Evening star., 1922-01-06
A Motion to Reconsider.

II by any possibility the Senate
could 10 persuaded to reconsider its
hasty action in destroying the princi-
PIE Of definite proportionate contribu-
tion by nation. and local tax-paying
'euminun!.y in finarcins the capital,
Washington would urgently appeal to
Z to reconsider.
Before this vitality important legis-
ktion is put in final shape the leaders
OF House and Senate, who will be re-
oponsible for this revolutionary and
enJury-threatening legislative expert
Eent, ought in fairness and in the
e1terest Of safe and sane legislation
o. consider carefully in joint confer.
1nce what Congress ought to do in
Ghe matter.
A few hours before the Senate sur
eendered its wise, traditional policy
suddenly and without warning by
yielding to the Caraway amendment,
,ehe chances were bright for agree
nent by House and Senates upon a
definite, liberal, capitaldeveloping sys-
tam OF District financing, which
should be both fair and wise, and
which. while retaining the organic
coct's basic principle of definite pro.
portionate contribution, should take
Aote Of the change Of conditions in
6orty-three years and modernize and
bring up to date the sound and whole
some legislation of 1873. Through the
8enate's resistance the House Mapes
0fll had been killed, and in neither
House nor Senate was any one openly
senewiag advocacy of enactment of
Che indefinite, f1uctuating, will O. the
Wisp, unsyseematic system Of capital
financing. The issue was upon the
fatio Of definite proportionate contri-
button. The House insisted upon the
s0-40 ratio. The Senate upheld the
$3.50 ratio, but yielded in two appro-
Driation bills as temporary tentative
ratio to the Houses insistence upon
1910. the permanent ratio of substan-
Give law remaining still at $3.50. The
Only logical outcome Of this clash of
ratios Was apparently either House
victory At s0-40 or a Senate victory At
$3.50, or compromise at 55-45. The
zeal and surprising ratio conclusion of
this clash was. however, 00-00, or
10000, because the Senate in a mo-
Hnent Of inadvertence saw no serious
selection to a proposition which on
eise and sound grounds 1t had for
FORTY years been resisting.
- a xho< -x,o,,1l.
Se sonne definite ratio the original
Jones bill was framed in terms which
made II applicable to any ratio, and
which built upon the definite ratio
system . sound structure of construc-
live legislation, which made the law
substantially conform to the present
Dractice Of District financing with i'm
Orovements of the practice; which
1xed a definite sum, related to the gov
ernment's contribution, for the Dis
trict to raise each year; which pro-
vided a sliding scale rate of taxation
on realty and tangible personality to
produce this necessary local tax
gevenus, and which prevented the trou-
6lesome accumulation of surpluses or
deficits by carrying them over either
os credits or debts into succeeding
years. The caraway amendment over
turned the definite contribution foun-
cation stone Of the original Jones bill.
end nullifled and stultified the sound
end wholesome provisions of the Jones
0ill built upon that foundation.
p "A a. Y-k@ a.. L. q.
don Of this rounded, we'll balanced sys-
Gem Of wisely constructive legislation?
Ara we irrevocabIy committed to
crude. ambiguous, fluctuating, unsys.
eemattc system?
Everybody knows now fairly well
She sound reasons for relating the tax
money collected by an alien tax gath
.6rer from District residents to the
,enoney supplied for capital develop
nsnt by that alien tax gatherer. If
Congress. which the District has not
chosen as its legislature and in. which
q Is not even fractionally represented,
. TO decide as to what, kind and what
amounts Of local municipal taxes Dis
erict residents shall pay, and is to collect
ond spend these taxes as 1t pieases, it
obviously tends to prevent unfair and
excessive taxation Of the unrepresent-
ID and to avoid gross and unmistakable
violation Of the American principle
which couples taxation and representa-
= Zion II the alien tax gatherer so relates a
contribution Of his own money to that
which he collects from the unrepre-
scented taxed that in taxing the latter
be in effect correspondingly taxes him.
@eH. If the two contributions for capi-
etal development are not thus definitely
yhlated every dollar Of tax money
61acted from the unrepresented taxed
. In gross, undisgufsed and shameless
violation OF the principle of self-taxa-
Gon by majority decision.
When the ;contrfbudeons are related
svsry dollar Of tax money exacted
Stcrn the Washingtonians increases
Oorfespondingly the Quasttax of Uncle
0an: when the contributions are not
ssiated every additional dollar Of tax
money that can be wrung from the
0nrepreseuted. non-consenting and
helpless Washingtonian decreases the
amount which Uncle Sam must pay
Eer capital development.
The assumption that under the un.
related system Of financing the CAPT.
...1Y =.