The Washington times., 1915-01-24
ASKS KSD|STR|CT TO
URGE HALF.AND:HALF
MacfarIand Advises Citizens to
Use Their Influence in Get
ting Facts Before Congress.

Urging the citizens Of the District
70 do all in their power to interest
members of the House in support Of
tES Senate action striking the John
son rider from the District appropri-
alton bill. Henry B. + Macfariand,
chairman of tie executive committee
Of tho committee OF 100. has issued
the following appeal:
Nov that the District appropria-
:fion bill goes to the conference cont
'nittee of the two horses without the
rider abolishinS ;hc half and half
plan, we arc being asked wnat can be
zone, to support the action of the
senate in striking out the rider. or
.ouree we cannot appear before the
conference committee, for it never
snes hearings, and moreover. that is
not necessary. since oil the members
OF tnat committee arc well informed.
5ut We can aud should continue to
tsAerCise the right OF petition by
bringing the facts to the attention OF
our personal friends in the Senate
and House and by getting friends
mere ano elsewhere to Il" the same.
Hearing From Homo.
Many patriotic citizens all over the
country. hearing of tho threatened leg.
'slation, have written to their Senators
and Representatives againgt it, and
others would gladly 40 80 if they knew
ABOUT 1t. There is no doubt about the
strong desire Of our fcllow-countryrlea
to preserve the progress Of their Ma
ttonal Capital and indeed to increase
the rate Of progress. There is no doubt
that they want 1t to be made the be ct
capital on Garth, and as rapidly as po1-
elble. They. realize that this cannot
% done by the comparatively few peo-
her> Il
xrudse the cents per capita which they
contribute as against the sl7 per capita
contributed here. They think It cnly
Just that the whole country should cor-
nance of the common capital, re gardless
Of the fact that IT. owns at least one
Ealf In value Of thereal estate Of Wash
nston. and controls II as strictly GOV
strnaental city.
In presenting the factu. to Senators
aud Representatives we should especi-
ally call their attention to the United
States census bulletin lis, OF 1918, giving
tho only official comparative etatems mt
Of assessment and taxation In tho 11J
cities Of the United States having over
5000 population in 1872
Complete Answer Given.
'Irhese official figures arc practically
Ignored by the opponents Of the half
and-half plan. Yet they are the only
20tuoIlIatlNo etatlSuC5 and are, OF
course. entirely impartial. They give
= complete answer to the statistics
prepared by individuals attempting to
show that taxation and assessment are
lower here than In cities generally.
stated-nrst, that tho per capita as
sessrent Of property in Washington
was $1o6o in 1917 and that this was
more than the per capita assessment
In 155 of the 1876 cities. Second, that
the per capita tax levy. which is the
assessment and the rate combined, and
ts the only true measure of comparison,
was $50 IN Washington. which was
more than the per capita tax levy in
~ out Of the 1876 cities. Baltimore,
fhtladelphia. New Orleans Seattle,
Jersey CITY. Kansas City. 1ndianapolts,
Louisville. st. Paul, Atlanta. Toledo,
Columbus, Worcester, Birmingham,
Memphis. Scranton, and other great
n nlanufacturing and commercial cities
Of much greater wealth than the Ma
ucnal Capital are among those having
q lower per capita tax levy.
These figures were not compiled by
us or by the District of Columbia GOV
errnent. but by the United States Gov
eminent They ought to be conclusive
with Congress"