Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-15
BINGHAM PLEDGES
I HEARINGS ON D. c.
TAXATION BILLS
Careful Study viii Be Given
Increases Before Action in
Senate, He Says.
SENATOR HITS "ORGY"
OF u. S. TAX SPENDING
Levies Without Representation Are
Assailed in Speech Given at
Trade Board Meeting.


$4,000 boost in taxes here, Sen
ator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut
told the Washington Board OF Irade
and the District generally last night IN
an address broadcast from the TRACE
body meeting at the Willard Hotel.
Very careful study" will be given
these bills by the Senate District Com
mittee, following receipt OF an analysis
of them now being made by the Bureau
of Efficiency, prior to Senate action,
the speaker predicted.
Furthermore. Senator Bingham re-
ported, Washington taxpayers will be
given an opportunity to express thelr
views on the proposed measures at pup
lie hearings before the Senate DISTRICT
Committee, headed by Senator Capper
of Kansas, before that legislative group
reports its conclusions. Senator blng-
ham is a member of the Senate Appro.
priations Committee and chairman OF
the Subcommittee on Appropriations for
the District of Columbia.
An unusual and particular response
bility is placed upon Congress in the
drafting of tax measures for the Dis
trict. in order to insure equitable treat
ment for residents of the National Cap
ital, who are diSfranchiSed and de-
prived of voice in their government,
he asserted.
Taxation without representation is
unjust 1t has led to rebellions, uprls-
ings and revolts in many lands and was
the inspiration of our own Boston Tea
Party that led to our break from Great
Britain I still believe in that princi-
Pile" he said.
Later in his address, Senator Bing-
ham, who is regarded as one of the
leading economists of the Senate, dashed
out at extravaganza in governmental
expenditures by Federal, State and mu-
nicipal governments, declaring the
whole country has been on a spending
orgy" He declared taxpayers in locali-
ties throughout the country now are
developing spirit of rebellion against
excessive tax burdens and will force
economies.
Earlier in the Board of Trade pro-
gram, william Tyler Page, former clerk
of the House for many years and still
an employe at the Capitol, struck also
at mounting governmental costs and
urged elimination of scores of agencies
of the central government.
Led Lump Sum Fight Last Year.
Senator Bingham last year led the
fight on behalf of District residents
which brought about compromise be-
tween the Senate and the House which
resulted in appropriation of an addi-
tional 100000 by the National Govern
ment toward the operation of the Dis
trict. This raised the Federal lump
sum appropriation from 100000 to
So, 500 900.
The bills rushed through the House
at the opening of the current session
of Congress, at the urging of the
Mapes Committee, propose an income
tax for the District, a doubling of the
gasoline tax an inheritance tax, estate
tax and elimination from substantive
law the provision that 80 per cent of
costs of the National Capital be paid
out of Federal funds.
While not member Of the District
Committee Senator Bingham assured
his audience that Senator Capper and
his Legislative Committee would make
a thorough and careful study Of the tax
bills before they report their findings to
the Senate.
Discussing the Acknowledgement of
District residents, he brought out that
Chairman Capper plans to call public
hearings on the bills and is awaiting a
report on them by the Bureau OF Eff
cheney.
The days of the $3.50 proportional
arrangement apparently have gone by,
he said in reference to the Mapes Com
mittee action to do away with the
6O-40 divisional plan, which though
still substantive law, has been set aside
by restriction of appropriations to lump
sums
Senator Bingham praised the District
for being free of bonded debt, and
added that some of my friends who
want to increase the tax burden of the
District seem to forget that it is not
necessary to take large sums out of
District revenues to pay for the huge
bonded Indebtedness that other cities
have"
Here he warned Of the billions of
dollars of bonded indebtedness of
States and municipalities of the
country. This practice of borrowing
huge sums he pointed out, has placed
great additional burdens on taxpayers.
Swinging into the broader questions
of governmental taxation and eXpendl-
lures, Senator Bingham urged much
more economical procedure, as to the
Nation, States and municipalities.
Pointing out that the House had
prescribed in the deficiency appropria-
tion measure that no funds be spent
for the razing of the District Building,
in the Federal development area here,
he reported that the Senate Approprla-
tions Committee had written into this
measure that there shall be no such
expenditure 'in this or any other bill. "
He referred also to the costly new
Municipal Center project.
"When we are prosperous" he con-
tinued. there are requests for many
hip projects of all kinds, but when
times are hard we do not ask for works
of art. -,
"These are days when we are hard
! I'm 7 have lust noticed advertisements
of tremendous list OF properties winch
are posted for tax sales. People are
ont of work and are losing their homes.
1--WE have been on a spending de-
bauch The Nation has been engaging
in an orgy of spending. The time has
come to prune Federal expenditures
until it hurts. The taxpayers Will force
this action if our Legislatures do not
act first.
Treasury there must be heavy slashes
in expenditures, or increases In taxes,
as proposed by Secretary Mellon. Both
NAV have to be adopted.
Money does not come out OF thin
air. Borrowing only postpones the evil
to some future day.
Giving a picture of the national
spending orgy" Senator Bingham de-
cIared the country had been most ex-
travagant," describing high schools
en,inned with hair drying machines,
purchased so that girl students could
take a swim in the school pool between
study sessions.
has been spending a lot of money for
foolish things" adding that the Ma
tional Government has been getting
more and more paternalistic:"
Here he described q costly" PAM