Evening star., 1941-03-21

to 1924 or, as a last resort, by
payment, there are several othel
primary reasons why the Natlor
should bear a liberal share through
either of these alternative methods
In addition to its large amount OF
tax-exempt property holdings, the
Federal responsibility toward the
upkeep and development of Wash
ington rests upon the following
other basic foundation stones:
l. Obligation based upon absolute
control of city. Obligation follows
power, including obligation spring
ing from conditions surrounding
founding Of city.
Pride VS.. Shame.
2. Obligation springing from de-
mands of patriotic pride in the
Capital. When the Nation shirked
its obligation. tn" Capital was a
national shame. When the Nation
met its obligation. the Capital be-
came an object Of national pride.
3. Obligation based upon pay
ments made from local taxes. solely
because Washington is the Capital
i'm excess of what would be paid il
Washington were the ordinary COM
mercial self sustaining community
Also items which are national or
semi ma tionaI and impose an Obliga-
ton upon the Nation to pay all or
| half or 40 per cent of expenditures,
and thus render inadequate the
national payment of approximately
| IL per cent under current lump sum
appropriations.
! 4. Obligations based upon heavy
national internal revenue) taxes
paid by people of the Capital. COM
pared with corresponding payments
by the States.
5. Equitable obligation to share
literally in the Capital upbuilding to
make up for hundreds of millions of
grants and subsidies paid to the
States over long period of years
from which Washington was barred
until the advent of various emer-
gency programs that grew out of the
depression in the last eight years.
The Equitable Obligation.
In considering the first of these
reasons Washington contends that
the true basis of the Nations obliga-
ton of proportionate contributions
to the maintenance and develop
ment Of the Capital is not solely or
primarily untaxed ownership of Dis
trict real estate (the assessed value
of which recently was placed at
S703,615.000 in Federal report to
Congress on Government property
holdings. though a substantial and
continuous obligation does arise in
connection with such ownership
The strongest obligation resting
upon the Nation is equitable in its
nature and based primarily on the
circumstances of the Capitals crea-
| ton and the treatment of the Cap
ital by the Nation ever since the
birth of the Nations City. including
the Nations absolute despotic con-
troll of the National Capital.
The general government by the
! fact of planning a magnificent Capt.
tai covering large area and char
| acterized by broad streets and
avenues and reservations unsuitable
for a commercial city and by found
ing this Capital in place compare
lively uninhabited. as we'll as by the
terms of the bargain with the owners
of the soil, by its advertised promises
| to purchasers from it of donated
Washington lots and by the decla-
rations of its representatives at the
/ founding of the city and afterward
showed an intention to build up a
national city at the Nations expense
| upon a grand scale irrespective OF
| the future population of the District.
The Capital was to be primarily a
center of Federal action, and the
expense of it's support and adorn-
ment was not to be limited by the
scanty resources of whatever perma-
nent population it might acquire.
Control Means Obligation.
Obviously the primary obligation
in the arrangement between Nation
and District taxpayers should be
upon that party to it which abso-
lutely controls every cent Of the
money contributed for Capital main
tenance by both parties, local and
national, and which has undivided
and despotic power to fix the amount
| of local tax contribution, to decide by
what method of taxation it shall be
| collected. to collect it and to spend
it. Clearly in equity the primary
obligation should not be shifted to
the Capital originally the incidental
contributor, which has no power of
control even of it's own tax money
at any stage and whose sole func-
ton in respect to taxation and its
financial status Is to petition, to obey
and to pay.
From the beginning the Nations
obligation in respect to Capital
maintenance and upbuilding has
been in equity and on principle
primary, dominating and, like its
power to govern, exclusive and SUI
preme.
Political Power and Financial
Obligation Coupled.
Primary and full responsibility
both in respect to the control and to
the maintenance and upbuilding Of
the Capital is in Congress represent
ing the Nation. Political power and
financial obligation are inseparably
coupled. If the National controls, it
pays; and to the extent that it con-
trolls, it pays. Washington is the
only capital in the world in which,
if certain policies prevail, the Ma
tiOn will do all the controlling and
none Of the paying.
That the Government should as
sumo the attitude of mere contrib
utor to the support of its Capital is
not only illogical and absurd in itself,
but is violation of the Constitution
which gives Congress exclusive juris-
diction over and thereby makes it
exclusively responsible for it,"
(Senator Works, California, addi-
tional views in 1856, fiscal report