Evening star., 1932-12-20
Washington Taxpayers
Are WOefully Maligned

To the Editor Of The Star:
During the presidential campaign of
1928 I heard Mr.. Alfred E. Smith, the
Democratic candidate. make the charge
that the civic government Of the city
of Washington was costing the tax
payers of the country at large over
forty millions of dollars. Whether he
had been purposely misinformed do
not know The point is that a man In
his position should have known better,
as proper information could easily have
been had. In this year OF 1882 the
United States Chamber of Commerce,
according to an editorial in yo1r news
paper, has repeated the charge and the
same has been widely disseminated.
Confessedly, if Mr.. Smith was ignoran.
at the time his comment was made.
which, if so, does in no manner excuse
him, assuredly among the many sup
poSed-to-be well informed gentlemen
composing the aforesaid large and in
fiuential organization some OF them
knew the charge had no tenancy OF
fact behind 1t.
The writer travels the Atlantic coat
from New York to Florida. Every
where the people are imbued with the
idea the sole cause e the Federal Gov
ernment deficit ant Of their increase
taxes is Washington and the office
holders. In other words they believe
their tax money is being squandered for
the benefit of Washington and Wash
ingtonians. his, am sorry to say,
they are being oetted by some Con-,
gressmen for pe.-7nal considerations
Is it not about tim to call spade a
spade!
Just what sort of dent would the
proposed reductions in Governmental
salaries, If carried into effect, make in
the deficit Why in the interests Of
truth, not to say justice. does not some
medium ascertain the amount and have
same published extensively? 1t would
be SO small IN comparison as to make
Il ridiculous. The plain and bare rea-
sons which have brought about the en-
ormous amount in the red the country
finds itself confronted with are that
majority of the Congress have been
using the public pocketbook to further
their political fortunes, and now they
are quick to respond to anything in
the shape Of a smoke screen.
Poor Washington and poor office
holders! You are to be the goat for
the vast expenditures Of money in the
way Of appropriations made to organ
lied clements solely for their voting
power. This hullabaloo over salaries
has been purposely made. If the clerks
salaries were cut in half there would
be no appreciable reduction in the def
cit. Nor will there be until the cut is
made in the proper place
Let the outlander come to Washing
ton and get some f1rst-hand facts on
how his tax money is being spent. Let
him stroll around the Senate and House
office buildings and discover the mag
nificent and sunlptuOusly furnished
quarters his Representatives, themselves
well paid personally, are occupying at
his expense. In many cases he has
been compelled to borrow money to pay
for this Splendor or else let his prop
erty be conf1scated. Let him go over
and view the Roman garage constructed
with his money and ask some one who
knows now much it cost. He will soon
discover just where and how his tax
money is being spent, and not on the
Office holder, whom the Congress
now gleefuIly has charged with being
in the main responsible for the plight
the country finds itself in. I wonder
if they are not chuckling up their
sleeves to discover so good chance to
put something over?
How much longer the public money
will be used for personal considerations
is perhaps difficult to say, but, sooner
or later. if the practice is not stopped,
a state Of demolition of public revenue
will occur
No. it isn't Washington nor the poor
Office clerks that are responsible in the
premises. Let the proposed cut be made
if thought best, but don't let the coun-
try at large continue in their misguided
belief that high salaries are the sole
cause of our troubles. Congress should
stop spending our money for its own
personal benefit.
H. c. ROBERTSON.