Evening star., 1922-05-27
Rste by Mail-Payable in Advance.
MARYLAND and Virginia.
Surplus Topsyturveydom.

SiStencieS or topSyturVeyuOIn III Tie
reasoning upon which it is based.
Uncle Sam and the District are
Joint contributors in capital upbuild-
ing. Hereafter Uncle Sam is to con-
tribute 40 per cent and the District 60
per cent of municipal expenditures.
Uncle Sam is the active partner in
this capital-making partnership. while
the District is the most speeches.
and impotent of silent partners.
Uncle Sam has all the joint assets
in his absolute control, and decides
how much his co-contributor shall pay
him for capital maintenance, when
that co-contributor shall pay 1t and
at what times. in what amounts and
for what municipal purposes these
Joint contributions shall be expended.
In the ten years between 1900 and
1910 Uncle Sam decided that the capi-
tai needed great public improvements
which required more money for their
quick completion than was available
from current revenue after the neces-
sary and unavoidable current needs
had been met.
So Uncle Sam advanced or loaned
to his co-contributor several millions
Of dollars to enable that co-contribu-
tor to pay the legal proportion of
these extra ordinary expenditures, and
charging interest e per cent? on these
advances reimbursed himself at his
,1la RI
curtails until he had collected from
the District all the principal of the
loan and about a half million dollars
in interest.
But in accordance with the organic
act of 1873 Uncle Sam. having all the
Joint assets in his hands and being
thus amply secured, was to meet from
the Treasury the capital expenses
within each fiscal year, and was then
to reimburse himself for the Districts
share Of these expenditures by taxing
property and privileges in the Dis
trict
Thus the primary obligation or re-
sponsibility was (as in equity it ought
to bel upon Uncle Sam, and the Dis
trict was merely incidental contribu-
tor.
Uncle Sam, who in most matters
deals with big things in a big way,
and is not as a rule small. mean or
picayunish, evidently thought that he
was protecting himself adequately in
the capitals financing transactions
oh {~f
large advances for long periods to his
co-contributor, and obviously 1t never
occurred to him that he ought to col
lect interest on any slight and short
term advances within the fiscal year
that might result from the late date
in the year which he himself had fixed
for the payment Of contribution by
his co-contributor.
The surplus provision Of amend
ment No. 1 pictures Uncle Sam as
suddenly discovering that by fixing
the Districts taxpaying day near the
end of the fiscal year he has not only
been paying first all Of his own so or
40 per cent capital contribution, but
has actually been advancing some
portion of his co-contributor's so or
so per cent share of these expenditures
before collecting in taxes cent from
the District.
And Uncle Sam is further pictured
as suffering agonies Of Shylockian
self-reproach from this discovery that
he has missed an opportunity Of
charging the District per cent in
terest on these driblets of short time
advances.
How does amendment No. propose
that Uncle Sam shall check this loss
of possible interest driblets?
By moving tax-payment day in the
District from near the end to near
the beginning Of the year? And by
charging interest on advances to the
District in each fiscal year, after
Uncle Sans own so or 40 per cent
contribution had been fully paid? Not
at all.
Amendment No. I proposes to safe
guard Uncle Sam against a few
months advance without interest Of
part Of the Districts contribution in
1928 by collecting from the District
anywhere from a million and a quar-
ter to two and one-half millions In
each Of the five fiscal years preceding
1928, and to pay no interest on these
premature and viciously unjust col
lections.
Why should the taxpayers of 1928
pay even one and quarter million
dollars, or even 80 cents, to remain
in Uncle Sans possession and use for
five years without interest until Uncle
Sam gets ready to spend it in 1928?
Why should the taxpayers Of 1924
give to Uncle Sam millions or mills
to meet four years in advance District
expenditures of 1928? And a like
unanswerable inquiry can be made
in behalf of the taxpayers of the re-
manning fiscal years prior to 1928.
Protesting against loss of largely
imaginary infinitesimal interest drib-
let's on monthly advances within the
fiscal year, Uncle Sam is pictured as
exacting advances or compulsory
loans from District taxpayers five.
four, three, two and one year before
the money is to be spent, and as Of
fering no interest whatever to the
District upon these millions of ad-
vances.
On the pretext Of making the Dis
trict pay as 1t goes" 1t Is proposed to
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