Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-15

can under it purchase land in adjacent
Maryland and Virginia, as well as in the
| District.
The annual appropriation of more
than a million dollars a year, author
lied as supplemental and extraordinary
expenditures by the District OF Column
| bia Park Commission law, Is directed
by the law itself to be paid from the
revenues of the District of Columbia
and the general funds Of the Treasury
In the same proportion as other ex-
penses of the District of Columbia"
The current ratio was and is 60-40,
fixed in the substantive law by the new
organic act OF 1922. and still unrepealed.
The wholesale exceptions to the 6O-4O
ratio involved in the temporary lump
pavment plan of 1925, 1926, 1927 and
! 1928 merely suspend the substantive law
of 1922 for the year during which the
exceptions apply and do not repeal or
permanently amend the substantive law.
The lump-sum payment plan, by
| ignoring the laws specific direction OF
so-4O division of the cost, and by failing
TO MAKE a specific int rea.e OF the lump
sum payment to satisfy the laws direc-
ton of a national 40 per cent contribu-
ton, has practically thrown the whole
cost Of Park Commission expenditures
upon the local taxpayers. II has con-
yerted a fine, wise, broadly national
nroiect. which the self deceived District
enthuSias ticalIy Endorsed, into an unjust
and uncomfortable increase OF the local
taxpayers burden, against which the
buncoed District taxpayer vigorously
protests.
ParaIyzes Costly Permanent
improvements.
(d) It paraly5es all great and costly
nermanent improvements ana all loans
for such improvements by creating In
a community a reasonable distrust
whether the national partner in financ-
ing the improvement and repaying
/ the loans will not exact every cent OF
pavment for primarily national or semi
national projects from the impotent
local partner, the District taxpayers.
te) 1t taints with bad ialtn ana nur ,:.
FuI Injustice the Districts new organic
act of 1922. =.
The understanding when the act OF
Tune 90. 1922, was agreed upon oy
House and Senate viewed that act as
connnror1ise measure, disposing for many
wears of our troublesome fiscal relation
issues. The Districts contribution
toward Capital upbuilding was increased
from so to so per cent; Its tax rate on
Intangible personally was increased
az "a per cent, and the foundation was
claimed) for increasing its realty TAX
n was deprived of exclusive credit tor
large sums of miscellaneous receipts
hitherto solely enjoyed, TINS actlon m
fic+ino a heavy loss, and 1t was COM
neIIed To accumulate from its tax money
~ immediately succeeding years CeVery
cent of which was needed 10 meet Ohe
urgent municipal needs OF the oay) q
fund of millions to provide IN ADVANCE
for meeting the first haf-year expenses
of 1928. ....
In partial compensation for these
drastic exactions the District was 10
enioy specifically for five years ana m
definitely thereafter the beneht OF ap-
nroximate certainty as TO ltS raCes ol
pronortionate contribution; In order 70
snare the District all controversy Iof
these five years over ratios and tax raCes
the law in specific terms levied IN 40,
vance this tax for each OF tne ns scs
wears ending June 80, 1928, 1924, 1879,
io26 and 1927" indicated how the tax
rate should be automatically fixed ano
directed that the proceeds should De
onnIied tn the Districts so per cent con-
tribution and to the building up by 1871
~ q surplus to put the District on
cash.navinp basis. The District was
thus to be spared for long. period
hurtful deadlocks over ratios between
House and Senate, which annuany en-
dangered the District appropriations
go undeseryedly prejudiced House
sentiment against the Capital COM
munity.
Irniust and HurtfuI Discrimination.
The District has been compelled 70
carry out faithfully all the provisions Oh
the five-year program that mean loss
and injury to it, but in approprlatmg
for the fiscal year 1925, Congress nuih-
1ed for that year the 60-40 provision
of the law of 1922 (the only pledge In
the compromise distinctly -benencsal IC
the DISTRICT. by attaching to that bill
the vicious and demoralizing lump-sun
payment rider.
The all-powerful national partner ha.
in each of the fiscal years since that OF
1925 repeated this unjustly and discred-
itably discriminating eXactlon from the
impotent local partner.
When Congress ceases to enact TINS
annual exception to the law OF 1877, Cne
6O-40 rate directed by that law Will au.
tomatically operate and the promised
era of peace, good will and good faith
win be enjoyed
a, The vicious influence in the direc-
Icn Of Reputation and bad faith OF the
Iump-sum payment practice is further
suggested in the exaction in full from
the local partner, the District taxpayer
of the final payment on the parkway
connection between Potomac and Rocl
Greek Parks. At first the Nation paiC
in full for the national parks to which
it secured title Then for parks at th'
Capital 1t exacted from the District tax
payers so per cent of the cost and late
so per cent. But in this parkway cas-
the final payment was made solely IRON
District tax money.
No Offsetting Benefits for Injuries
Inflicted.
8. There are no Offsetting benefits u
the injuries inflicted by the lump-sun
payment practice. All the prediction
. of evil concerning It have been 100 pc
cent fulfilled. Not one Of the benefit
promised for Il has been enjoyed.
= washington was tempted to assent =
} surrender its safeguard of national pro
portionate contribution by the aSsur
ance that If a fixed lump-sum paymen
were made by the Nation, the taxpayer
| would nave practical control of tn
question of the amount of tax none
. to be raised by themselves, of the form
5 of taxation to be adopted and OF tn
objects for which their tax none
. should be spent; that since none O
! their tax money came from the Natiol
= or national Treasury they could, wit
few limitations, raise and spend thei
s own money to suit themselves, domi
: mated neither by Budget Bureau no
e Congress.
Our experience has demonstrated tina
I the lump-sum payment practice ha
r given no greater freedom in any respec
1 whatever from the rigid supervision an
arbitrary control of Budget Bureau an
2 Congress; that it has not increased
. particle the Districts power to partici
: pate in its taxing and sppropriatin
v legislation. Congress still has and jeal
. ously exercises exclusive power to deter
. mine how much it shall be taxed,
what forms it shall be taxed and 70