The Washington times., 1930-08-20
Land GOueing and the City $
Fiscal Relations

II II
ross Of liberal treatment Of the District BY the Federal
Government renewed warfare the question Of
fiscal relations
Nearly 100 Of property IN the 70 be acquired
for expansion Of the Congressional Library and Capitol
Grounds have rejected Government offers for their plots and
the matter win have to BE carried the be decided
BY condemnation juries.
These persons asking far than che assessed value
Of the properly.
Representative John Garner Democratic floor leader
"a effsct
ssThe District comes to Congress for an additional
annual appropriation, but tDhen The Government
wans y buy any properly q the Disrct. the Ouner.
ask 100 to. 200 per cent nbOUe asssssed Ualues
The property Z Uorth that, e ought e bs taxsd fOr
Speaker Nicholas LongwOrh and Representative Garner
point that Government ii had 70 pay 1877
per assessed value for plots needed for extension
81 the House Office Building They think the Government
should pay than 50 per assessed values
This may al be tras Land gouging i nothing new Alert
property the lookout to hold up the
Government for much as they set This attitude
ersabs but Is nothing To worry very much about % long
Goyernment officials stand guard 70 fight thsss ayprcous
property owners and long Governments attorneys battle
Hard 10 expose the asy ~ their claims before condemnation
iriss The Government fsr has done IL duty ably
Il Il comparatively easy matter TO fix fair valuations
Expert appraisers should be able to the jues right AL
this means scs delay q course but there grave danger
of the govez1ansnt, being cheated.
II Il Quite tue that prices paid By the Government nearly
always exceed assessed values While property supposed to
Be assessed at full value the practice Of city and county
everywhere be reasonable and nien so LONG
AS THERE ARE NO GROSS DETERMINATIONS
Diztrict jures should grant prices far ii Of
sessed values then would be proper TO inquire whether Che
District Assessor had been remss ii bis duty whether he had
approved what might be real discrimination against other
property owners. se
But what has 81 this TO do with the fiscal relations between
Ehe District and Federal governments7 There has been
any issue shout the District paying its share c The ex
psnses. will devise means even RAIsA YAxA1 u NA0EH
kARY pay is fair share And properly viii be- assessed
values guarantee the raising Of the Districts share The
District Commissioners and the District Assessor viii 70
that
What the peOple of the Disrict object "a u being
forbidden % spend money for greatly needed nr-
prOUeenks for the beGUticntiOn Of the Capital City
just becnuss the Federal GOUsrnn1enf does not
ft contribute its share and sanction The expend
ture.
II il quite proper that the Federal Government should
say to the conduct Of the city for il i the Nations
Capital But with that privilege goes great responsibility
which Congress far has failed to shoulder fairly
Congress under obligation TO trea the District literally
To provide for itg expansOn and beaufCatOn magn
cent and lavish scale TO contribute large portion o
The city finances
This plain duty here il the seat Of Government
here resides the President Of the United sSeg here
located the great Executive Departments here sits the supreme
Court Of the United States.
u is the Federal City and the country at large should
generously toward its upkeep.