Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-19

double IN IA ton of the District ana 10
ward off bankruptcy. Is it not still need
ed? If there is doubt the subject
! should not that doubt be resolved in favor
of the District, since the half and half
law is fair and by continued existence in
JureS no one
No Immediate Repeal
Why should Congress abolish the
haIf-and- law at this session.
either directly or indirectly? The last
! Congress- instead of abolishing it. re
affirmed it. and left future action con-
corning it dependent upon the report
of the joint congressional committee.
This committees report does not aboi-
ish the half-and-half law. or, We
have seen, on the whole. recommend
its unconditional abolition.
The prejudice which caused mem
bers of the last House to vote to abol-
ish the half-and- half provision was
based upon the belief that this law
was unfair to the nation: that under
its operations the Washingtonian was
grossly nndertaXed; that his tax bur
den WAS only one-haif that of the
resident of the average American city;
and from this belief sprang the de-
mand that the half-and- half law
should be repealed in order to do
equity by imposing practically the
whole burden of capital upbuildinS
upon the local community. and by re-
lieving the nation correspondence of
an unfair financial eXaction. The vital
alleged fact in which this belief and
this prejudice We're rooted that
the realty valuation of Washington in
1912 was s.I4. 900 900 and that this
realty was consequently in that year
and today underassesSed for taxation
by several hundred million dollars.
The Senate denied these contentious
and the issues thus raised We're re-
ferred to the joint fiscal committee for
determination. The contentious Of
Washington on these issues voiced in
! 1898. and familiar to all of us. were
vigorously urged backed by irresisti-
BILE evidence, by the joint citizens com
mittee at the recent hearings.
The joint congressional committee
finds on all the vital issues of fact in
favor of Washington. 1t sustains as
fair and reasonable the recent assess
ment of Washington realty which dis
closes nearly two hundred millions less
of realty values than We're alleged to
exist in 1912 by the So-called George re-
port. II finds not only that the Washing
tonian is not underaSSeSSed. but that as
compared with the resident of comparable
| American cities he is not undertaXed; that
| his per capita of property taxes. about
/ SIG. is a reasonable tax burden, more
than which should be eXacted that
while the Washing tonian is contrib
uting all he equitabiy should toward
capital upbuilding, more instead of
less should be done bf the nation. in
response not only TO the impulse of
equity, but of enlarged patriotic pride
in the nations city.
| Does any one believe that more than
an infinitesmal fraction of the rep
| resentatives who in the last House
We're mised as to the controlling facts
would have voted they did if they
| had known the truth as disclosed by
! the joint committees report and the
sustaining evidence? The joint com
mittee finds in effect that the half
, and-half provision is absolutely fair TO
the nation. WHY should those who
voted against it because they thought
1T unfair continue to oppose it after
its fairness has been demonstrated?
| The Real Issue.
/ Can any one question our contention of
the real issue before the joint congress
sional committee? Running through the
entire House and Senate debates on the
repeal proposition is the thought that
the vital issue is the gross undertake
ton of the Washingtonian and the I'M
fairness to the nation of the excessive
ly small local contribution toward CAPT.
tai upbuilding.
| What, for example, Mr. Prouty says
is repeated in substance by many
/ others.
Congressional Record. vol. ii. p. $751;.
corroc, .,'n;h NE o,ri rs iiitenaen 10
mar js tbe ganer,I ,Indar,,.I',. -, 81
| ,eaI es.ate Tbe l,st assassr,a,, ~
real estate in Inc District nj CoIrr,bia
. amounted IN abo,It s2ln onG 400 rhe
i committee maj rnads ms in,,.s,jo.,inn
found thai inc actIl:,I r.,st, ,.sI,tn -, :,
verv conse,vaiive basjs - e.. oon oon
n tba ,ro,,ar,, IL, ~ tif',;, =
CoIumbia was assessed az n - .ssass.d
.Isevbers i, ,.n,,Id ,"jea 49, -
.,l,,,at =, -, Nv, 80 NJ maj
,a,,ses ~ 49, Ti,rtr. - - = :, c"
tr ~ s,,,t iII.,,,,a "a -. i,'
rrn,,oei,io r' -, c,.a.,a 49,. -. ''!,, ,i
sio,,,I ,',,,,,i,,.a III ,hr,.t. e,
a,I iss,,o 81 ,,e,,ao' - " INC nc
80 80. - y go, 80 - - :" 'ei' an
4.yts,. u az" Vi '''e 0hSfi'"o"s
cn,'.ra.,fo,,.,1 paoor, ,or .e.e
&c NJ - r. w., 49,, p ! 'oo,
800 ~. asi'''7 ION mas iie
80 80 an" Ivy OH
g',rS 80 SIZE II IS mar J.
$50 "tJ.st ~ ionSen lepuie lfie .aN-
pa u ti'e h'teo states 10 pa! nan
Apehses VI tue i'is'ie' Oh Noiuh-
p4a-
=. Asos, .
Says Mr.. Prouty: NO one who has
considered this question will believe
mat the people or the city OF Washing
ton are taxed even fairly, as compared