The Washington herald., 1916-07-29
Half-and-Half Plan Defended.

L he Senate yesterday took up consideratioh OF
the District of Columbia appropriation bill,
measure in. which eyory taxpayer in the city has
more than an ordinary interest.
Senator Works introduced his amendment to
abolish the municipality of the District of Column
bia and establish in its place the city OF Wash
ington, under the direct and exclusive control
of the government OF the United States. Parlia-
mentary procedure blocked the disposal of this
revolutionary amendment temporarily, but the
general temper of the Senate is such that its
ultimate defeat is assured
In the wiping out by the House of the or
ganic act OF 1873 fixing the half-and-halt, or So
called hfty-hfty system of taxation, the Senate
District Committee has not concurred and the
bill as it appears before the Upper Branch of
Congress continues the existing plan of taxation.
The debate has already developed that the
District has staunch friends in the Senate. That
they will stand to the last for the retention of a
plan that is just and equitable to both the United
States government and the District of Columbia
seems certain
There may be defects in the present system
but the remedial legislation attempted by the
House is not the ideal, nor the practical solution
of these deficiencies
Senator Salisbury, who served on the joint
committee that considered the fiscal affairs of
the District at length, favors the retention OF
the present plan and his is not snap judgment,
but opinion formed after studying the subjed
from all angles.
Senator Lee states the we'll when he
says that Washington should not be left open to
every form of political experiment 1t is under
the protecting wing of the government and Con-
gress holds the purse strings but the people
of the District neglibe as political force help
pay the freight and their opinion, while not
urged the determining voice. should never
theless be given proper weight
In the bill it passed the House. residents
of the District asked to pay in taxes $S235ooo
of the sII,662,ooo that is appropriated An ex-
ceedingly unfair proportion.
Washington cannot be compared equally with
other large municipalities from a taxation stand
point. The magnificent structures that house
the government departments and the buildings
necessary for the other business of the nation
are not taxable realty If they were taxed on
their valuation, does anybody doubt that the
District would be overtaxed, rather than under
taxed as is charged by those who oppose the
present plan?
The commission which investigated the tax
alton question of the District in great detail
found that the people of Washington were taxed
as high as those of other cities Intangible
property and unearned increment NAV not be
paying llS snare, Dut tne owner OF a small home
is assessed just much as if he were living in
another municipality where he could have a
voice in its government
In the final analysis the present system works
no injustice on anyone. The people of the Dis
trict would like to have it continued. until some
better and perhaps more equitable plan is devised
The uncertainty with which the District taxation
problem has been surrounded has not served ia
add to property valuation. The shortest and
best route to the solution is the continuation OF
the half-and-half plan and we feel that after the
war of words has ended Congress will have ar
rived at the same conclusion