The Washington times., 1920-01-13
SENATE MAY
REVISE BILL
Chairman Good Agrees Tha'
$3.50 Plan Abolition Will Lead
To Greater Assessment.

A higher tax rate for the District
of CoIumbia-probsbly double the
present rate OF 10 mills-was fore
cast in the House yesterday when the
Mapes' bill. abolishing the so-called
haIf-and- half plan. was passed by
vote OF 2O2 to 1io.
The bill now goes TO the Senate,
which in the past has opposed tbs
provision when It has been attached
TO a District appropriation bill as =
rider.
Admits Higher Rate Planned.
Members Of the House have con.
tended that the Mapes bill did not
change the tax rate; that IL only pro-
vided that District revenues be used
to defray the District expenses In 30.
far as possible the dencit to be made
up by Congress.
Chairman James W. Good, OF thu
House Appropriations Committee,
who addressed the House In support
OF the measure, came through with
the admission that an increase In the
tax rate here was contemplated.
Congressman Longworth has asked
Mr.. Good II passage OF the Mapes
bill would not necessarily increase
taxes in the District.
THE bill would not, of itself in
crease the tax rate. But II would
eventually lead to it," Mr.. Good re-
Piled, and probably 1t should"
Feel Rate Now Too Low.
The whole tenor of the argument in
favor of the bill was that the tax
rate here is too low; that 1t is about
half the tax rate paid in some cities
of similar size to Washington; that
II is the lowest tax paid by any city
of the size of Washington. and that
the District should bear it's just bur-
dep Of the support Of the National
Capital.
Mr.. Good declared that Washington
would not grow and prosper as lonS
as the half-and-half and the low tax
rate 1t makes possible continues.
"The character OF buildings On
Pennsylvania avenue are disgrace.
and they would be a disgrace to
city of even 10000 people," Mr.. Good
declared. This condition will con-
tinue so long as that property docs
not bear it's just burden"
II the Senate passes the Mapes bill.
It will make possible the use OF the
$4.O63,9 ,922 surplus now in the Treas
ury to the credit of the District. This
SUM noS INV pc uoSo ohNSi S|~ioN
ing law. In other words, Mr.. Good
explained, passage OF the, bill viii
save Congress more than $4,000.0O0
on the District appropriation bill.
CONGRESSMAN Madden OF Illinois
sought to amend the Mapes bill. so
as to repeal the act of 1909 which
prevents the District Commissioners
from sending estimates to Congress
for a sum greater than twice the
revenues OF the District. The amend
ment was lost.
SInvisibIe Lobby, ut Work.
Mr.. Madden contended that Con-
gress should remove this restriction
so that the Commissioners could
estimate for some of the vital needs
of the District, particularly the
schools. 1t would be UP to Congress
then to determine whether appro-
priations shoul dbe made for them.
Congressman Crisp OF Georgia
charged that an "insisible lobby" has
been at work since the organic act of
1878 became a law and that from
time to time the act has been several
times amended, "each time to the ad-
vantage Of the District taxpayer"
Majority Leader Mondell called on
the House to support the Mapes bill
mainly on the ground that "it isn't
fair to say to the taxpayer back in
your home district that you must
paw one-half Of the expenses Of the
District of Columbia even though
$4,000. 900 Of money is being laid away
as surplus.
Congressman Sisson Of Mississippi,
member of the House Appropriations
subcommittee on the District OF Co
Iumbia. made his annual attack on
the half-and-half.
Woods Attacks Low Rate.
CONGRESSMAN Woods. Of Virginia,
centered his attack on the very low
tax rate here" and particularly the
tax of three -tenths of ! per cent on
intangible property.
"Citizens of the District charged
Mr.. Woods, appeared before the Dis
trict Committee and marshalled set
Of figures to disprove a fact" The
intangible property tax In the Dis
trict raises only $3.50, 900 while In his
home town of Roanoke, Va, S2S3,o00
is raised from the same source.
Several members opposing the bill
declared they would take the fight
back to their home Districts and tell
their constituents that Congress was
trying to injure their National Capt.
tai.
you had better let IT stay right
here" warned Congressman Saun-
ders of Virginia, who said that back
home constituents would resent IL II
they knew that they were being tax
ed to support the District of Colum-
bia.
II the District of Columbia desires
to get rid OF the Capitol and the va
rious Governmental agencies, there
are many cities ready to reproduce
the buildings, exempt them from
taxes and go a step further by not
requiring the Government to pay half
the running expenses OF the city,
suggested Congressman Caraway of
Arkansas- ~
"The Government has a payroll that
any city in America would give a
great deal to get" Mr.. Caraway said.
Congressman "Jim" Mann, OF Illi-
nois. who aided Congressman Thomas
s. williams. in his f,sht to retain
the half-snd- half. declared that "tho
main argument advanced today Is that
the tax rate here is too low, and In
the same breath you say that this
bill does not change the tax rate.
'Tf the tax rate is too low, why
don't they move to raise IT." he de-