Evening star., 1923-02-15

from argument Of Theedorc W. Noys. be,
fore joint congressional fiscal committee In
IS15.l
/ III.
| The second question:: 81
Does the nation encourage increase
Of local taxable resourcesf
All nations except the United States
encourage the development of the
taxable resources of the capital COM
fnunity. directly or indirectly. In
varying degrees, or. at least. do not
discourage commercial, manufac-
turing and industrial development.
Tho United States alone among ma
tfons under a systematic though un-
written policy cripples commercial
and manufacturing growth of Wash
ington, thus reducing to minimum its
taxable resources and it's ability to
meet unaided the heavy drain of
National Capital municipal expenses.
Washington is and has been al
ways poor in taxable resources, and
has been crippled commercially and
industrially by deliberate national
policy,
In the interest of Baltimore. Rich
liond. Philadelphia and other neigh
boring commercial cities Congress
has, historically, discouraged Wash
ingtons commercial and industrial
growth. 1t has deprived the Wash
lngtonians of the means of self
support found in the local industries
euae nevelop IN the ordinary Ameri
can city. 1t has concentrated the
great local industries, corresponding
10 the factories, mills and manufac-
turins plants OF other cities. in the
hahds OF the government. and then
py the apportionment-of-o offices law
snutS out from the classified service
III these great national-locaI indus
tries all who claim Washington as q
residence, including the growing
youth of the city. Thus Congress
denies the capital great industries of
It's own; it shuts out Washingtonians
from the national-local industries: it
drives out from the city the growing
youth that they may. find elsewhere
Inc means of self-support.
How Municipal Expense Paid.
The third question:
Does the nation contribute toward
muac,pai ,,n,a.. expenses, either discrtmi-
@nnE @ In favor Of the capital in this
'esPeet or contributing alike toward
All the cities of the natiOnf
Nearly all the nations contribute
something toward municipal expenses
oi the capital, some of them very little,
OF them in such contributions make
no discrimination between the capi-
tal and other cities of the nation.
some OF them in such contributions
!aVor .ir the capital: Nearly all the ma
tlohs make such contributions by
meeting wholly or in part heavy items
OF municipal expense, such as police
Are department, education, sanitation
street Improvement, etc, etc, and not
p5 approprIating under Il continuing
law nxed amounts or a fixed percent
age or the total municipal expenses.
In cape Town. however. the Union
government. as property owner,
pays a fixed sum. mutually agreed
upon. in lieu of taxes. The United
states. Whi>h from 1900 to 1874
made only small appropriations for
SPECIFIC items of municipal improve
lnent at the capital. has since 1878
under the half-and- half provision of
the organic act appropriated literally
ana @qu1tably for capital municipal
expenses, and alone among the ma
iohs mas made its payments under
total expense. Or rather under the
conditions which existed. with the
primary obligation of capital mainte-
nance and upbuildng resting upon it,
u has wisely eXacted from the people
Of the capital in taxes a fixed and GER
tam percentage of the expense which
It has itself incurred in exclusively
managing the capitals affairs as its
sole government
IN Ottawa. Pretoria and Rome the
capital community is (1915) dissatis-
lied with the national money contri-
button toward the maintenance and
Ephuilding of the capital. III Ottawa it
- proposed and vigorously advocated
l9i5) to aSsimilate the financial con-
ditions and relations to those Of the
District of Columbia For Pretoria a
lump sum in the same amount has
been voted annually by the Union
nv f,y1oA ont sir h,,t
tai community complains that this
amount is Inadequate. In Rome the
rational and capital community have
acen cooperating to make the city
ono of the magnificent capitals of the
world Since 1870 millions have been
expended for this purpose. For street
Improvement alone a municipal loan
nf S30.0o0.000 guaranteed by the ma
t:onal government has been made. The