Evening star., 1916-08-16
Two Rules of Justice.

yet there is rule of common sense
and common Justice: A country, a state
or a city Is entitled to have expended
for its benefit just what it is willing
to raise in taxes or to incur in public
indebtedness and not another dollar
and not another cent. If Washington
insists on eating nothing but cake it
should be permitted to raise the
dough- SO says Representative John
son.
There is another rule of common
sense and common justice and Of
American principle:
"In our representative republic the
country, the state city is entitled
to exDend for its own benefit. exactly
as 1t pleases, just what II Is willing to
raise in taxes, and nobody else Is en-
titled to cause it to raise or expend
u cent of tax money agaiBst it's will.
"If Washington IN to raisc all its
dough 1t alone In entitled to say whether
it's dough shall make cake or bread. II
Washington, by>tts taxes. rnises all the
revenues for the maintenance and nm
building of the capital. Washington
will he entitled to say for itself how
much tax money II will raise and how
and by whom this money shall be ex-
pended for the capitals benefit
If Washington is, American ia shion.
to pay for whatever the capital gets
it must. also. American fashion, con-
troll its own payments and that for
which II pays.
Everybody recognizes that the rela-
ton Of the residents Of Washington to
the capital. the nations city is not
precisely the same as that of the resi-
dents of any other american city to
their own city. Neither of these rules
which have been cited, stating rights.
privileges or obligations of Americans
outside of the National Capital, applies
minutely to Washingtonians.
Of fhn init fl1
pay in taxes all expenses of the ma
tion's city. nor can they be permit ted
by the nation to control 1t.
The peculiar relation of nation to
capital community requires discrimi-
mating treatment. The nation has al
ways been more ready to discriminate
against than for the capital community.
1t has never favored Washingtonians
as taxpayers when most liberal and
considerate. 1t has imposed tax bur
dens comparable to those of other
cities. 1t has denied Washington rep
resentation far beyond the equitable
requirement in this respect to protect
the nation. There is no excuse what
soever in national necessity, in logic,
equity or common sense FOR denying
the Washingtonians national represen-
tation-representa in the Congress
which controls the capital, and rep
resentation in the electoral college.
Unjust Slurs Upon Washingtonians.
What have WashinstOninns done or
left undOne to bring upon them the
.,urring ASSAULTS TO which they have
been subjected.
What is there In the past record OF
the present condition of the people Of
washington to prevent their cOnstitu-
tionaI legislators from viewing them
with appreciatiOn and esteem? In num-
hers they exceed the population of sev-
eraI of the states. They are drawn from
and reflect the spirit of every section Of
the Union. Owing no divided allegiance
to a state, they are American In n pecu-
liur sense, the most American and ma
tiOnaI Of all Americans.
They are now generally recognized as
by far the largest contributors to the
upbuilding of the capital They gave
of their own property that the nation
might practically own and exclusively
control a national city. They donated
TO the nation five -sevenths of the area
of Washington. They gave the land from
the proceeds of the sale of which the
original public buildings were erected.
Nearly all the work of street improve
ment and capital-making which was done
for three fourths of a century was done
by them. Through disregard by the ma
ton of its financial obligations to the
capital the Washingtonians were in 1885
forced into bankruptcy in the public
spirited attempt to bear alone the ma
tion's burden. In the same spirit they
endured in the seventies the travail of
the birth Of the new Washington. They