The Washington herald., 1915-01-09
District Issues Clear Cut in Senate.

Capital it will do so understandingly and not with
the questions involved beclouded, a condition which
existed at the close of the debate Thursday The
issues were fairly and inteigently presented yes
terday by two men whose craftsmanship is recog-
|; nized on both sides of the chamber, Messrs Root
and Gallinger Senators who heard these two ad-
dresses will not be voting in the dark.
: Their remarks emphasized the one striking
feature of this debate on the District bl-the fact
that the leaders of the movement to destroy the
fundamental principle of the District government
are not only woefully lacking in understanding of
conditions, but not willing to fairly pre-
sent such information they in possession of.
In their effort to win votes for the sudden destruc-
ton of the half-and-haf principle with no regard
for the chaotic conditions which must ensue, they
have based profound arguments statistics ap-
Parently taken from the manual of Col. Mulberry
Sellers and have not hestaled to state haltruths
to aid them in making point.
In sharp contrast is the attitude of Senators op-
posed to sudden and violent disruption of the gov
ernmental system. In full possession of all the
facts and confident of their ground, their attitude is
simply that if the present system is wrong it
should be made right by due legislative process and
not by a haphazard amendment bound to result in
endless confusion. Senators Root and Gallnger
were not speaking attorneys for the taxpayers
! of Washington; they were arguing for the preser-
vaton of the present system until it is shown to
be wrong and until new one can be substituted by
orderly proceeding instead OF the destruc-
tion of it by a sudden blow, the full effect
of which upon the government machinery it
would be impossible to determine until the
problems OF repair have to be met, long after
the Sxty-third Congress has expired If there are
people living in Washington who not con-
tributing their just share of taxes, Senator Kenyon
he Of -boI
are now opposing his efforts to bring about dis
order IN any project he may undertake to compel
them to pay in full. Undertaxaton in Washington
was really the keynote OF the attack of Senator
Kenyon and his supporters. Practically all of their
assertions have been disproved time and again, and
the absurdties OF the report of the George COM
mittce, upon which the Iowa Senator relied so con-
hdenty, have been shown repeatedly by actual
transactions in real estate The old assertion that
the small home owner pays more than his share
OF taxes while the rich owner OF property in the
favored sections pays less was, of course reiter
ated, but was robbed OF most of its effect when
Senator Smoot, of Utah, Joined in the debate as
the George report was referred to. Senator Smoot
is not accounted poor man; he lives at 1921 Con-
nectiCut avenue. Here is what he said
81 do not understand how the assessment could
be 90 per cent of the value upon any property in
the District of Columbia l will say to the Sena-
tor that the experience l had in the District was
about as follows:
The first time l was assessed upon property
in the District of Columbia l asked what my
property cost l showed them just exactly what
paid for it, and they said that under the rule the
property was to be assessed at two-thrds of that
value. From that day to this have paid as
sessment on two-third of the actual cost of my |
property Not only that, but | was required to |
show the invoices of all my household furniture,
and | am assessed today for more than everything |
that is in the house would sell for.
"Thcrc is not any question at all about that l |
do not understand how report of that kind could
be made by anybody who would make exami- |
nation, because they do not profess to assess prop
crty at more than two-thirds OF the value"
Apparently Senator Smoot spoke of his own
experience merely in the interest of accuracy He
did not appear the champion of the half-and-
half principle. Possibly there are isolated cases
OF undcrtaxaton in the District, and if SO they
should be discovered and the remedy applied. But
there cannot be many such cases. Senator MARITIME,
who spoke briefly Thursday, said:
81 look around and l am astonished TO find so
many empty houses. In company with gentle
man from New York couple of weeks ago
walked down Massachusetts avenue, a beautiful
glorious street. but it was 4ankcd on each side
let,' and some of the houses were covered with
placards to such extent that you could not tell
whether the building made of stucco, brick
or shingles"
a member of Representative Ben Johnson's
Plaza Awards Committee made the statement pub
licly few days ago that there 10000 vacant
buildings in Washington. Will Senator Kenyon or
Representative Johnson contend that the Massa-
chuSetts avenue houses described by Senator
MARITIME the vacant buildings referred to by the
plaza awards commissioner undertaxed? Ger
tanly the owners of the vacant property would be
disposed to disagree with them.
The half-and-half principle may be wrong, but
that has yet to be proven. Certainly Washington
is not undertaxed, and just certainly its $4,000
residents, 90 per cent OF them wage earners de-
pendent wage earners, cannot contribute in
taxes sufficient revenue to maintain the great Capt.
tai of a nation of 95,ooo,ooo as it should be main
tanned The Johnson amendment proposes to de-
5troy the half-and-half principle without providing
substitute. The result would inevitably be chaos.
But, happily, the Senate stands firmly in the way
Of its enactment.