The Washington times., 1919-09-15
Commissioner Gardiner Would
Tax You $1,l4O.OOO For
Going To Work
By EARL GOODWIN.
And WOld Whtswzsh ts Grea.st Financial Crime, Ever Ps
tEatod On the Public

Out Of the complex mass Of laws and opinions and
reports Commissioner Gardiner may find enough legal con
feconey to with sugar his idea thattwe should
perpeuate ALL the water IN the stock Of the street rail-
road companies and IN addition, ADD httlebut the
hard cold fact remains that Commissioner Gardners dis
sentng views street railway valuation would tax this
lefty ONE MILLION ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY
THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR.
Simply in order to condone the financial crimes com
mted at the birth Of the W. R. and E. Co. Commissioner
Gardiner calls the Supreme Court the Constitution and
Everything else-except the PUBLIC-and his view is
allowed to become the order Of the day men and women in
this city will be taxed than million dollars a year
Ito go to and from work
Colonel Kutz and Mr. Brownow agreed on a valuation
of the two street railway systems Of the District and placed
Ia final figure Of fair value for both at $30O0000 in round
numbers.
And even on THAT valuation at rate Of return even
las low SIX per cent there be hope Of fat
ifvecent fare.
But Mr. Gardiner says his associates are unfair to the
railway companies and have outraged the laws and the
Constitution and the Supreme Court.
He dssents In both the Capital Traction ease and the
Washington Railway and Electric case, although he
fines his prophecy Of to the latter He says the Conn.,
mission wrong not recognizing present fair value
all the crooked deals put through years ago in various
shady consultations Furthermore, he wants the railway
companies to have their property valued at reproduction
estimate taken NOW instead of IN 1914.
This means that Mr. Gardiner would allow the Capital
Traction Company add to its value FIVE million dollars
account of Od-tme transactions which mustn't be men
iuOned today also ada llOn QOAFS because
price Of steel and other equipment has risen abnoray
fsAs the steel rails increase In price, let's charge fares
although we haven't paid out nickel ourselves. That's
the idea.
It means that Mr. Gardiner would peretuate the water
lin the W. r. and E. Co, put there by unscrpuIOus imam
cers who would be considered criminals today It
that he wyud allow YOU to pay your share Of this Million
lOne Hundred and Forty Thousand Dollar tax going to
work. in order perpetuate for ALL TINE the shady stock
gambles Of the nnetes by which the early w. & and
thmberiggers enriched themselves and have impoverished
the present stockholders and the city and road well
The LAW seems to be called upon to uphold those
cres whereas the law should be invoked In all its power
Ito wipe them out forever.
prophecy Of directed at the W. B. and 3
less it gets its share of the swag Any Of vision ought
Ito know that the road will be ruined If it tries to increase
Its fare No would ride it. The only solution is
fvecent fare perfect service, and municipal ownership
something approximating just that
But, ruin not, what what Judge is going to
allow to pass unheeded proposal to let the public pay
annual EXTRA tax of more than million dollars to Whit
wash financial criminals of quarter of century agoi