Evening star., 1932-01-27
Citizens Petition Congress for Equitable FiscalTreat

to be made at the 60-4o ratio in &C
cordance with existing substantive law,
this apportionment Of the parks ex-
penditure would result automatically
But since, tentatively and for only the
year, a lump-sum payment Is TO be
substituted for the National 40 per cent
contribution, the Nations contribution
of 100000, or thereabouts, ought law
fully and equitably to be added specif
icaIIy to the basic lump-sum payment.
The Park Commission appropriation
is made Enthusiastically as supplement
to the current maintenance and de-
Velopment appropriation, with its So
100000 of lump-sum payment in ac-
cordance with the original tentative
precedent If the 60-40 ratio is not
applied to the whole appropriation and
If the lump-sum payment Is not in
creased as suggested, it Is generally
recognized that every cent Of the Park
Commissions million dollars per year
Cor whatever part Of this amount is
appropriately will come from the Dis
trict taxpayers.
Congress will not permit any tenta-
tive juggling with the ratio Of National
and local community contribution to-
ward Capital development to throw
the whole burden of Park Commission
expenditure upon the local taxpayers.
The law specifically forbids this
procedure by directing a division of
the cost.
The project is broadly National The
title to all land purchased by the Park
Commission is vested in the United
States. The terms of the law suggest the
patriotic interest in 1t to the extent
Of a cent year contribution of every
man, woman and child In the Republic.
Congress will detect the gross peryer-
sion of law and equity which results
in denial to 122,245,O46 Americans Of
all participation in the patriotic priv
ilege of parks contribution and exacts
the entire 122,745,O46 pennies, repre-
senting the whole Nation, from the
half million Americans lat more than
81 annually per head) Of the District Of
Columbia.
There are several other National or
semi-National projects which, as a
result Of appropriations on the District
bill to finance them with an infieXible
lump sum National contribution, have
been in effect paid for solely by Dis
trict taxpayers. Included in this list
are the appropriation Of the accumu-
lated surplus of local taxes, without
any corresponding contribution Of any
kind or amount from the National
Treasury, and the appropriation solely
from local taxes Of the money to COM
plete the parkway connection between
Potomac and Rock Creek Parks. An
other threat of imposing an expenditure,
equitably National upon the local tax
payers, is found in the compulsory
substitution of the new Municipal
Center for the present District Build
ing. This substitution is made in
order that the municipal buildings may
harmonic in magnificence with the
new National public structures and in
wolves an additional expenditure OF over
twenty millions of dollars. 1t is sub
mitted that this excess of expenditure
on the Nations City over that neces-
sarily expended for similar purpose
in the comparable American COM
mercial city cannot in equity be ex-
acted to the extent Of three-fourths or
more from the taxpayers of the Dis
trict.
Exclude National Projects.
4. IL the lump sum payment can
not be equitably increased to provide
for suitable National participation in
financing these National or semi-Na-
tionaI projects, then the appropriations
committee Is asked to exercise its power
to exclude these appropriations from
the District bill, where their inclusion
results in obvious inequity, and to
finance them in some other supply bill,
where the sharing of the expense,
which the law or equity demands, can
be specifically provided.
S. And, finally, some action Is asked
which will limit appropriations Of
District money by Congress (the Dis
trict's legislature. in which 1t is not
represented) in the same way that Cap
ital expenditures of National tax money
are limited under the lump-sum pay
ment plan. When the appropriations
of local and National tax money for the
Capital were by law and in practice in