Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-10
BIG
NATIONAL TAXES

| I'M j BHSNeS
| CONTINUED from First Page.)
city and in the development of unnavi-
gable creeks into nominally navigable
| rivers in the states, is often overlooked.
| Representatives Crisp and JUL have
| overlooked it. It is sometimes said that
about cents apiece annually for Ma
| tional Capital maintenance and devel-
| opment, and that for the same purpose
| the Westinghouse contribute about
sn'saa snnus shst the is WASTE
| ingtonian contributes on both sides
of the account. He contributes as
much as any other American toward
the national city development q cents)
and the Sl8 in addition.
| The expenditure of national money
for the development of the National
| Capital is recognized as proper ma
There has been controversy over the
propriety of many forms of national
appropriations, as, for instance, those
for internal improvements. roads, ca
ed that the capital Of nation is not a
proper object of the nations fostering
care.
! The evidence before the joint con-
| gressional committee showed that all
civilized nations except the United
States delighted at national expense to
| develop the national capital, without
slurring the capital community as the
recipient OF beggars' aims, and without
| depriving the people of the capital OF
i the same representation in the national
| Legislature that every other state and
large city Of the nation enjoyed. Wash
| inston is the only capital in the whole
world which is denied all representa-
,, ton in it's national government, all
| participation in its local government
and is slandered as a .mendicant be
cause it does not pay all the expendi-
| lures upon the National Capital made by
| government in which it Is not repre-
sented.
! The Washingtonian not only contrib
utes toward all national taxes, but by
reason of the location of his city and
it's conditions he pays heavily.
In a House debate in former Con-
gross a table was subnitted (cited in
the recent debate by Representative
JuuD which distributed the $6,000,000
capital maintenance among the states
according to population. and credited
each state as contributing approx
mately that amount toward the ex-
no such contribution is actually
made. The different congressional con-
stituencies in the different states
contributed to the NATIONAL taxes in
stituencies do not contribute as much
to the national taxes as the District 1t
self does. and many Of them contribute
only a small fraction Of that amount.
viduals displaces the other national
taxes and It comes to pass after the
war that the only national taxpayers
are less than half a million income
boasting citizens out Of 100 900 ooo OF
Americans, it will be still more diff1cult
to trace a specific contribution in ma
| tional taxes for the benefit OF tho
National Capital "mendicant" to the
lcongressman's alleged indignant ana
protesting constituent.
Washington as National Taxpayer.
The only national taxes that fall
directly and unmistakably and in as
, certainable amounts upon Americans
are the internal revenue taxes includ-
ing the excise. corporation and indi-
vidual income taxes. These taxes are
| recognized by Representative JUL as
including the state contributions to
capital upbuilding which. in his
opinion, Justify his slur that the capital
community Is a beEgar. passing the
hat. for the charity Of the rest Of the
contribution in 1914 to these national
taxes Alabama, Arizona. Arkansas. Colo
| RADIO. Delaware, Georgia. Idaho. Kansas.
Maine. Mississippi. Montana. Nevada.
New Hampshire. New Mexico, North
Dakota. Oklahoma. Oregon, South Caro-
Wyoming. twenty-five states. and
Alaska and Hawaii. two territories.
Twenty-six states were larger con:-
The washingtonian's per capita con-
! tribution to these national taxes ex-
ceeds the per capita Of all the above
list Of twenty-five states and two terri
tories. and exceeds in addition the per
capita contribution of Connecticut.
Florida, Iowa. Louisiana, Massachusetts,
Nahr9gka
Island, Tennessee. Texas. Washington
and West Virginia. Thus thirty-six
states and two territories contribute
| smaller per capita than Washington.
and only twelve states show a larger
per capita contribution.
One Washfngtonian pays more in this
kind Of national taxes than one Missis-
| sippian. one Arkansan, one North Da-
kotan. one Oklahomite. one South Caro-
| linian. one ALBANIAN, one Idahoite. one
Georgian. one New Mexican. one South
Dakotan. one Kansan. one Vermonter
| and one Texan combined. thirteen
state-representing Americans contribut-
ing altogether less than the per capita
| contributed by the Washingtonian
| alone.
| The Washingtonian contributes to
| these national taxes 81 times as much
as the Mississippian. % times as much as
the North Dakotan. about 10 times as
much as the South Carolinian and Ala
baman, about IA times as much as the
Georgian and South Dakotan. about -
times as much as the Kansan. over 81
! times as much as the Vermonter and
over 71z times as much as the Texan.
| He contributes somewhat more than
the citizen Of Louisiana. Michigan.
Delaware and Massachusetts,. and some
| what less than the citizen of Virginia.
Missouri, Pennsylvania and California.
In the Matter Of 1Iendicancy.
The figures above given concerning
national taxation throw light upon the
| question whether the average congress-
mans average constituent Is really
robbed. as SO often alleged, to ease the
| tax burdens OF the mendicants residing
| in the District of Columbia, and are q
| fair Offset to the statistical table which
| brings home to each citizen of a state
a specific donation Of beggar's aims to
the capital.
1t appears that the contribution Of
| such constituent to the national rev.
enue is often inflnitesimal. and, in the
| cases cited far exceeded by the contrl-
| button Of the Washingtonian himself
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