The Washington times., 1915-10-28

wTlteT anu OtneT aTtlCleS ITOT tnS
Pennsylvania railroad branch Of the
| Y. NJ. G. A. In that city.
and other cities In its class. He de-
clared that the Indebtedness OF WASH
ington Is lower than that OF seven other
comparable cities. In round numbers.
Mr.. Browne gave the indebtedness Of
Washington. Ss.5OO,ooo: Buffalo, So. .0oo.-
900: San Francisco. S35. .0oO. 900: Los An
Geles. s43, ,0o0.O0 Milwaukee, Si. 90 900;
'S@S', co., Na@ oriesSs % s;OoS SSa1n ccs nna Mime
He added that II these other cities
chose to mortgage themselves and issue
bonds for municipal improvements 1t
United States ito spare the residents
OF the District Of Columbia from MAX
Ing such sacrifices and Investments"
Single Tax Doctrines.
| Dealing with that portion OF the citi-
zens committee brief that treated OF
| the maintenance OF capitals In otner
countries. Mr.. Browne interjected some
! single tax doctrines into the discus
| sion.
| The revolution In Mexico Is the re-
suit OF an effort to upset the fiscal con-
dition In Mexico. and the Anne fiscal
| condition prevails in the Mexican capt.
tai. After the war there will be no more
| heaVy taxes on industries, with large
areas OF land going practically free"
l., congressman Cooper said: before leav-
Ing the question Of capitals. he wished
to point out that the proposed Aus
tralian capital. Canberra. mentioned by
| theodore w. Noyes. was to be owned
outright Sn,s by the government. its land
| held by the government and leased to
, owners on long term leases.
! The plan In canberra," said Mr..
Browne. lis practically an exemplinca-
ton OF the half-and- half principle"
| returning to the half-and-half prIn-
clple Mr.. Browne said he wished to lay
emphasis on the fact that conditions n,
The Capital have radically changed since
the half-and-half law was enacted.
The annual expenditure OF the ,Loy-
| ernment for the District has grown
from 100000 annually to more than
| S'".O Washington now Ia rich a.u
fat Had the Government put all the
money II has expended on tho District
In permanent improvements. water
| works, schools and streets II could
have furnished with all the Improve.
ments other cities have gone into de OF
| to obtain.
Should Be Clear.
In other words this city would now
he In the same position as San Fran
cisco and other cities which have heavy
bonded debts. 1t seems to me thu
would be clear to anyone whose brains
were not embalmed In a cerebral sar-
cophagus"
Charles c. Lancaster interposed a
question as to whether Mr.. Browne was
representing anyone or merely pre-
senfing his own ideas from some es-
thctic or other viewpoint
Congressman Cooper said he thought
1t was immatcrial whom the witnesses .
represented SO long as they could give
the committee any facts.
That IL what wished to know" said
Colonel Lancaster.
"Organized bodies have been heard
here. said Senator Works. "and be-
I licve II Is proper to hear individuals.
Mr.. Lancaster again started to speak,
when Congressman Gard interrupted.
I'VE don't care whom he rpresents. we
want to hear him
~ & have much respect for Colonel
longs to five or six citizens' organiza-
tions. and. am told. works assidu-
ously at all OF them
Taking the brief he had prepared for
the George committee Mr.. Browne
started q review Of the history OF the
way the District was acquired.
Drove Good Bargains.
1T makes little difference whether
General Washington bought certain
areas. or how he acquired them. He
was the most experienced man In
America in real estate operations, and
District was acquired.
''The whole District could have been
bought, in his day. for the price OF a
single business block In the. down
depend upon human exertions not
upon titles. Three. .fourths of the city
OF Baltimore Is held by ground rents.
though a tremendous prosperity has
come to that city"
Mr.. Browne then launched upon the
attack on the methods OF assessment
In the District he had said he was go
ing to make.
ments in Washington. for the past
quarter Of a century. have not been on
the square. and are not now on the
sqhare.' he said.
middle OF a depression following a
panic. was 500. 1870 After four years
OF sound development. In 1878. we find
the assessment to have been $s7 .645. 28s
a falling of Of over per cent. Not unit
twelve years later. a period OF Rrea
growth and prosperity. did the assess.
ment again reach the 1874 mark. OF
about ninety-six millions"
Debt of $2O,00,O00.
: Now, In 1874. mark you, the bonded
, debt OF the city and other debts chalket
up a total burden Of $2o.9l6.OoS. Yet &
, fair assessment was able to valuat,
( property at the ninety-six millior
mark
e In passing. Mr.. Browne said h,
0 wished to read from an act passed be
7 fore the act containing the half-and
half plan. In that act reference wa
\ made to 'all amendments and organi
g acts"
II simply quote this to show tina
= there Is nothing sacred about the ac
which has been referred to here con
= tinuously as the organic act and tina
that act Is no magma charta OF the Dis
: trict's liberties. as the citizens com
= mittee wishes to impress you"
l In talking OF assessments Mr., Brown
: cited the purchase OF Rock Creek Park
x which, he said, resulted In the ac
:. price Of sl,l25.2l5, while the assesse,
" value Of this land. supposed to be as
: sessed at the true value thereof wa
y only sl33.334.
= He said the assessment Of land II
i the county" that part lying outsid
i the cities Of Washington and George
d town in 1892 was s9.4946lS.
"On the same basis as the price pal,
for this park" he continued. THE coun
ty would have been properly assessc
4 at $50, 200, 0O0."
Illustrates Effects.
. "The shrinkage of assessed value
after 1874 illustrates the effects OF tn
working OF the hnlf-and- half plan" sal