Evening star., 1949-03-15
irresponsible Government

Representatives Howard Smith OF V1r-
ginia and George Bates of Massachusetts,
say the responsibility for balancing the
District budget now lies with the House
majority which killed the sales tax yes
terday afternoon.
Coming from them the statement is
understandable They have been working
on this legislation for more than year.
They unwillingly sponsored sales tax
after tedious examination of every feasible
alternative. They have listened to reams
of testimony from everybody who had any
thing to offer. They have seen the sales
tax approved by the President and the
Budget Bureau and the House last year.
They know something about the condition
that has made it necessary. 1t Is natural
that they want to wash their hands OF the
business now and let some of the breast
beaters who spoke against them in the
House yesterday take over.
But that attitude is unrealistic. The
votes that defeated the carefully drawn
revenue bill yesterday were irresponsible
votes and they stand for irresponsible gov
ernment. They are the same sort of votes
that approve every appropriation bill every
pension grab and every handout and then
defeat the taxes to pay for them. They are
not the votes Of men who know what they
are voting on. They are not the votes
that support wise government of this or
any other community. Mr.. Smith, MIR.
Bates and their colleagues on the District
Committee will have to keep trying.
They have q bill now to increase the
Federal payment and double the local
taxes on liquor. They have been holding
1t in reserve. They should bring that to
the floor of the House and see what hap
pens to it. In the meantime, the real
alternative to the sales tax is local appro-
priation bill that must be cut even harder,
in the Senate, than the House cut It.
A salary increase for $4,000 municipal
employees, including teachers, firemen and
policemen, is out of the question. Expan-
sion of the school system is OUT 1t is no
longer a question. of choosing between
what new needs can be met. The question
now is where to lop. of existing municipal
functions and let Congress and the people
of this city find out the extent of the
'austerity" that lack Of revenue means.
There were lot of glib statements on
the House floor yesterday, filled with the
usual amount of misinformation about
this city, on how to raise the money needed
without sales tax. There was talk OF
adding another so per cent increase to
the real estate tax on top of the 80 per
cent increase that has taken place in the
past two years. There was lot OF talk
about saving the little fellow" from pay
- rrhi
saddling this same little fellow" If he
happens to own a small home, with an
increase of $52.50 in his real estate BILL
There was the usual talk about trying to
raise more money by precisely the same
sort of income tax that the House has
repeatedly voted down in the past ten
years. There was talk about confiscaAng
the private liquor business and making 1t
Q state monopoly. There was talk about
borrowing the money that cannot be
raised by taxes.
That Is a lot of phony talk This years
budget can be balanced by cutting out
essential items and by passing the buck
to the diminishing and overtaxed real
estate in Washington. But that sort OF
budget means nothing. 1t will not take
care of the things-such elemental needs,
for example, as adequate sewers-that
the tremendously increased population of
the city demands. 1t cannot support the
enlargement of school equipment to pre-
pare for the great influx of youngsters a
few years hence. 1t will discriminate
against municipal employees, who are en-
titled to the same sort of pay increases
voted for Federal workers. It will cut
this city back when it should be going
ahead.
The reason for all of this is that the
nonsense spread on the floor of the House
yesterday and the recorded votes that
killed the sales tax were designed for the
Congressional Record, not for sensible
and efficient government.
GIL -.l SL> H@ua..-Ank