The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-06

purely municipal from the purely legis
!, latiye expenditures in the District bulge
!, !, or to arrive at an equitable proportion o
contribution by taxing the Federal gov
eminent on the basis OF the value Of IL
real estate holdings In the District. Con
: tinuing, he declared:
i Neither do / believe that an equitabl
proportion can be stated In terms OF per
4 centages. Any hxed apportionment i'm
3 plies a marked division between nationa
: and muntrspal functions and interests
i and II there be such division In the ma
Z ture of events II must vary from year u
, year. Assuming that there Is such
division of interest. II must follow tina
] IL the half-and-half be entirely just and
equitable this year II may well be thai
next year 1t will be unjust and inequita,
BILE.
o. s. Should Control Capital.
81 believe that the national government,
, should assume full I'D sole response.
bility for the Nationa. Capital. meeting
its every expense by a direct appropria-
ton from the Federal treasury: that the
people here should contribute toward the
national expenses an amount equal 70
the taxes paid by citizens OF other Amer
lean cities of approximately the same
size. The people here will gladly bear
such a burden. the nation will not will
ingly ask them TO bear more.
"Of these fundamental facts one and
Z one only is the corner stone, and that
is that when this republic was estab-
lished under its present Constitution II
was deemed necessary and exepedient to
establish a Federal Capital in a place
wholly and exclusively under the turis-
diction of the national government, and
free from any local control"
| After quoting the provision OF the act
| Of 1881 requiring that: TO the extent
| to which Congress shall approve Of said
| estimates, Congress shall appropriate
the amount of fifty per centum thereof:
and the remaining fifty per centum OF
such approved estimates shall be levied
! and assessed upon the taxable property
| and privileges In said District, other than
| the property OF the United States and OF
the District of Columbia" Mr.. Brownlow
| continued
No Real "HaIf-apd-haIf, System.
Notwithstanding the mandatory char
acter OF this legislative language shall
i believe, be able TO show you that the
expenditures OF the District OF Columbia
have not been made on the half-and-
half basis and that, as a matter Of fact.
there is no such thing as the half-and-
half system.
1T Is purely a legislative fiction. The
actual effect OF these provisions for half
and half appropriations Is to charge the
full amount OF the appropriations for the
District Of Columbia to moneys In the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated be-
cause there being no account on the
books Of the Treasury Department and
no revenues of the District Of Columbia
In the Treasury Department there can
be no charge made for any part of ap-
preparations against the revenues OF the
District OF Columbia. 1t is in this re-
- O.
purely a legislative fiction because
while Congress does. It is true, appropri- |
ATE under the half-and-half system the !
actual transaction which takes place Is |
that all expenses of the District Of Col |
umbia are paid out OF miscellaneous re- !
ceipts Of the United States in the Treas |
ury Department which are not otherwise |
appropriated.
Surplus Goes to the U. 8.
TT there should be shown by these an
nuai statements prepared following the |
close OF a fiscal year that the District OF
Columbia has paid into the Treasury q |
greater amount of money than its share
OF appropriations that balance is L part |
of the miscellaneous receipts OF the Uni
ted States and is used in meeting appro-
priations made by Congress for any and
every purpose
IF Congress is to continue the half and |
half trust that you will incorporate in
your report. suggestions for legislation
which will make II an actually instead
of a fiction. To do this. II will be neces-
sary for Congress to direct the Treasurer
to accept deposits of tax monies collected
in the District OF Columbia as a trust
fund. to be held to meet the 80 per cent |
of the annual appropriation chargeable
to the District. Inasmuch as the District
cannot know in advance of
the action of Congress what the total
amount of the appropriations will be. II
will be further necessary. IL the half and
half is to be made an actuality. to refrain
from Ievying any TAI until after the APP
are made. then divide the
total OF the appropriation by two and
apply the result to the assessed values of
the District OF Columbia. and Ak a tax
rate that will bring in the desired amount.
or course, I do not believe that Congress.
in its wisdom, would ever agree to 30
and impracticable a system.
Two Distinct Entities Involved.
THE only theory upon which the half
can be sustained. and the same
statement would apply to any other fixed
percentage proportion, Is that in the ,
District of Columbia there are two dis /
tinct entities, the municipality and the I
Capital; that these two emit ,
ties have some interests in common. !
some interests that do not touch each
other, and some interests that are mu- +
tually antagonistic, so that the supreme
legislative power is required to decree
an arbitrary compromise. Ia
IF II Is a municipality in fact, despite ;
the residence Of the Federal government 4
here. II should be erected into an actual
and the government treat 4
ID only as a resident II II is In fact. | 4
Is I contend. the National Capital. and I
nothing else. then It should be controlled h
by the National government absolutely. 4
Every expense should be met out Of the '
Federal funds, and Congress in making n
avs and providing money for the Ma n
ional Capital, should not be limited by h
my arbitrary rule predicated upon the /,
ictional existence Of a mythical munich h
'ality. nor should II match dimes with q
he folks who happen to live here A
"As q matter Of fact. Congress- never n
as felt this limitation. Since ISIS II has n
ime and again appropriated more than a
vice as much as was raised by local 2,
axes, and, on the other hand, THE and m
gain 1t has failed to appropriate double a.
he amount OF the District revenues.
'roadly speaking, Congress long ago as
- r. L. -