Evening star., 1921-10-13
NO 0PODSNAPPERY
FOR UNCLE SAM
District Tax Surplus Not a
Myth, But a Concrete Fact,
Raising a Distinct
Obligation.
NOT TO BE WAVED ASIDE
THEODORE w. MOVES.
Editorial Correspondence Of The Star.1
II

shows the Districts tax revenue def
! cits and Surpluses since 1900. 1t
shows how the deficits between 1900
and 1910 were created and were met
| by advances that were afterward re-
paid. It shows how the surpIuses
| since the end of 1915 We're created.
| gives the exact amount of the aggre-
| gated surpluses, and shows that this
| amount is in Uncle Sans hands.
In 1903 Congress recognized that
| there could be and would be such things
| as surplus revenues of the District 1t
directed that the advances which it
deficits should be Reimbursed to siid
/ Treasury from time to time out of the
surplus revenues of the District of
Columbi
| Congress Recognizes Surplus.
! After District deficits had been con-
verted into surpluses Congress recog-
nized the existence of such surpluses
| in the Treasury by applying portions
! of these surpluses to the payment of
alleged Indebtedness of the District to
! the United States. Most of these al
! legged debts We're over forty years old
| believed to have been offset by ancient
district credits. or to have been can
| celied in the readjustment of 1878. or
| dying. to have been buried long ago in
.
| tions: but after the lapse of over
Z; forty years they were miraeulously
! resurrected in full vitality. The fig
| ures in our table noted as direct
| charges" represent such distractions
| by Uncle Sam from the Treasury sur
; plus Of the District.
! For example, in 1918 there was sur
plus money in the Treasury of the
United States to the credit of the Dis
trict of Columbia. for Congress in
! that year transferred two amounts.
24,200.76 and S2l1,45O12. respectively
! of such money deposited in the
Treasury of the United States to the
credit of the District of Columbia"
! from the credit of the District of
Columbia to the United States.
| In 1919 there was District SURPLUS
| in the Treasury, for Congress in that
year enacted that the sum of Sl25.0O0
and the sum of S97..40.5O shall be
transferred to the credit of the United
States from the amount in the Trenx-
ury OF the United States to the credit
| Of the District Of Columbia"
In 1920 there was surplus money
the District. for Congress transferred
three sums. $4,000. ES50,S65 and
! zoe, from "the amount in the
Treasnry OF the United States to the
credit of the District OF Columbia" to
| the credit OF the United States.
Uncle Sam. Guardian and Trustee.
Tax-money wns collected from local
Taxpayers solely for expenditure for
| local purposes, and to be applied ON the
only, and 1t has not all been thus ex-
| pended. Over four million dollars Of
local taxpnyers' money are in Uncle
! Snm's hands to be expended mt some
| time in payment OF the Districts
share Of capital appropriations and
! for mo other DurOONe.
Thus Uncle Sam. trustee, having
collected money from his ward for a
specific purpose under the law, name
| IL. to pay his wards share of GER
tain expenditures which under the
+, law were to be paid jointly by trus-
! tee and ward. failed for several years
| to spend part of his wards money
| in the manner prescribed by law.
| the habit of keeping his wards
money in his left-hand trousers pock-
ct. where he deposits his trust funds.
and his own in his right hand trou-
sers pocket. where he puts his miscel-
laneous receipts.
Temptation of Uncle Sam.
1t is suggested that Uncle Sam. per-
tax-surplus money in the wrong
pocket. namely, in the miscellaneous
receipts" pocket, where it does not
belong: and on this assumption Uncle
Sam is imagined as saying. when
asked to pay out this accumulated
wards benefit: IF 1 had any of my
wards money it would be in my left
hand pocket. and that pocket Is
! empty. recollect collecting the
wards share Of National Capital ex-
pense, and 1 recollett that i did not
expend all of it for that purpose 1t
is unfortunate for my ward. but I
must have put my wards money in
my right-hand pocket, where it min
cellaneouS receipts money, and by vir-
tue Of that blunder. title to the money
| perhaps passed from my ward to me-
I am sorry. but what can 1 do?"
Other Excuses for Breach Of Trust.
Others conceive Uncle Sam, trustee,
as saying to his ward: Il was careful
to do all the necessary bookkeeping
to hold you to strict account in the
matter of your tax deficits and to
compel repayment of my loans
to you to meet these deficits; but
when the tide of District balances
as surpluses instead of mine going to
you as loans to meet deficits, 1 have
done no bookkeeping whatever; I
have kept no separate account of
your surplus credits in my hands.
do not know what these credits
should aggregate, and I am not con-
cerned to find out. Perhaps through
my fault your assets in my hands
have been lost in the ocean of ma
tional Treasury resources. But 1 rec
! ognize no responsibility for them
whatsoever"
Those who would repudiate alto
gether Uncle Sans obligation as trus-
tee in respect to his wards money are
not ashamed to picture him as guilty
of Podsnappery and as saying brazen-
! ly when questioned concerning his
wards surplus: "Your alleged sur
Mus is non-existent 1t is myth.
The money is not in my left-hand
pocket You have lost it if have
put it in any other pocket, for 1t has
disappeared among my great belong
ings. I have probably spent it as my
own. Don't bother, me any more about
your imaginary surplus. l don't ad-
NIT that it exists; Mention of it is
!, odious to me-; And wit with MI: Pod
disposed of disagreeables. Uncle Sam
is represented as saying of the myth
cal surplus: And l remove it from
the face Of the EARTH
But why should we be concerned where
Uncle. Sam keeps or has deposited our
Seeping tse to &c Connected an spee with it? What What
difference should it make to us if
some agent of Uncle Sam has blum
place in the Treasury where he has
nut our money and has labeled and
deposited it miscellaneous receipts"
instead of District trust fund?
No Advantage to BE Taken Of Ones
Own Wrong.
What have we to do with our trus-
! tees lblunders, neglects or omissions? :?
How can they weaken our claim to