The Washington herald., 1915-10-29
The Case Of the District Of Columbia


All of one and portion of another session Of
the Joint Congressional Committee investigating
the fiscal relations between the Federal and Dis
trict governments have been devoted to listening
to broadside of jumbled statistics and confused
arguments and accusations intended to support the
theory of the single tax. If it be true that the
duty of the committee as defined by action of Con-
gress is to determine what proportion of the ex-
penses of maintaining the Nations Capital should
be contributed by the Federal government. then
it would appear that time is being wasted No
one imagines for a moment that the committee
will recommend to Congress that the single tax
system be applied to the District of Columbia as
the solution of an imaginary problem. and yet up
to the present the opponents of the half-and-hah
principle have brought practically nothing but
single tax arguments to bear against it. They
are especially concerned because land values are
high in the District and houses are built in rows
and rent at high figures. Values will of course
be high as long the Capital is here with its
many great advantages as place OF residence; but
is too much to expect that the Federal gov
ernment's annual contribution will enable the mod
estly compensated employees of its executive de-
partments and their families to live in detached
houses low rentals The plan of the single takers
appears to be 10 reduce this Federal contribution
the difference but to provide the people with more
pretcntous homes at lower cost. 1t is beauti-
fully Utopan scheme, if they have figured it all out
and found that there is enough land and enough
land capable of producing the revenue
necessary to support the District and give the
wage-carners luxurious homes for less money. But
the single takers will have to suggest something
more feasible substitute for the half-and-half
system if they expect to make impression.
When Col. A. S. Worthington concluded his
address on behalf of the Joint Citizens Committee
OF the District, those who have followed the hear
ings had every reason to believe that the OF
the District is ably represented by three who
have appeared for t-Henry B. F. Mcfarland,
Theodore w. Noyes, and Col Worthington. While
the case of the District is not concluded by any
means. the outline presented by the three who
have spoken, indicates that all pertinent questions
will be answered fully and intelligcntly. Under
the of the resolution creating the Joint Con-
eressiona Committee, it necessary for the
of the District merely to prove
that. citizens and taxpayers here have borne a
full share of taxation under the existing plan any
change which would impose upon them greater
of the total of maintenance of the
National Capital would be unfair.
Approaching however that recent debates in |
Congress have developed belief in some quarters
that the wisdom of maintaining fixed proportion !
Of contribution by the Federal government is open
10 question, the citizens committee started from
that point. Their careful review of conditions !
which obtained in the District when no fixed pro-
portion was maintained and their quotations from
statements Of legislators Of historical repute ad-
hitting that the absence of such fixed proportion
was responsible for these disgraceful conditions,
must have gone far toward convincing the COM
he growth and civic and physical development of
he Nations Capital The representatives of the
:itizcns' committee have shown beyond hope of
successful contradiction that taxpayers of the Cap
tai pay, per capita, higher taxes than taxpayers
other localities under similar conditions of pop
llation and locality called upon to pay. Sta
istics of the Federal census offered which
will be substantated by sworn testimony, disprov-
ng the charge that District taxpayers are under
assessed and therefore undertaxed. Furthermore, :
he citizens representatives have indicated their
.bty to discredt absolutely the figures of the
George (IoI2) report on taxation and assessment
n the District, which have been used the basis
or most of the attacks against the so-caed half
nd-half plan in Congress /
If the faith of the committee in the glitterng
,cneralites which have been INDUCED in by detrac
ors of the National Capital has not been at least
shaken by the presentation of the three represent
tves of the citizens committee, those who have
ollowed the course of the investigation to date
will have reason to be surprised.