Evening star., 1925-04-28

ability to pay taxes by the consistent
policy of the Nation. which for the
first 75 years of the city's life openly
shirked its own equitable financial OBJ
legations to Washington.
Little in capital maintenance has
| been equitably expected from the
South American governments; they
| have given much. Much has been
equitably expected from the United
States; 1t has given nothing. since
what 1t has paid has been, under the
conditions of capital creation and de
| velopment, not a donation, but the
honest meeting of a just obligation.
Argentina, Brazil and Their Capitals.
Let us examine what Argentina has,
under these conditions, done for
Buenos Aires, comparing Argentina s
| voluntary contribution to its capital
with the duty payments of the United
States on the National Capital ac-
count The South American facts and
figures are taken almost entirely from
| the bulletins and other publications of
the Pan-American Union, which, under
the capable management of Director
| Leo S Rowe and Counselor Franklin
| Adams, is performing an international
function of the highest usefulness.
Argentina meets Buenos Aires eX-
penseS in the items of police depart
| ment, fire department. docks and har-
| bors, water supply and sewer system,
the more important works of public
sanitation. and the greater part of the
| expense of public education. On the
| Buenos Aires police department alone
| Argentina expended in 1907, for ex-
ample, $2,700,000.
What has Brazil done voluntarily
and cheerfully for national capital up
building and maintenance?
The national eXpen1itnreS Rio
are notable. In rebuilding the city,
| beginning in 1903. the nation made for
| this purpose foreign loan of $4,000
| 600, the city a domestic loan of $780,
| 600, 900. The national department of
public works carries on the public i'm
provements of city and harbor. Be
tween 5000, 900, 900 and $250,000 900,
according to varying estimates, has al
ready been expended on Rio. The po-
| lice force Is on the national military
| basis. Illumination of the city Is pro-
vided for in the national budget. The
| botanical garden is supported by the
national government. Brazil joins
| with Rio in the work of public edu-
| cation.
Rio is the industrial heart of Brazil.
| Most of the great natural resources
center in it and in some way pay trib-
ute to it. II is made by the nation
commercially prosperous, rich, strong
in taxable resources. Washington has
seen the original commerce OF it's site
reduced almost to nothingness. 1t
has been crippled and retarded in in
| dustrial growth, and its taxable re-
sources have been reduced to a min
| imum.
Wanted: National Representation.
| What have Argentina and Brazil
granted to BUenos Aires and Rio in
self-government and national repre-
sentetion?
Buenos Aires is both a municipality
and the capital of the Argentine Re
public, and as such has an organiza-
ton as a city as well as an intimate
| connection dixie that of Washington
with the federal government. The
| latter association is maintained by
means of an official called the in
| tendent (municipaD, who is appointed
by the president of the republic, sub
| ject to the approval of the national
Senate, for term of four years and
who receives a salary. He performs
TO a great degree the function of
mayor in an American city, and is TO
la large extent amenable to the rules
of the deliberate council, a body elect
| ed by ballot of citizens on the popula-
tion basis from 20 parishes. into which
the city is divided. 1t corresponds in
most details to an American common
council. These officials serve without
pay for a term of four years, one
half of their number being elected
every two years, however. Buenos
Aires is fully represented in proper
| ton to its population in the national
Legislature and the national govern
ment in general.
| Buenos Aires thus divides capital
expenses and control of municipality
with the nation, and has full repre-
sentation in the national government
in accordance with its population.
Washington divides capital building
expenses with the Nation, but has no
share in control of its municipal af-
fairs and no representation whatever
in the national Government, which
absolutely controls it.
Political Equity for Rio.
| What has Brazil done for Rio polit-
ically? Rio and suburbs constitute
the federal district of the United
| States of Brazil. The municipal or
| ganiZation of the district is controlled
by the national government, but the
| right of the 5000 inhabitants to a
| voice In the management of local af-
fairs is safeguarded in two ways:
| % The district Is represented in the
| Congress of Brazil by three Senators,
| elected for nine years. and by ten dep
| uties, elected for three years; (2) a
city council of ten members, elected
| by direct suffrage for term of two
years. The council meets in ordinary
| session twice a year. The chief exec
| utive of Rio is the prefect, who holds
office for four years, and is appointed
by the president of the republic and
confirmed by the Senate.
Brazil and Argentina have followed
| the example of the United States in
establishing federal districts and ma
tional capitals distinct from the states
and controlled in the last analysis by
the nation. But Brazil and Argentina
have improved upon our example by
I developing the relations of nation and
capital on republican, democratic and
representative principles and in ac-
cordance with the dictates of fairness
and patriotic pride. In both Buenos
Aires and Rio the people of the ma
tional capital have representation like
other citizens in proportion to their
numbers in the national government.
In both nations they participate
, through a council in the disposition of
their municipal concerns. In both
capitals the nation controls the mu
nicipality and through the national
president appoints the chief executive
official, mayor with large powers.
Wise Local Municipal Government.
/ do not intend by these compari-
sons to suggest that believe that the
United States should surrender mu-
/ nicipal control of the Federal District
to the people who live in 1t. In nc
other capital in the world is so large
a percentage of the real estate owned
by the Nation. AS long as the Ma
ton kept among its, laws and faith
| fr,111, oorr-iaJ iottor oY1d ir