Evening star., 1926-02-18

To the Congress OF the United
| States:
| Your petitioners, the Cttisens' Joint
Committee on Fiscal Relations be-
tween the United States and the Dis
trict Of Columbia and the presidents
of fits constituent organizations, re-
spectfuIly represent,
| Tho Citizens Joint Committee on
| Fiscal Relations between the United
States and District Of Columbia, or
ganized in 1915, is now composed Of
| authorized representatives Of the
| Board of Trade. Chamber OF Com
| merce, Merchants and Manufacturers
Association, Federation Of Citizens
Associations. Committee of One Hun
| dred, Builders and Manufacturers
Exchange. Bar Association, Columbia
Heights Citizens Association, North
east Citizens Association, GEORGETOWN
| Citizens Association. tho City Club.
the D. c. Bankers Association, the
the Kiwanis Club, the Civitan Club
and the Cosmopolitan Club.
The platform OF principles laid
| down by the joint committee and ad-
| hered to In the committees brief in
| the hearings before the joint select
| committee in 1915, the House District
| committee in December, 1919. and the
Senate appropriations committee In
| April, 1920. is as follows:
We contend: First, that the United
| States should contribute largely to
| the expenses of the District. Second.
| that this contribution should be a
| fixed and definite proportion. Third,
that this proportion should be at
| least onehalf.
This platform was modified by the
Districts new organic act Of 1922.
| which reafflrmed the principle Of def
| mite proportionate contribution by To-
| cal community and Nation toward
Capital upbuilding, but changed the
| $3.50 ratio to 60-40, imposing the so
per cent burden upon the local tax
payers.
| The committees platform of prin-
| ciples, thus modified, was announced
| citizens joint committee, October 81,
| 1923. as follows:
We contend: First, that the United
| States should contribute largely to
| the maintenance and upbuilding Of
the National Capital. Second, that
this contribution should De . AxeA
and definite proportion. Third, that
| this proportion should be 6040. 60 by
the District taxpayers and 40 by the
United States.
| X X X
| H. R. bill 473 provides that on and
| after July 1. 1924. the government of
the United States shall not bear any
Axed proportion Of the expenses Of
pay the sum of $8,000,o00 annually to-
| ward defraying such expenseS Of the
| District as may be appropriated for
| by law" This bill thus destroys ut
| terly the definite proportionate re-
| lated plan Of Capital contribution.
| to protect which practically all OF
| organized Washington has united in
| the Citizens Joint Committee.
| This bill tH. R. 473) should be re-
| jected for the following reasons:
| 1. 1t destroys the definite prsDsr-
tionate contribution system. under
| the benedcent operation Of which the
National Capital has wonderfully de-
| veloped, and which, after seven years
| Of exhaustive investigation and pro-
| lonRed discussion, has been vindi-
Gated by retention in the 1922 law.
| g 1t destroys the unrepresented
! Capitals safeSuArd against excessive
and unjust taxation. The compro-
mise law Of 1922 coupled with the
imposition Of now and heavier tax
burdens upon the Capital the vitality
important offsetting benefit Of re-
tention Of the principle of definite
proportionate contribution. the Dis
| trict's safeguard against excessive
and unjust taxation by a taxing body
in which 1t is not represented. This
| bill deprives the District Of the only
feature of the compromise law OF
1922 which Is clearly advantageous
to the people Of the Capital.
| The vital feature of the act OF 1892,
! carried over from the act of 1873, is
that it fixes a definite equitable
standard of national participation in
| Capital making. related to the con-
! trfbution exacted in taxes from the
Capital community. and does not
| leave this standard to the shiftings
| of caprice.
and local Capital contributions were
indefinite and unrelated. Each con-
tributed what it pleased toward Cap
| ital upbuilding. The Nation meas
ured its own obligations in terms of
dollars as next to nothing. The local
community raised and disbursed its
own taxes at its pleasure. 1t meas
ured its Capital obligation consider
ably beyond the limits of its meager
taxable resources, and twice became
practically bankrupt in performing
almost unaided the Nations task Of
Capital building.
In 1878 the Nation confessed its
| violation or gross neglect of Its
CAPITAL obligation. 1t gave practical
| expression to its revived sense OF
this obligation in it's undertaking to
nav one-half the accumulated funded
Indebtedness Of the District and one
half of future expenses. 1t took
from the District the power Of self
taxation and assumed completely ex-
ercise Of the right to fx the local
contribution as we'll as its own. IN
thus szereasinS TAXATION M1tnoue rsD.
rssentation over the District thu
Nation safsguardsd the national COM
muxity by the pledge that 20 every
dollar collected In taxes from the
local taxpayers shou1d be sAdsA .
dollar from the nAt4onAl Treasury
and that the aSSrsgats fsvsaua
should be expended for CAPITAL ap-
building. This provision protected
the District from excessive taxation
by causing a taxgatherer, alien to
the unrepresented District, to appro-
prioate from his own Treasury for the
Districts benefit every time he ap-
| propriated from the Districts taz
revenue. Every dollar he took under
| the tax power from the local COM