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

While the District has no representa-
ton in the national legislature which
is paid from and which disburses this
the combined contributions Of Vermont.
Mississippi, North Dakota. Nevada,
Wyoming. Idaho. New Mexico. Arizona
and South Dakota. which cast eighteen
votes in the Senate and twenty-five In
the House. The Washingtonian pays
into the fund from which are drawn the
salaries Of the South Dakotan's SEN
ators and representatives more than
thirteen times as much internal revenue
taxation as the South Dakotan: toward
the salary of the Kansas congressman,
twelve times as much as the Kansan:
for the Texan congressman. seven times
as much a S the Texan: for the Vermont
congressman, eight times as much as
the Vermonter: for the congressman
much as the South Carolinian, and for
the Mississippi congressman. fifty-one
times as much as the Mississippian.
The District of Columbia made in
1914 a larger contribution to the ma
tional taxes: which pay Mr.. Crisn,s
state of Georgia. The Westinghouse
contributed per capita toward Mr.
Crisp's salary in 1914 fourteen times as
much as Mr.. Crisp's Georgia constit.
Of Mr.. Crisp's outraged constituents
being made to bear the Districts tax
burden" they were in 1914 almost im-
mune from national taxation" contrib
uting much less than the unrepresented
and despised Washingtonians.
It is not intended in presenting these
figures to suggest that the states or
citizens contributing the most per cap
ita to the internal revenue tax or other
national taxes should on that account
respect to the disposition of the ma
tional revenues than those states and
those citizens whose contributions to
the national taxes are, comparatively
speaking, inflnitesimal; and it Is not
intended to discredit in any way the
taxes or even to argue in denial OF the
latter's claim that 1t Is more virtuous
not to contribute than to contribute to
internal revenue taxes derived 80
The sole purpose is to convince the rep
resentatives Of small contributing con-
stituencies in the states that they
should not berate their National Cap
ital constituents (whose legislative in
terests are intrusted to their care by
the latter are untaxed mendicants sup
ported by the tax money unjustly
drawn from their local constituents:
first, because in so many cases these
contributions by their constituents to
the national taxes are infinitesimal. far
less than those made by the District
itself; second. because the, District. in
stead Of being untaxed. is reasonably.
and. owing to the peculiar local con-
ditions. even heavily taxed both in
municipal and in national taxation.
In developing the nations city the
Wnshingtonians DIRE BY far the largest
contributors among Americans. They
contribute ON both the local and the
national side Of the account. They pay
one-half the expense a. local taxpay-
ers, they are heavy contributors to the
customs duties and internal revenue
taxes from which the national funds
are derived that meet the other half.
They are the only Americans who have
absolutely nothing to say authoritative
~ concerning the deposition Of the
funds to which they are such large con-
tributors.
On the other hand, in the expenditure
Of the national money to which tho Dis
trlct contributes on equal terms the
United States has in many respects
failed to DO equitable toward the cap
ital. 1t has for national purposes dis
tributed money and land (Which were
A. much the property Of the people Of
the capital as OF any other Americans)
among the states and territories and
ignored entirely the national District.
These donations include 1S6,624.723
acres Of public lands and more than
800. 900 900.