Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-23
determine the relation Of the amount
Of these contributions, respectively?
The history of the capital has demon

determine the relation Of the amount
Of these contributions. respectively?
The history of the capital has demon
strated distinctly that these contri-
buttons should be definite and related:
and that II indefinite and unrelated TO
insure justice each contributor should
have q voice in determining the amount
of his contribution.
Since the day of the creation of the
capital the nations obligation toward
the nations city has been the same
primary, exclusive and dominating
Not the obligation itself. but the De,
gree in which 1t has been recognized
and met has been the fuctuating fac
tor in the equation.
From 1900 to 1s74-1s7S the national
and local capital contributions were in
definite and unrelated. Each CONTRIB,
uted what it pleased toward capltal
upbuilding. The nation measured its
own obligation in terms of dollars as
next to nothing. The local community
raised and disbursed it's own taxes at
it's pleasure 1t measured its capital
obligation considerably beyond the
limits of its meager taxable resources,
and twice became practically bankrupt
in performing almost unaided the ma
tion's task of capital building.
In 1878 the nation confessed its V1o-
lation or gross neglect Of its capital
obligation. 1t gave practical express
sion to it's revived sense of this obli
cation in it's undertaking to pay one
half the accumulated funded indebted
ness of the District and one-half of
future expenses. 1t took from the Dis
trict the power of self-taxation and
assumed complete exercise of the
right to fix the local contribution as
well as its own. In thus exercising tax
alton without representation over the
District the nation safeguarded the To-
cal community by the pledge that to
every dollar collected in taxes from
the local taxpayers should be added a
dollar from the national Treasury, and
that the aggregate revenue should be
expended for capital upbuifding. This
provision protected the District from
excessive taxation by causing tax
gatherer, alien to the unrepresented
District, to appropriate from his own
treasury for the Districts benefit every
time he appropriated from the Districts
tax revenue. Every dollar he took
under the tax power from the local
community increased correspondingly
his own capital contribution.
1t IL now proposed to release the
United States from its self-imposed
promise to contribute q definite amount
annually In meeting it's obligation OF
capital upbuilding and to leave that
amount uncertain and huctuating. ON
the same basis as before 1878. But 1t
IL not proposed to return to the Dis
trict its power which existed before
1873 OF fixing through self-taxatfOn
the amount Of its own capital cOntri-
button. The nation IL to continue to
exercise the power taken in 1873 to
tax the District as 1t pleases. but 10
freed from the Limitation imposed upon
excessive local taxation by the Obliga-
ti0n under the organic act of CORE
spOndingly taxing itself.
II, however, the nation IL not to share
in municipal tax paying. the nation
ought not I'm equity to fix the amount
Of local taxation. II the local Commune
nifty In to raise substantially all Of the
local revenue, it must ON American
principles tax itself, determining for
itself how much shall be raised. and
by what methods Of taxation, and for
what purposes the tax money shall be
can be NO "just- or reasonable" local
taxation imposed by an alien body in
which the taxed are not represented.
Under the half-and-half plan hostile
tax imposers are held in check by a
system which causes every increase
in local taxes to increase correspond
ingly the national contribution; under
the substitute every dollar of local
taxation that can be raised decreases
the necessary national
the welfare of the unrepresented and
impotent local taxpayers?
Summary.
This hasty review of pertinent capital
history suggests the following con-
illusions:
l. The fluctuating plan of indefinite
fixed from year to year
by Congress, deprives the capital of the
effective safeguard against excessive
local taxation and of the guaranty of
a substantial annual capital cOntri-
button by the nation, with which the
lf-and-half plan blesses it.
.. 1t furnishes no ground whatever
Of stimulating and charging the ma
tons sense of obligation toward the
capital. This plan. under which the
nation, through Congress, fixed from
year to year the national contribution,
existed from 1900 to 1878. During this
period the national obligation was pri-
mary. exclusive. dominating. just as 1t
is today. The nation. with full liberty
to measure it's capital obligation in
dollars and contributing what 1t pleas