Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-29
Disappointed and Grieved.

The District Commissioners, backed
ness organizations and the organized
motorists Of the city, reached an
agreement with the Maryland authori.
ties under the terms of which tag
reciprocity and a uniform gasoline
tax should be established between
and in the two communities.
There was no tax-dodging by Wash
tngton motorists in this agreement
to Shift the form of motor taxation
from tax on automobiles as per-
sonalty to tax on gasoline. They
would under the new system pay more
revenue into the Treasury than under
the old, and u sacrifice by the District
was involved in substituting for the
personal tax on motors tax on gaso-
line. for the proceeds Of the former
tax were applied under the law ex-
clusively to the Districts so per cent
share of District appropriations
while the proceeds of the latter tax,
though equitably they ought to be ap-
Piled in the same way. were as a new
tax subject in application of proceeds
to the caprice Of Congress.
Thus under the agreement District
motorists were more heavily taxed
than before, and the District taxpay-
ers in general ran the risk Of an ad-
ditional sacrifice.
This wise and fair agreement, bene-
fetal to both neighboring communities
and a special courtesy to Maryland,
was formulated into bill. and the
District and Maryland submitted the
bill to Congress, the Districts legisla-
ture, with the petition that it be enact.
ed into law.
The bill was opposed in the House
on the ground that Maryland ought to
grant tag-reciprocity to the District,
as it did to the states, for nothing, and
bill was submitted as a substitute
for our agreement with Maryland by
which the Districts legislature should,
. in effect, compel tag-reciprocity for
nothing by threatening, in case of
refusal by Maryland. to withhold from
that state her share Of the federal aid
to the states for road-building. An.
other amendment proposed retention
of the personal tax on motors. with
an exemption Of 81 900 from every au-
tomobile assessment for taxation.
In the end Maryland obtained from
the House everything she sought un.
der the agreement, but every conten-
ton in behalf of the unrepresented
District was abandoned or denied. Her
proposition Of comfy to Maryland
was transformed into a new SUPER
fluous. dangerous precedent creating
millfon.dollar tax. She asked for bread
and received a stone; she asked for q
fish and received a serpent; she asked
for something wholesome and received
something hurtful.
The Senate District subcommittee
has restored to the bill the full per-
sonal tax provision omitted by mistake
in the House draft mot suggesting or
considering a compromise by accom-.
panying restoration of the tax with an
assessment exemption Of $1,000 or
5000, and now calls upon the disap-
press its approval of the new million.
dollar tax with which it is to be
blistered. and on its failure to respond
with enthusiasm to this request it Is
vigorously scolded and threatened with
the serious punishment of diminished
interest in fighting for fair play in
legislation for the District.
The Senate subcommittee and the
District committee as a whole contain
some of the strongest. most intelli-
gently interested and most sympa-
thetic of the Capitals legislators. The
Capital community is gratefully appre.
ciative of the faithful, helpful legis-
lative labors of these proven friends
of the unrepresented and helpless Cap
ital, and if any one Of these friends
should seriously and persistently
threaten to become an unfriend Of the
District if the latter refused to turn
a petitioning somersault, the Capital
community might be conceived as in
the end proceeding to sornersault.
But will such a demand, backed by
oOSit q tAiA Ool, VIC EA SSoSu oPOi ShO
District? No. Our legislators, with
full power to shape the laws of the
Capital, will not insist also upon ar
bitrary and monopolistic power to
frame its petitions. Our petition for
what we want has been rejected. Is
1t conceivable that our friends will
compel us by threats Of injury to
petition for what we do not want?
The nations ward has been and is
being chastised for presuming to have
and to hold firmly opinions and wishes
concerning the question Of. its own
taxation. Ought the nations ward
in order to avoid further threatened
punishment be required to kiss with
a smile the rod Of chastisement?