Evening star., 1923-01-20

Ing concrete District OF CcIumbfa
surplus should not be corresp0ndtDgfy
delayed or delayed at all. The DOING
of immediate justice by this Congress
In respect to the existing surplus VIII
endanRer no interest OF the United
States. Congress is now and Will
continue to be I'm complete and ex-
elusive control OF all the Districts
revenues and assets and cam make
equitable readjustnents Of such cred
its In dispute at any time and at it's
pleasure with no chance OF loss to
the United States II by any possibility
the District should hereafter be
found to be indebted, legally or
States.
CONCLUSION.
The taxpayers of today-that is. OF
the period 1916-1926- are weighed
down with the tax burdens Of past
present and future: G5 They are bur
dened with alleged ipdebtednesses of
the remote past, especially those aris-
ing from the blunders or neglects of
agents of the federal government be-
tween 1874 and 1878. Many thousand
dollars Of such alleged indebtednesses
have been thus inequitabiy collected
from them. and they are now menaced
Gin violation of the spirit of the
statute of limitations. with the reviv-
ication to their injury of debts ap-
than forty years ago and with de-
mand for payment OF interest on
these alleged ancient debts. (2) They
have been burdered with the heavy
war taxes of this decade, of which
they have paid their full share, more
in 191S-1919 than any one Of fifteen
states, more than five states combined.
They have met all. their obligations
in municipal expenditure. They have
been taxed municipality so as to raise
in addition to what they were permit
ted to spend several million of sur
plus taxes under the half and half
law, and now the question is raised
whether they shall be permitted to
spend for their own benefit the sur
plus which they have thus accumu-
lated. through violation by congress
their exclusive legislature. OF the lit
erai terms of the act OF 1878. 80
They are not only thus burdened with
the reSurrected alleged Indebtedness
long ago dead. buried and decayed, OF
the remote past. and are not only
thus held from the use of millions of
taxes collected from them In the last
three years, constituting their tax
revenue of the present but tney are
menaced with imposition or the DUR
dens of the taxpayers OF the iutuIe
by the requirement that in addition 70
current taxes for current mainte :
nance they shall be taxed 70 raise
millions to meet the tirst ha!t year
expenditure of 1923 under the ne"
so-called pay-as-you-go policy Re. =.
Gently proclaimed by Congress; tnto
pay-as-you-go policy obviously e1
noses Itself as really a pay-before-you-
swhat have the taxpayers of this
decade to do with the indebtednesses W ui
is74-7S? What have they 70 90 WIZ WIZ
indebtednesses Of 1928? Why have
they not equitably everything 70 %
with their surplus of collected, ang
unexpended because unappropIlatrru, -,
| taxes. now lying in the IsaiIas. :.
tion for the Districts use and pene-
In applying under the terms OF the
| law OF 1922 the test OF morality or
equity to alleged indebtednesses the
taxpayers of today--of the period
! isI6-is2S-staggerin under the heavy
| burden of the accumulated ooIlgatloIis
arising from neglected vital munich
pal needs of the war time, should De
q absolutely relieved from demands OF
both principal and interest OF ancient
resurrected alleged debts which died
and were buried in the last century;
they should be permitted TO use 10
pay in part their proportion OF the
costs of meeting the accumulated mu-
nicipal war time needs the tax-money
collected during the war time but not
then appropriated to meet these very
neglected municipal needs; and final
Iy instead of being compelled TO raise
! from present taxes several million
dollars 10 pay in advance the ex-
penses of the first half of the fiscal
wear 1923. the benefits to be de-
rived by the taxpayers of the future
from great permanent improvements
about 20 be undertaken or now under
way should be recognized and pro-
vision made by government advances
TO be reimbursed with interest for
Just participation by the future tax
Dayers in meeting the cost of these
great permanent improvements, so
beneficial to them.
The taxpayers of 1928 should not