The Washington times., 1922-05-07
NEW TAXPLAN
So VIGOROUSLY
OPPOSED, GOAL
!. 0FKENTUCK|AN
Settling Old Scores With D. c.
BY Advocating Fiscal
Changes.
SENATE SUPPORTS HIM
Indications Are Measure Will
: Pass in Upper Branch
This Week.
BY 4. VI. JAMESON.

BY 4. VI. JAMESON.
Congressman Ben Johnson of
Bardstown, KY, has kept his word
he is getting even" with the
District Of Columbia.
He is settling old scores by hav-
Ing Congress saddle a new system
OF taxation upon Washington.
system which may prove extreme
ly- burdensome and hamper the
city's development.
Power in House.
Ben Johnson is the real mower
In the House "wrecking crew and
mas dominated the scenes which
have led up TO the present climax.
In which the District goes down
to'the most disastrous defeat it has
sustained at the hands Of Congress
in many years.
He is winning his twelve.year.old
feud with Washington-a feud
which started shortly after he was
made chairman of the House Dis.
trict committee in 1910.
When the Senate formally adopts
the tax rider" which it appears
certain to do in the next few days,
Ben johnson will have the com.
plete satisfaction OF seeing his
ancient fight finally victorious
The Senate Appropriations com.
mittee has snuffed out the eleventh.
hour hope, apparently, that action
In the upper chamber on the
rider" could be stayed. Senator
Pat Harrison, OF Mississippi, will
make last stand. He will move
10 send the conference report back
TO the Appropriations committee.
with instructions that hearings
must he held in order that the pro.
tests OF District citizens might be
heard.
Sought NindicatiOn.
The denial Of these hearings by
the Appropriations committee yes.
terday was cruel blow. Appar.
entity the procedure was cut and
dried. The Conferees of the Dis
trict Appropriations bill-chiefly
Senators Phipps. Wesley Jones,
and Glass-looked for vindication
from ihe full committee and got
it The tax rider" was approved
without dissenting vote, one
minor amendment being adopted
Even Senator Curtis, who was ex-
p~~led to fight the adoption of the
''rtIer." abandoned his opposition
In The face of the statement made
By the Conferees.
Furthermore. Senator Phipps pro-
tests that the tax rider" will not
hurt the District. He pictures him
self as an Horatius standing at
the bridge. defending Washington
against assaults made by Ben
Johnson and the House "wrecking
crew
This thing has been misrepre
sented to Washington" says Sen.
ator Phipps. 1T isn't going to
mean any added burden to the tax
payers. not at all. Why, the Dis
trict complained bitterly when the
Senate passed a bill abolishing
fixed ratio OF raising revenue be-
tween the House and Senate, and
fixing the tax rate at $l.75. Now
We are writing into permanent law
the 60-40 ratio, under which we
have been operating for the past
two years. The District complains
about that also.
Fix New Tax Rate.
I'VE are empowering the Dis.
trict Commissioners to fix the rate
of taxation. 1t is true that we are
asking that in five years the city
go upon cash basis, but this
ought to be easy to accomplish If
semi-annual tax collections are
made"
1t is violating no secret to saw that
various Senators who have always
been counted as staunch friends of
Washington are ''disgusted" because
of the protests coming from the Fed
Grafton OF Citizens Association, the
Chamber OF Commerce, the Board of
Trade, and other organizations be-
cause OF the new tax system. They
think that hue and cry has been
haised over nothing.
Emphasis is placed upon the fact
that In few months more the right
OF the District to it's 81, ,000, 900 sur.
plus in the Federal Treasury will
have been vindicated in all oroba.
bility, through the investigation au-
thorized by the Jones resolution.
But the fact reamins that the new
plan places an obligation upon the
District that did not exist before.
that 1t forces the Commissioners to
raise a surplus and place taxes upon
full Instead of two-thirds assessment
property values. The District Com.
rnissioners. who should be In position
to know what the tax plan means.
are dismayed by II.
Causes No Surprise.
The Commissioners plan sent to
Congress In the hope OF staving off
precipltste action upon the tax
rider" has been killed without even
the pretense OF hearing being
granted to II.
The tax rider" has been forced
through the House without any de-
bate upon It's merits, and only in the
event of a Pat Harrison.led filibus.
ter can similar action be averted in
the Senate. There has been no dis.
cussion of the tax rider" in either
House or Senate, no chance to an.
alyze II.
To close observers of Congress siona
events In Washington the action Of
the House and Senate confere~s on
the local tax question comes as no