Evening star., 1937-10-10
Taxation and Representation
Are IndissolubIy Connected.

THROUGHOUT continental and
contiguous United States, ex-
cept in the District of Columbia,
taxation and representation go
hand in hand. following a funda-
mental American principle. Here
this rule is completely ignored and
the isolated Americans of the Ma
tional Capital community are ex-
pected to be good children and like
it. The situation here is indeed a
peculiar one for all of the people
Of the entire country. except those
of the District. through their duly
elected representatives, have their
say as to what national and local
taxes District residents shall pay
and how the resulting funds shall
be spent. District people may be
stockholders, but the stock. if any.
they hold in our great Nation and
our local community must be de-
scribed as paid up, assessable at
will, non-participating, non-trans-
ferable and non-redeemable. 1t is
just about the most impossible an
investment to which a person could
be hooked. ;
1t has always been true that the
taxing power can never be intrusted
safely to those who are not respon-
sible to the taxpayers. 1t is
equally true that the spending Of
the public funds derived from tax
alton must be by those selected by
and responsible to the people who
are taxed.
Considerable dissatisfaction exists
In the District today because of
the recent local tax legislation. un-
fair budgetary procedure and in
equitable fiscal relations between
the Federal and the District gov
ernments. Expressions of such
displeasure have, to large extent,
taken the form of demands for the
right of suffrage. 1t is an out
cropping Of wholesome American
ism among some people who have
long been denied this right and
others who have always lived under
that form of government known as
tyranny" where taxation without
representation has always pre-
vailed.
AS the organizations act on this
problem most of them reaffirln
their support of the proposal for
national representation for the Dis
trict, by some called Federal
suffrage. To obtain this and secure
voting representation in the Senate
and House of Representatives, ana
the vote for President and Vice
President will require an amend
ment to the Constitution. A pro-
posal to amend the Constitution
must first pass both houses of
Congress by a two thirds vote OF
each body and then be ratified by
three-fourths Of the States. Then
and then only can our legislative
body, by the required legislation,
put the system into operation.
A number Of organizations and
individuals are now engaged in
pushing rev movement aimed to
arouse the people to demand local
suffrage or the setting up local
elective form of government. No
specific form of local government is
yet offered. The immediate objec-
tive is to commit organizations and
individuals to support the principle
of local suffrage as the first thing
to be worked for.
There are many active in the
civic ranks who can see no real
solution of the taxation without
representation problem through the
election of local officers who are
completely under the control Of
Congress. as body, and the influ-
ence Of individuals Of the Congress.
The mere election OF these ON
oers, It y held. would not remove
than from the ooutrol o. influence