Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-15
Lump Sum Vicious in Principle
and Practice
Record Achievement Under Fixed Ratio
Treatment of the District Under Arbitrary Allotment
Resulting in Present Deadlock on The Appropriation

lation or gross neglect of its Capital
obligations. 1t gave practical express
sion to its revived sense of this obliga-
ton in its undertaking to pay 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 exercise of the right to Ak
the local contribution as well as its
own. In thus exercising taxation with
out representation over the District the
Nation safeguarded the Capital com
muntty by the voluntary, self -impOsed
pledge that to every dollar collected in
taxes from the local taxpayers should
De added a dollar from the National
treasury and that the aggregate reve-
nue. should be expended for Capital up-
building This provision protected the
District from excessive taxation by
causing tax gatherer, alien to the
unrepreSented District, to appropriate
from his own Treasury for the Districts
Denent every time he appropriated from
the Districts tax revenue Everv dol
!ar ne Gook Gloer the tax power from
the local community increased corre-
spondingly his own Capital contribu-
ton.
The law of 1922 retains the principle
OF definite, related Capital contribu-
lions In which the law of 1878 was
rooted. That the ratio of this relation
was changed from f1fty-fifty to sixty
forty did not alter the basic principle
involved
The Iump-sum payment practice de-
StrOyS all relation between the national
and local contributions and, leaving all
taxing power in the hands of the
United States, deprives the unrepre-
scented Capital of its safeguard against
excessive taxation by a taxing body in
which 1t is not represented. Under the
lump-sum payment practice additional
dollars of tax exacted from the District
no longer increase, but correspondingly
reduce the national contribution, actu-
ally or relatively.
Teaches q False Theory.
3. 1t teaches a false theory concern-
ing the relation of Nation to Capital,
1t obtrudes annually upon the atten-
ton of Congress the suggestion of a
large cash donation to the Capital, as
If the primary obligation of National
City upbuilding were upon the local
taxpayers and the Nation were only an
incidental contributor, voluntary and
benevolent donor. Since the Nation in
1873 recognized and assumed its Ma
tional Capital power and obligation, its
responsibility in respect to the Capital
has been primary and dominating. AS
late as 1916 this relation of Nation to
Capital was fully recognized and clearly
set forth In the report of the Joint
select committee of Congress, which
made the most thorough, exhaustive
and able study of the fiscal relations of
Nation and Capital that statesmen had
given to the subject since l874-8. AS
long as all the assets and revenues of
the national and local joint contrib
utors toward Capital upbuilding are in
the hands of the national joint con-
trlbutor, and as long as ali decisions
concerning the amount to be paid by
the joint contributors respectively and
concerning the expenditure of the Joint
revenue are to be made by the national
contributor, the latter must, in equity,
and will In fact bear the primary re-
sponstbility of Capital upbuilding. and
the local taxpayers will be recognized
In their true relation as merely Incl
dental contributors of tax money. not
nxed IN amount by themselves, but ex-
acted at the pleasure of the other Joint
contributor. Since all the taxing
power remains in the hands of the ma
tlonal partner, no limitation upon the
amount of national payment Is REQUIRED
but the self-imposed limitation upon
the amount to be exacted from the i'm
potent partner is essential.
Is not the superIative inconsistency.
the climax Of Opsy-turvydom, the
maximum Of injustice attained by a
financing plan which places a limit
upon the amount Of his own money
which may be spent by the omnipo-
tent national partner, with exclusive
power Of legislation and appropria- :
ton in his hands, and removes all limit
rvrf hi =
partner may exact for Capital upbuiId
ing from the impOtent local partner, the
District taxpayers? Protection against
himself for the powerful partner who
needs no protection! A denial of urO-
lection for the weak partner who Is alb
solutely helpless and impOtent and who
desperately needs to be protected!
T.. The lump-sum payment practice
talntS with unfairness or bad faith
many OF the agreements, understand :
lngs or transactions which il touches.
(a) 1t came into existence as a rider
on an appropriation bill in defiance
OF substantive law as the unlawful off,
spring of the Holman rule.
This mlsapplication of that rule tends
70 put the national appropriation for
Capital upbuilding in a position where
1t may not be increased. however right
eously, without running the gauntlet of
the District committees and of District
day limitations and delays, but NAV be
decreased, honestly or dishonesty. with
out the sanction of any committee by
hasty unthinking proposals from the
! moor Of the House, adopted by a mere
majority OF the little group of our legis-
lators In the House who show an inter-
/ est friendly or hostile, in District con-
Germs.
Under its vicious influence the rule
seems to say in effect that in action
upon appropriation bills no substantive
legislation can be disobeyed unless
| Uncle Sam repudiates some financial
obligation or otherwise makes money
| by the change.
The rule thus misapplied, while bar
ring equitable increases in appropri.
alton, facilitates the denial or evasion
| of legal Indebtedness: IL invites viola
tiOn with good or bad motive of exist
ing substantive law; and II tempts Il
the reputation Of just debt.
Unfairness in Respect to Surplus.
(b) In appropriating for Nationa
Capital purposes the Districts five mil
lions OF surplus 1t robbed this fiht
action by Congress of much of it!
merit
1t caused reputation Of eouitabl,
contribution by the United States ii
appropriating and expanding the Dis
trict's accumulated treasury surplus.
The tax money creating this surplus
was collected by authority of the half
and-half law solely TO apply upon tn
Districts half of District appropriations
Whenever 1t came to be expended /
would be equitable to spend it unde
the half-and-half law, the Unite,
States duplicating It,
Under the demoralizing influence o
the lump-sum payment practice tn
surplus has been expended without par
ticipation by the Nation under an,
percentage of obligation to enlarge tn
surplus fund Tor the upbuilding of tn
Capital Decision that the fay SIR