Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-26

between the District of Columbia and
the federal government, October &c,
1850
1t appears from this table Showing
the relations of the nations of the
|, world to their capitals) that the peo-
pie of every capital, including Wash
/ ington, pay national taxes, just as the
people of the other cities do, and
that nearly all nations, including the
United States, are liberal in the ex-
penditure of this national money on
national objects at the national CAPT.
tai. Some nations have been con-
, spicuously lavish in such patriotic
expenditures. Among these nations
are Argentina, Brazil and France,
which have far surpassed the United
States in this respect. Most nations
have been consistently liberal in the
development of their capitals. Prior
to 1873 the United States was. how
ever, far from liberal in such OUTLAWS.
The fact that the people Of the Dis
trict of Columbia contribute on equal
terms with the people of the States
toward all national taxes and that it
is their money as much as the money
of the people of any state which is
spent in national development of the
nations city and in the development
of unnavigable creeks into nominally
navigable rivers in the states is often
overlooked. 1t is sometimes said that
the people of the states contribute
about z cents apiece annually for
National Capital maintenance and de-
velopment, and that for the same pur-
pose the Westinghouse contribute
about SIS apiece annually. 1t is to
be remembered that the Washing
tonian contributes on both sides Of
the account. He contributes as much
as any other American toward the
national city development G. cents)
and the SIS in addition.
Proper National Outlay.
The expenditure of national money
for the development of the National
Capital is recognized as a proper ma
tional outlay everywhere in the
world. There has been controversy
over the propriety Of many forms of
national appropriations, as, for in
stance, those for internal improve
ments, roads. canals, etc, but no one
has ever commended that the capital
of q nation is not a proper object of
the nations fostering care.
The Washingtonian not only con-
tributes toward all national taxes, but
by reason of the location of his city
and it's conditions he pays heavily.
In a House debate in the last Con-
gress a table was submitted. receiving
serious consideration, which distrib-
uted the $6.000.000 paid the year be-
fore by the nation for capital MAIN
to population and credited each state
as contributing approximately that
amount toward the expenses Of the
District. OF course no such contribu-
ton Is actually made. The different
congressional constituencies from the
tional taxes in widely varying
amounts Many constituencies do not
contribute as much to the national
taxes as the District itself does, and
fraction of that amount. If the
graduated income tax on individuals
displaces the other national taxes and
it comes to pass that the only ma
tional taxpayers are the less than
half million imco me go6 cf I'LL
of Americans 1t will be still more
difficult to trace a specific contribu-
ton in national taxes for the benefit
of the National Capital "mendicant"
to the congressman's alleged indig-
nant and protesting constituent.
What WashinEtonians Pay.
The only national taxes that fall
directly and Enthusiastically and in as
certainable amounts upon Americans
are the internal revenue taxes, in
GLIDING the excise, corporation and
Individual income taxes. Washington
exceeds in total contribution in 1914
to these national taxes Alabama,
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Della
ware, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Maine,
Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Mexico, North Da-
kota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Caro-
lima, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont
and wyoming. twenty-five states,
and Alaska and Hawaii, two terri
tories. Twenty-six states were
larger contributors.
The Washingtonian's per capita
contribution to these national taxes
exceeds the per capita Of all OF the
above list. of twenty-five states and
two territories, and exceeds In ad-
dition. the per capita contribution
of Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Louisi-
ana, Massachusetts,, Michigan, Minne-
sofa, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Ten
nessee, Texas, Washington and West
Virginia. Thus thirty-six states and
two territories contribute q smaller
per capita than Washington, and
only twelve states show larger per
capita contribution.
One Washingtonian pays more in
this kind Of national taxes than one
.Mississippian, one Arkansan, one
North Dakotan, one Oklahomite, one
South Carolinian, one -Alabaman, one
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