Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-22
The Federal Obligation.

4AO @SuN4oA
IN the course of remarks accom-
panying the House disagreement to the
Senate amendments to the District ap-
preparation bill Mr.. Simmons Of Ne
braska was asked what per cent Of the
taxable property In the District of
ColUnbia is owned by the United
States and he replied as follows:
I do not have those figNes avail
able just now. I put the figures in
tbs Record last year. I cannot give
It in percentages. II the Government
were paying taxes on the Federal prop
erty in the District of Columbia 1t
would pay somewhere between $1,000
900 and S8,000,0 900 at the current tax
rate. This accepts as correct the as
SCISSORS figures as to values Of Govern
ment property.
One is always at loss to understand
the significance that Is given to these
figures by some members of Congress,
for the obligation of the Federal Gov
eminent to the maintenance and de-
velopment Of its Capital is not measured
IA the terms Of the amount to be
collected from the Federal Government
40 a municipal taxpayer. There Is
little chance that the Federal Govern
ment will take this role.
But as an index to the amount the
Federal Government should contribute
TO the support Of the Capital, the
Bureau of Efficiency, in its report made
for the House last year, developed the
interesting proposition of measuring the
Federal Governments obligation in
Capital maintenance and development
by frst figuring what 1t would pay as
. municipal taxpayer on its real and
personal property, and secondly, adding
what 1t would equitably contribute, per-
sonifying the Nation, TO Offset excessive
expenditures made and abnormal losses
suffered solely by virtue Of the fact
that Washington Is not self developing
commercial city. but the National
Capital.
In this latter connection some Of the
Items to be considered. as pointed out
heretofore in The Star, are: Cd Loss
Of tax revenue on account Of excess
above ordinary real property sxemp-
tons: ca Cost Of excess park acquisi-
ton and maintenance; % Cost Of
improving. maintaining and policing an
extraordinary excess Of street area; 90
The equitable obligation TO pay literally
and to assume primary financial re-
sponsibility for the District, based on
the absolute and exclusive control Of
the Districts fiscal affairs by Congress,
On the principle that fiscal obligation
follows power, and CD The fiscal oblisa-
ton Of the Notion 10 the Capital that
springs from the circumstances Of the
crestion and upbuilding Of the Nations
city,
When these items have been studied
thoroughly. the facts viii be developed
that washington has exempt real prop
erty Of the value Of $eo4.742,el5 and
taxable real property of the value Of
si,1ls.os3,162 according to the Bureau
of Ef1ciency's 1928 table,, the ratio OF
exempt to taxable real property being
500 per cent. So great Is this excess
of exempt property In Warrington that
II $205, GOT Asst IN value Of certain Gov
eminent property imagined as taxable
ts withdrawn for purposes Of calcula-
ton from the exempt List. washington's
remaining exempt list exceeds that Of
nearly every other city compared, with
q ratio Of 1914 per cent exempt, o.
against 1855 per cent average Of all
other cities. It will b found that
wasS,Sv, ofnz,so 10 vi aroa >vesaAs that -
thirteen Of the fourteen comparable
cities studied and that while Washing
ton already Is supplied with . greater
park area than that Of tbs richest
commercial cities, 1t u condemning,
with the citizens paying the major part
Of the cost, still more park land and
removing it from the taxable to the ex-
enpt list. It will be recalled that In
the original founding Of the city, the
Federal Government secured the dona-
ton Of half Of the lots Of Warrington
city on the promise that the proceeds
from the sale Of the donated lots after
contributing to the cost of public build
ings should be applied to city develop
raent, including improvement Of the
streets which had been laid out
In grand style and represented q
greater percentage Of street surface
at the time than any other city in
the world. But up to 1871 the Nation
spent only 100000 on the royal sys-
tenn Of streets, the community spent
nine times that much and the injus-
tice Of the whole proceeding was one
Of the important factors leading to the
enactment Of the organic act Of 1873.
Possessing absolute and exclusive con-
troll over the Capital, the Nation is obli-
gated to its generous support as obli-
CATION follows power, while the circum-
stances Of the creation Of the Capital
confer distinct obligations to its main
tenance.
II the Governments debt g. munic.
ipsi taxpayer amounts TO something
between seven and eight millions, con-
sideration Of these other items adds mil
lions to It's equitable obligations and
demonstrates again the utter made
quacy Of 100000. Consistency de-
mands that II the financial response
btity Of the Federal Government be
measured according to its tax debt,
there be an accompanying measure
ment OF financial responsibility spring.