Evening star., 1931-12-22

of the United States to aid the voteesS
residents of the District of Columbia
| in getting representation in Congress
and the electoral college was made last
night by Theodore w. Noyes. editor of
The Evening Star. in a radio address
under the auspices of the American
, Taxpayers League, broadcast by WRC
and an extensive network Of other Ma
! tional BroadcaSting Co. stations.
l. Mr. Noyes' address follows
In the weekly radio brcadcasting
| program sponsored by the American
Taxpayers League and the National
{ Broadcasting Co. our whole system OF
/ taxation, national, State and municipal,
is placed under critical inspection.
Ex-senator Wadsworth has con-
| demned as the cause of excessive taxa
ton and of the undermining of repre-
sentative self-governnent the tendency
to centralize imperialistic power in the
| National Government.
Representative Beck has demon
strated that through our internal reve-
nue. taxation several of the States are
/ burGened with excessive national taxa
| ton. coupled with inadequate national
| representation.
In this program the privilege has
| been courteouSly extended to me of call
| ing attention not to taxation without
adequate representation but to taxation
! without any representation whatever;
nct to the danger to our representative
| form Of government Of tendency to
centralize excessive power in the Ma
! tional Government but to the actual
maintenance bv that Government of
J non representative. American impe-
rialistic governn ent over nearly half
million people at the very heart of the
Republic
Representation Is Denied.
The 486 1863 Americans of the Dis
| trict constitute the only community in
all the expanse of the continental and
contiguous United Subscriptions, In
telligent, public spirited. of adequate re-
sources-Which is denied representation
! in the National Government. They
alone among the Americans OF the con-
tinental United States cannot help to
decide who shall be our next President.
They alone have no representation IN
the Congress which makes all laws for
them taxes them, and sends them to
war.
Our national slogan proudly pro-
claims that representation and partici-
patton in his own National Government
constitute a distinctive, basic right OF
the American citizen-in a government
| of the people by the people for the
people: in a government which roots
| it's Justice in consent of the governed;
in representative government which
inseparably couples taxation and arms
bearing as a soldier with representa-
! ticn.
50 far as the half million Americans
! of the District are concerned, the
/ American Government is not a govern
ment of all the people by all the people.
1t is a government of all the people by
a part of the people. The half million
District residents are among the people
! who are governed but not among the
! people who govern.
The half million Americans of the
| District do not give their consent to
their National Government through
elected representatives in accordance
with American principles, like all other
Americans Of the continental and con-
tiguous United States.
Help to Bear Burdens.
I'm respect to the half million resi-
dents of the District, representation Is
divorced from taxation and soldier
service. They are compelled to bear all
the national burdens Of citizens OF
State in national taxes. in subsection to
national laws and as national soldiers
sent to war But they are inconsistently
denied the corresponding rights and
privileges which in genuine representa-
! tive government are with national obli-
| cations inseparably welded.
But does the District pay national
| taxes in sufficient amount to entitle 1t
to representation?
The only national taxes that fall
directly and unmistakably and In ascer-
tainable amounts upon Americans are
the internal revenue taxes, and they
| constitute three-fourths of Uncle Sans
total receipts. The report OF the col
| lector of internal revenue for the fiscal
year 1880 shows that the District paid
| in these taxes in that year $l5,724,-
675.72, and that 25 (more than half
of the States contributed less than the
| District to the Treasury In internal
| revenue taxes.
Ten States combined contribute to
these national taxes only trifle more
than the District alone. These States
are Arizona, Idaho, Mississippi, Mon
tana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Da-
kota, South Dakota, Vermont and wy
oming, whose combined internal revenue
tax payments aggregate SIS, 4,342s SO,
! to be compared with the Districts con-
| tribution of Sl5,724675.72.
These 10 States are represented in
Congress by 20 Senators and "a Repre-
senratives. The total representation OF
the District is 0.
Thus the Americans Of the District
bear all national burdens but are denied
vital national rights.
Sole Function Is to Obey.
"In relation to national laws, the sole
function of the District residents Is to
obey. They take no part in making the
laws which they must obey.
In relation to national taxes their
sole function is to pay. Though they
contributed in national taxes in 1880
more than IS of the States, they have
nothing to say, like other taxpayers,
concerning the amount and kind Of
taxes they shall pay and how the tax
money shall be spent
In relation to national war their
sole function Is to fight in obedience to
command. Though they sent more SOL
diers and sailors to the Great War than
seven of the States, they have no voice,
like other Americans, in the councils
which determine war or peace. They
have no representation in the Govern
ment which requires them to fight, to
bleed, and. perhaps. to die.
In representation in the legislative
branch and by the executive branch of
the National Government they are on
the same footing as aliens, convicts and
lunatics.
Are the people of the District in any
way unfit for national representation?
The Capital is no longer merely the
camping place Of transient Americans,
but has developed into homogeneous
American mmunity-intelligent, re-
sourceful, populous, blic-spirited, pa
triotic-with a marked civic self-con-
sciousness, with strong community
get-together spirit. and with an inspir-
ing community pride.
THE Districts population is as ade-
quate in quantity as in quality
The Districts total population in
1880 exceeded that Of eight of the
States.
"As already pointed out, it paid more
in national taxes in the fiscal year 1880
| than IS of the States, approximately as