Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-03

~ I 4
| W/Z1NIkXX
preparation of only part of these es-
| Inmates, Congress has fallen into the
habit of refusing consideration of pro-
posals of District appropriations which
| do not appear In the Commissioners
| estimates. Under these conditions a
| surplus of unexpended District tax
| money is inevitable.
Danger in Artificial Surpluses.
The law Of 1900 thus prohibits the
statement by the Commissioners and
: the satisfactfon BY Congress of the
actual needs Of the District. 1t pre-
vents the nation inevitably from meet
ing fully its capital obligation. 1t auto
matically insures an unexpended sur
plus Of District tax money.
The present practice OF making No
| provision whatever concerning the dis
| position OF these artificial surpluses
| leaves them suspended I'm air, like Ma
| h0met's comm. Every such surplus, thus
artiAcially created, becomes n potent
| argument against the half-and-haif
| law, suggesting that this law is un-
enforcement In unnecessary and would
work Injustice.
Under the act of 1909, as construed
and practically. applied by Congress, a
and half citadel is periodically equip
ped with powerful artillery and ample
ammunition to shell those who fight
for Washington.
del. we must in self-defense attack,
capture and destroy this threatening
fortifcation from which we are in con-
Istant danger of effective assault.
uss1sS EsaeT The 1ag e 1899 sssuls she be re-
sioners should be authorised to submit.
IL they wish. alternative estimates. so
that Congress may have before 1t a
statement of other needs of the Dis
trict which may wisely be substituted
in the bill and satisfied, II any of those
primarily recommended by the Com
missioners fail to meet the approval OF
Congress-
Summary Concerning surpluses.
The effect of the report Of the joint
fiscal committee Is to vindicate in prin-
ciple the treatment of the haIf-and half
| provision as not necessarily applying
arbitrarily and separately to each year,
considered alone. but to the average of
! a series of years.
| Under the present practice, which
puts local taxation before congressional
appropriation, the half-and half provi-
sion Is not and cannot be arbitrarily en-
forced and literally obeyed in any one
year. But in the long run. in the future
| as in the past, this provision can be
enforced and obeyed
/ Why not go ahead in the future in
general conformity with this practice,
| thus INDICATED in principle by the Joint
committee? The amount raised an
nually under the haIf-and-half ar
rangement I'm the past has seldom, II
ever, been more than enough and has
| often been insufficient to meet the capi-
| in judiciOus upbuIlding through great
permanent public improvements. Much
more than this amount could be wisely
and economically expended today upon
the capital I'm accordance with the
standard set by other great American
| cities.
The apparent surpluses Of District
tax money i'm recent successive years
over One-half Of the District apprOprfa-
tiOns are artificial. not genuine.
The District taxes have, by congress
| sional pressure on the assessor and In
other ways, been unduly augmented, ,
the appropriations, on the other hand,
have been cut much below the point Of
meeting the District's necessities.
The Commissioners estimates since
1909 no longer Represent the real needs
80 IA LET he faff In <SR
1909 prevents them from picturing the
municipal necessities Of Washington.
Repeal of the law limiting the Com
missi0ners' estimates will permit Con-
Gress to consider in appropriations the
full needs of the District, and the sur
plus in any year Of unexpended Dis
trict tax money will thus be reduced
to q minimum. But any surpIuses. even
though large, which under the pro-
posed legislation will go into the Dis
trict's trust fund will clearly be needed
In the future ns n reserve fund % to
pay District indebtedness, fictitious or
genuine, including the alleged ancient
resurrected debts, based on the blum
ders or neglects of government ON
cialr I'm the seventies Of the last CEN
tury, which hnve been cOnjured up I'm
the House, (2) to be Accumulated and
later wisely utilized to meet the pos-
sible emergency Of n District shortage
In some year I'm necessary tax revenue
under the organic act, and (3D to meet
the DlHtr1ctn nnuTe Oh tne cost OF Rre0t
uermnnent public improvements which
will call for the immediate expendi-
ture of more money than can be spared
from current revenues.
II. Just and reasonable use for any
uuch xurpluses cannot be found they
can be prevented by rewordinE Of the
half-and-hnIf law which shall exclude
from, the revenue upon which the half
and half plan shall operate nll licenses,
including liquor licenses, or even. II
necessary, all other items of revenue
than the property taxes, and which
.hsli, in erect. place the self-imposed
obIfxatiO upon the nation to make a
miniBanm annual capital expenditure
from the national taxes equal to the
amount which 1t exacts in property
taxes from the local community.
II d prohibition law In enasted for the
District the District revenue Will be re-
duced half million dollarS, the money
Available for, the District's benedt IN
der the act Of 1873 will be cut \ million
dollars and the problem Of surplus-
preventing will be solved. IL the new
tax ON intanEfbles In retained and en-
forced and turns out to be q revenue-
producer the preblen viii be revived
and intensined.