Evening star., 1920-01-13

merely accidental, and beside the
question. he said Again he empha-
sized that Washington is not an IN
dustral city. maintained by mines
or factories or farming interests he
laid particular stress on the TACT ina
the people Of the District 90 not
make their own laws or elect the
officers to enforce them. put are Nv fn
pendent entirely upon Congress. IN
conclusion he called attention TO the
fact that the taxable area is pelhs
! reduced annually.
That Washington is the great Nd
tional city and should be so protect
ed was brought out by Representa-
tive Hays. when he said:
"One important question is: VINO is
benefited by the money that is speh,
in maintaining the capital city OF the
nation? The obvious answer must De
that the benefits accrue to the IN
habitants of Washington on one hand
and to the citizens of the nation on
the other hand To determine the
respective needs of these two bodles
of people in that behalf reaches the
real cruX of this inquiry Consider.
! if you please, the relative disad-
vantages they would suffer without
such expenditures. If the streets are
neglected, if the parks become un-
slightly, if the water supply 1s~cut
off, if fire protection fails. IL the po-
lice organiZa tion ceases to junction.
! would not the calamity to the whole
body of the American public be vastly
greater than the mere inconvenience
suffered by the population of this city?
Then, gentlemen, it is but reasonable
! that the government should pear at
least an equal portion of the expense
incurred in the upkeep of these mu-
nicipal requirements so important to
our national welfare.
Holds Surplus Is Not Crime.
Representative Andrews of Nebraska,
| for nearly twenty years auditor or the
Treasury Department asked his col
leagues to consider if having sur
plus in the Treasury was q crime
against good government, as seemed
to be indicated by the campaign
against it. He declared the hue and
cry against the half-and- half was
pernicious propaganda that had forced
the small -salaried employees of the
government here, seeking to buy their
homes to pay higher rates of inter-
est up to the limit of the law. He
also pointed out that the charge that
dertaXed has been shown to be untrue
by the officials of the Treasury De-
partment.
MIR. Good for Fair Legislation.
| Chairman Good of the appropria
tions committee said that in three
years Washington will be free of
debt. He said no legislation unfair
to the District should be enacted. He
jargued that there should be improve
ment in the school facilities. He said,
in part
THE city Of Washington today has
an Indebtedness of about $3,000,000.
and under the sinking fund require
ments that debt will be all paid in
1922. There is not another city in
the United States anywhere that can
show a financial condition to compare
with that.
This matter has been before the
House for several years and about
every time it has been before the
House tWo-thirdS of the membership
have been in favor of repeating the
| law and in favor of proposition
such that carried in the pending
bill 1t seems to me that the measure
is entirely fair. 1t ought to be fair
to the District of Columbia We
ought not to enact any legislation
THAT is unfair, and those who would
claim that members who favor this
Legislation are inclined to be unfair
to the District l think are misstat-
ing the question altogether.
1T seems to me. in all justice to
| will not be treating them unfairly.
enjoying all the benefits of what l
believe is destined to be the greatest
city in America, in many respects, if
we require them to pay a tax equal
20 that paid by people in other cities.
/ believe Washington is destined in
many respects to be the center of
great activities; it is destined to be-
come the center of art, literature and
science in the United States. 1t is
recognized as the political center. I
believe 1T is destined to be that, but
l do not believe that Washington is
soon to be the city it is destined to
become if we do not change this meth
cd of taxation. The sooner we change
this system, the better for Wash
ington.
81 think our schoolhouses in Wash
ington do not measure UP to the re-
quirements and needs of the city. The
character of buildings on Pennsyl-
vania avenue would be a disgrace to
a town of 10000 people, and yet they
continue, and will continue until we
adopt business plan of taxing the
city of Washington. Adopt a business
plan, adopt the same plan that other
cities adopt, and let the property.
whether it is government property or
other property, bear it's just propor-
ton of carrying on the activities of
the city, and l think you will see a
more healthy growth in the city of
Washington. Those who are oppos-
ing this legislation in ten or twenty
years from now will acknowledge the
fact that it is bottomed upon good
business principles and will mean
more for the growth of Washington
than any legislation that Congress
could possibly pass.
Leader Mondedn Speaks.
House Leader Mondell closed for
those supporting the Mapes bill. He
said that az a matter of fact the half
and-half principle is not being fol-
lowed now. Il am in hopes" he said.
that before long conditions will JUS
tify considerably increased eXpendi-
lures by the District government and
we may reach a condition where for
a time the appropriations are equal
to or even exceed double the revenues
i of the District. l for one should not
hesitate to vote for a District bill
simply because its sum total was
double the income Of the District. but
III do not believe that 1t Is practical
or wise to have hard and fast rule.
For one thing, 1T handlcaps the Com
missioners of the District in making
their estimates, which is not fair to
> the District.
Under the rule proposed the limita-
ton which now exists on estimates
would naturally be removed. The
Commissioners would estimate for the
needs of the District. tho Congress
would appropriate such sums as in
their opinion were wise. the District
funds would flow into the national
Treasury as now. and we would be
free from the ever-recurrent question
as to whether or not tho appropria-
tions were double the District rev.
enua; and If not. whether Or not there
, was a sum In the Treasury represent
ing tho difference and who it belong