Evening star., 1936-03-05
A Grave Injustice.

washington ana 40 not TeIleCC tle CoIl-
sideration and fair dealing which they
have right to expect from Congress.
The Districts only State and municipal
legislature under the Constitution (Con-
gress) is now appropriating to District
uses over s40OO0,00O which the people
and taxpayers of the District have con-
tributed for the maintenance and de-
velopment of the Capital. On American
principles, everywhere else in America,
the only persons who would be entitled
to have anything to say concerning the
disposition of their municipal taxes
would be the people who paid the taxes.
Here the municipal taxpayers are the
only persons who have nothing what
ever to say concerning such disposition.
President William Henry Harrison said
concerning this condition "the grant to
Congress of exclusive jurisdiction in the
District of Columbia can be interpreted SO
far as respects the aggregate people OF
the United States as meaning nothing
more than to allow Congress the control
ling power necessary to afford free and
safe exercise of the functions assigned to
the general government by the Consti-
tuition. In all other respects the legisla-
ton of Congress should be adapted to
their peculiar positions and wants and
be conformable with their deliberate
opinions of their own interests"
Several other Presidents have ex-
pressed themselves along the same lines
of thought, urging the equity OF special
consideration by the National Govern
ment of the wishes of the people OF the
District in respect to the legislation
affecting them and concerning the rails
ing and spending of their tax money.
There is radical disregard OF this ad-
vice when some of the powerful among
our legislators, instead of encouraging
and needing the expression of local
wishes, denounce even respectful petit
tions from their voteless constituents
and threaten them with further ana
greater injustice and injury If they ven-
ture to petition.
The National Government, by the
terms of the pending House bill, would
add to the contribution of the local tax
PAYERS only s2,7OO,0OO for maintenance
and development of the Nations Capt.
tai, AS the bill contains provisions for
repayment of s1,30O,000 for Federal ad-
yances made by P. w. A. and under the
park commission law, the net contrlou-
tion amounts in reality to ST 400, 900 IN
q District bill requiring the outlay OF
S42,573,283.
But the s2,7oo,o00 written into the bill
Is held to represent the national obllga-
ton to contribute toward National Cap
ttal maintenance and development Cd
as the owner of real estate in the Dis
trict held exempt from taxation ana
valued by the assessor at S55O,oOO,ooo;
90 as the owner in fee simple OF the
street area of the original Capital City,
more than half of that city's total
area, imposing burden of expense for
maintenance and development on the
people of the District which, according
to the report of the southard Commit
tee, was never viewed as equitably to
be borne unaided or even in large part
by the taxpayers of the District; Cd
as the absolute controlling partner in
the development of the National Cap
ital. OF course, the $2,700,000 does not
meet the National Governments obli-
cation on any of these grounds.
There are extraordinary obligations
imposed upon the people of the District
solely by reason of the fact that Wash
ington is the National Capital, such as
the support of excessive park develop
ment the building of structures con-
forming in scale and grandeur to stand
ards of Federal architecture, the main
tenance of national and semi-national
undertakings, such as the Zoo, all Of
which must be considered in connection
with such disabilities, peculiar to WASH
ington, as the fact that no large indus
tries are permitted here and no extern
sions of q constantly diminishing tax
able area are permitted beyond the fixed
boundaries Of the District.
It is also to be remembered that the
local taxpayers contribute to the lump
sum. They pay in national taxes, from
which the lump sum is drawn, more than
any one Of twenty-three of the States.
They thus pay on both sides of the ac-
count and are represented in the dis
position of neither their local nor ma
tional taxes.
= When Congress, in the face Of such
conditions, ignores the pleas of the Dis
trict for needed improvements and ig-
nores at the same time its just financial
obligations, double injustice is done.
A Georgia Straw.
Fseoroia fs inst rnu the scene of a