It comprises Senators Chiffon. of West Virginia: Salisbury, of Delaware, and Works, of California, represent ing the upper chamber, and Repre- nlentatives Rainey. of Illinois: Gard, of Ohie and Cooper. of Wisconsin. representing the house.
 The committee is hearing all sorts of testimony. District residents in the main aro satisfied with the pres ent arrangement and named citi- zsns' committee to uphold it. A num- Der of volunteer witnesses. single taxers and other. have celua forward however, with the allegation that the half-and-h half arrangement is not proper and the District can get along with less money from the edaral treasury.
 It is argued on the One hand that the federal government ought to be liberal in it's hous keeping and that the very magnificience of the plans for the city of Washington call for municipality so eXpensiva that the District residents could not maintain the capital without substantial aid. It also is argued that tho government owns millions lof dollars worth Of property here upon which it pays no taxes snd it's yearly contribution under the present arrangement is reasonable
 Rate is S1.50 Per Sl00.
 In rebuttal, it is argued that the very presence of the national capital here givss vJlue tc the property of District residents. and the city wouldn't be "worth whoop' were the goVeTnmCHI t7 nU -frfT7 Il ss..i sa aN 1t is claimed that Washington's tax bur den isn't hsHyy and her residents could pay more taxas without being oppressed. The present tax rate is S1.50 a hundred on personal property and the same on real estate. Tha lat ter, however. is assessed at only two- thirds it's value.
 Nevertheless, the advocates of the existing arrangement have presented arguments to show that Washington per capita tax is as high as cities Of like population and that Washington ians cannot stand mora taxes in a town where manufacturing deesn't exist and everything is subordinate to the federaT government.