Evening star., 1936-03-08
Consistently Inconsistent.

NouSAStCHtiy luCOnSIStents
Debate in the House preceding passage
OF the District bill followed its usual
illogical course. Some taxpayers of the
District were accused of tax lodging, al
though in most cases they seem merely
TO have paid tax bills rendered, which
were based on tax rate determined by
Congress and the Commissioners applied
to assessments fixed by an assessor, who
is correctly declared by the Appropria-
tions Subcommittee to be efficient, honest
and beyond criticism.
The Federal lump sum was reduced,
according to Representative Otter, be-
cause the Commissioners had done
nothing about raising local taxation. Yet
Congress is the only body which has the
power of fixing the amount to be raised,
which controls the levying of taxes in
the District.
All of the honest taxpayers of the
District were berated because of the tax
delinquences of some of them The same
showing of tax delinquents was used two
years ago by Representative Cannon of
Missouri to support his and Mr. Blantons
argument for an arbitrary reduction in
the local tax rate. Furthermore, it was
pointed out that the Commissioners have
proceeded to the extent of their authority
in dealing with the tax delinquencies
and the only way to obtain additional
authority is through a law enacted by
Congress.
Representative Blanton went to con-
siderable length to emphasize the fact
that Congress has exclusive control over
the District of Columbia. Yet any num-
Der of sins of omission and commission
are charged against the voteless people
OF the District, who have nothing in the
world to say about taxation or anything
else, in order to justify the retaliatory
punishment inflicted upon them by the
District bill.
The President, in his Friday press con-
ference, confined his discussion of the
adequacy of the s2,7o0,ooo lump sum in
this years bill to a reference to his
budget message recommending s5, 700 OO0
Representative Blanton has made fire.
quent references to "our Presidents"
budget, but when departure from its
recommendations inflicts hardship on
the people of the District, he and his
committee go the limit without apology
or explanation.
Obviously the course of the House in
dealing with the District bill under Mr.
Blanton's leadership is full of inconsis-
tencies. But it is perfectly consistent
course when studied in relation to Mr..
Blanton's objective of steady reduction
and final elimination of the Federal
contribution. It is necessary that Mr.
Bianton's scheme for reaching his objec-
tive be fully understood.
Suppose hungry man had fifty cents
to spend on square meal. It is true
that if some supreme authority-like
the House Appropriations Committee
told him he could spend only twenty
five cents, he would have surplus" of
twenty-five cents. But he would not
have his square meal
For years the District has been piling
up unmet needs, at the same time Show
ing surplus of revenues over expendi-.
lures. The existence of this surplus"
has been used as an argument to reduce
the lump sunl-and because of the
supreme authority of Congress the argu-
ment has been effective.
Two years ago the House committee
tried to reduce the local tax rate to sl.2o,
at the cost of leaving the city without
adequate maintenance funds, ostensibly
to. relieve the taxpayers, who this year
have received their usual tongue flashing
as tax-dodgers, but in reality to show
how little the District needed the annual
appropriations. This year the Budget
Bureau eliminated so many items from
the Commissioners estimates that an
other fictitious surplus" was created,
and the lump sum has been reduced in
rough proportion to that alleged sur
plus" Next year Mr.. Blanton hopes to
eliminate the lump sum altogether.
The result? All of the extraordinary
cost of maintaining the American Cap
ital will fall on local taxpayers, already
highly taxed. Instead Of paying more
than eighty-hve per cent of these costs
or othe sixty per cent that Congress by
unrepealed law has declared is fair and
tust-they will be asked to pay it all.
Paying eighty-five per cent and more,
they have been unable to meet the cost
of adequate municipal maintenance and
improvement. Paying all Of it, they will
fall still further behind in the face of
neglected and delayed improvement
steps-such as school building-which
should have been taken years ago. Public
education, public health police and fire
protection-all of the normal municipal
services plus the extraordinary develop
,nent schemes for the American Capital
will suffer.
The District relies upon the Senate.