Evening star., 1925-04-28
New Hints OF
BuenOs Aires
and Rio.
GIVE US NATIONAL
REPRESENTATION
With Votes in Congress
and Electoral
College.
By THEODORE w. MOVES,


Argentina and Brazil not only set an
example TO the United States IN capl'
taI huilding, but also in adequate
and ungrudging capital maintenance
and in dispensing political as well as
financial equity.
These nations in relation 10 thelr
capitals have been the liberal ana
cheerful contributors to municipalities
in many respects self-governlng. 1ulIy
represented in the national govern
ment and energetically advanced by
the nation in commercial and indus
trial prosperity, in wealth and taxaple
resources.
As Americans we are with reason
proud of what the Nation has done In
the upbuiding and equitable main
tenance of the National Capital with
i'm the last so years, and especially
within the last 25 years. As Washing
tonians we regard with grateful ap-
probation the patriotic and public
spirited labOrs of the faithful among
our constitutional legislators, who In
unselfish devotion TO a task at times
apparently thanlIless have raised the
Nations ward from the gutter OF uni
versal derision and contempt to the
pinnacle of worldwide admiration and
honor, and who have made of Wash
ington not merely the City Beautiful,
but the City Healthful, the City In
telfectuaI and, comparatively speaking,
the City Good. Since 1878 the Nation,
faithfully adhering with few excep-
tiOns to the implied compact of the
organic act and wisely liberal In de-
velOping on artistic as well as utilita-
rian lines the national public building
equipment of the Nations city, has
made record i'm capital building and
maintenance of which no American
needs to be ashamed.
In view, however, Of the correspond
ing achievements of other nations. like
Argentina and Brazil, we have no
right to be arrogant in our pride as
capital builders. either in the line of
creation or Of maintenance and de-
velopment
Lessons in Capital Maintenance.
The attitude of the national govern.
ment toward Buenos Aires and Rio re-
spectively has been such as to reduce
to an absolute minimum the capitals
need Of and appeal for financial CO.
operation by the government; never
theless maximum Of such co-opera-
ton has been cheerfulIy rendered.
% Argentina and Brazil have in
every conceivable way increased the
ability of their capitals to raise tax
money. The United States has, on the
other hand, habitually reduced the
tax-raising capacity of Washington
The South American cities are great
and rich In taxable resources, and
their wealth and commercial and in
dustrial prosperity have been as vigor-
ously promoted by the nation as by
their own enterprise. Washington is
and has been always poor in taxable
resources and has been crippled COM
mercially and industrially by deliber-
ate national policy.
In the interest of Baltimore, Rich
mond, Philadelphia and other neigh
boring commercial cities Congress has,
historically, discouraged Washington's
commercial and industrial growth. 1t
has deprived the Washingtonian of
the means of self-support found in the
local industries that develop in the
ordinary American city. 1t has con-
centrated the great local industries,
corresponding to the factories, mills
and manufacturing plants of other
cities, in the hands of the Govern
" =
of offices law shuts out from the classi-
fled service in these great national-lo-
cal industries all who claim Washing
ton as a residence, including the grow
ing 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
the means of Self-support: or by &C
curing legal residence abroad may
become eligible for employment by the
Government at home.
Obligation Follows Power.
(o). Argentina and Brazil have TAX
en- from their capitals only that degree
of control which is absolutely essen
tial to protect the national interest;
here the Nation reserves to itself ex-
elusive and despotic control. The
South American capitals are in impor-
tant respects elf-governing, with a
distinct municipal government and
full representation in national gov
ernment. With us the Nation is in
absolute control of the Capital in
every particular, with exclusive legis-
lative, executive and judicial power,
and the Capital is not governing in
any respect whatever, and not In the
smallest degree represented in the
National Government. Here the mu-
nicipality does not even tax itself in
forms that it prefers, and does not eX-
pend its tax money for the purposes
which please it. The Nation decides
how much money shall be exacted in
taxes. and in what manner 1t snail De
raised and expended.
90 Under these conditions the ma
tional appropriations for capital main
tenance in Argentina and Brazil are
public-spirited and patriotic donations
which may reasonably vary in amount
at the pleasure of the donor. In their
financial relations with the nation the
South American capitals are the prin-
| cipals, and the nations are liberal
/ and voluntary contributors. In the
northern republic all the power and
| the primary responsibility are with
Congress, representing the Nation,
which is Enthusiastically the principal,
| and Washington is the incidental con-
| tributor-the compulsory contributor
of an amount fixed not by 1t, but by
| Congress.
| Tbus the South American nations