Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-11
Constructive financial Legislation.

the lines of the ca pitfalls annual battle
for financial equitA'
What in co opera ion with, them are
we to fight f, u wAan Congress- reas-
sembles in Dec embet'
Last year we urged Congress:
First. To rep, nal THE law Of 500 re-
stricting the Somm hssion srs Hsti-
mates. sol that they may pre-
sent for the consi Reration of Congress
every genuine leg ftimate need OF the
District.
second. Apr ppriate literally.
thourhtfuIIy and pi somptly to meet as
fully as practical &c these %Smon-
strated needs of the District.
Third. If the ags regate of appro-
priations is more than Twice .he
available District tan reVenufi ana
District deficit is thre ptened advance
the money to meet the deficit ssrom the
Treasury. Such advar Ees we re made
in 1901. 1902. 1905. / 90e. 1907. 1909
and 1909, aggregating about s4'ooO;-
coo. and were afterwa1 III re: aio win
over half a million doll irS OF interest.
Fourth. If the agsre gate OF appro-
priations is less than tv 'ice the avail
able District tax reven Ge- treat the
surplus of unappropriat ed tax money
on the same principle Il ett controlleo
in handling the deficits. '1-t the sur
Sam, without interest no ~eVer. 70 De
held in the Treasury as trust iuna'
to be available as Distrio revenue IN
reserve to meet the Distri CTS snare OF
some outlay in future gar OF years
which will call for the i'm eledlate eN-
penditure of more money nan can De
spared from current revenu YES.
Fifth. If in the future. after the
legitimate needs of the Dis trlct nave
been met by Congress. lar se and m
creasing surpluses indie ate that
Washington should pay pore 1nan
half of the total District tpproHia-
TONS increase from so to ooi or oO per
cent Washington's prpportioplate con-
tribution."
The Senate approved these, suGes-
lions in its first vote upon the Dis
trict appropriations bib. and with the
addition Of a Siding scale tax rate
provision the SeI<ate proposition in the
District committees conference on the
Mapes bill is that a. by repeal of the
law of 1909 the Commissioners shall
be permitted to submit to Congress the
full actual needs of the District; that
90 Congress shalt approp, late in sat
isfaction of these needa whatever
amount it deems wise ana necessary,
advancing from the Treasury the nee
essary funds for capital maintenance
and DEVELOPMENT and reimbu rslng IT.
self from local taxation in the. amount
Of the Districts proportionate hart go
per cent, or As, 50 or 60) of the total
appropriation; that 81 the DiArict
shall raise its part of the capital de-
velopment fund by applying each yeAr
to the fixed standard of assessment a
tax rate on realty and tangible per-
sonalty which in connection with
other tax revenues and accumulated
surpluses of unexpended District taxes
in past years shall approximate the
capitals obligation for the current
year; that "a there shall be no de-
crease of tax rate below the present
basic z per cent, thus reducing to
minimum the possibility of a deficit.
and that 81 any surplus of unexpend-
I'd District taxes shall go over to be
expended for the capitals benefit as
District revenue in some future year.
4 Congress at the last session enacted
that change of the $3.50 ratio should
not be postponed as We had urged, but
should be for 1920-21 on the 6040 ra-
ito. Congress also enacted the slid
ing scale tax rate, with IL per centum
as a minimum and per centum as a
maximum.
II the Senate proposition embodied
in the substitute for the Mapes bill,
now in conference. is modified and
made general in its application. so
that it will fit in with any ratio of
contribution, whether $3.50, 60-40 or
55-45, and is made in other respects to
conform to the action of Congress at
the last session, it will read as fol-
lows:
Hereafter the estimates of the Com
missioners of the District of Columbla
for any fiscal year, submitted In &C
cordance with the act of June H. 1919
shall state the necessary expenses OF
The government of the District of Co
Iumbia for said year. and shall bear
no arbitrary relation to the total es-
timated revenues of the District of
Columbia for such fiscal year.
Section 2 Hereafter the Secretary
of the Treasury is authorized and di-
rected to advance, on the reQuisition
of the Commissioners of the District
of Columbia made in the manner now
prescribed by law. out of any moneys
in the Treasury of the United States
not otherwise appropriated. such sums
as may be necessary from time to
time to meet the general expenses of
said District. as authorized by Con-
cress, and to reimburse the Treasury
Tor the portion of said advances pay
able by the District of Columbia out
of the taxes and revenues collected
for the support of the governm
thereof. If in any year the taxes and
revenues of the District of Columbia
shall be insufficient to reimburse the
Treasury for the portion of said ad-
vance payable by the District of CO.
lumbia, such unpaid advance shall be
the revenues of the District of CO.
lumbia of the succeeding year or
years. IL in any year the taxes and
revenues Of the District of Colum bia
sShau be more than sufficient to REIN
burse the Treasury for the portion OF
said advances payable by the District
Of Columbia, such surplus of revenue
and all unexpended SURPRISES of Dis.
rrict revenue shown by the reports OF
yaid Commissioners to have been here.
tiore accumulated and deposited ir
the Treasury of the United States shall
he held in the Treasury as a trust funG
for the benefit Of said District and be
available as revenue of the District
of Columbia for meeting the portion
fif appropriations payable by said Dis.
trict in the succeeding year or years
Section 3. Hereafter the per centun
of approved estimates to be levied
and assessed under the act of June
II, 1873, upon the taxable property
rpix IN hol