Photo by Albert G. Robinson 



THE IMPOSING WliST FRONT OF THE HOUSF FND OF THF CAPITOL 



In the plans of the Park Commission it is intended that the west front grounds shall be 

 relieved and enriched with basins and fountains, in which the water, falling from one level 

 to another, is finally poured into a great central pool at the foot of Capitol Hill (see 

 page 249). The capital Washington planned was infinitely greater in proportion to the 

 resources of the natron at that time than the city as embraced in the plans now in process 

 of slow execution are to the present resources of the nation. 



must meet all the requirements of a Na- 

 tion's Capital. 



The second reason why the burden of 

 even one-half of the expenses of the city 

 government is heavier than the total ex- 

 penses of most cities is that Washington 

 has but one industry, which is govern- 

 ment, and that industry but one product, 

 which is politics. With no important 

 wealth-producing industries to swell the 

 incomes of the people of the Capital, 

 with every activity discouraged that 

 would detract from the beauty of the 

 city, per capita ability to pay taxes is 

 correspondingly smaller in Washington 

 than in most cities. Hence it is that even 

 the half-and-half plan still leaves Wash- 

 ington a rather heavily taxed munici- 

 pality. 



THF ATTITUDF OF CONGRFSS IN 1878 



^^^^en the question of finding a fair 

 basis for the financial resolutions be- 

 tween the United States government and 

 the District of Columbia was pending in 

 Congress during the middle seventies, a 

 report favorable to the half and half plan 

 was made by the Judiciar}^ Committee of 

 the House. Among other striking state- 

 ments in that instrument was one which 

 shows how the law-makers of that period 

 viewed the subject. It is as follows: 



"There is something revolting to a 

 proper sense of justice in the idea that 

 the United States should hold free from 

 taxation more than half of the area of 

 the Capital City and should be required 

 to maintain a city upon an unusually ex- 



289 



