The San Francisco call., 1899-09-10
THE WAR REVENUE LAW.

= COMMUNICATIONS from Washington fore
| casting the financial recommendations OF the
~ Government agree that at the coming session
Congress will be asked to revise the bill
for the purpose OF correcting certain defects which
have been found in it, and also for the purpose of in
creasng the amount OF revenue derived from it. Such
revision will be in accord with the popular wish for
ever since the law has been in operation it has been
evident the antiquities OF the language of the act
have made room for taxshirking on large scale by
great corporations and the consequent shifting OF the
tax upon the public.
Among the largest OF these tax-shirkers the ex-
press companies have been notorious The Call has
repeatedly pointed out the many tricks the Wells
Fargo Express Company has practced this coast
in evading the tax. No sooner was the law enacted
than the express company requested The Call to con-
nive at a scheme for shrking the tax and promised
share Of the profits. BY the scheme suggested the
express company offered to receive from The Call
whole wagon-load Of papers as one package thus de-
frauding the Government of that much of its Just
The Call a matter of course refused to
be party to the swndle and promptly exposed the
proposal. 1t is quite likely, however, that some other
large shippers may have joined in the scheme and that
the Government has been defrauded all along in that
way.
Recently suit was brought against the company by
firm OF merchants who aege that for considerable
time the express company took goods from them for
shipment without requiring them to pay the stamp
taxes. That done for a large shipper while
smaller shippers compelled to pay the tax Thus
discrimination made which was unfair to the
public and to those upon whom the injustice
fell From the of the proposition made to The
Call it is fair to that when the express com
pary took shipments from large shippers and agreed
to pay the tax it took whole wagonoads of packages
and Jumped them together and put but one stamp
upon the receipt.
Bad these offenses are, however they are but 4
minor part OF the comprehensive tax-shirling of the
corporations. AS rule express companies have re-
qured the public to pay the taxes which the law i'm
poses upon the companies themselves The issue has
been taken to the courts time and again in many Staes
and the decisions have been against the claims OF the
corporations, but nevertheless they have continued
to rob the public day after day until the aggregate o
the sums eXtorted now amounts to millions Of dollars
When Congress undertakes the revision of the law
care should be taken to put an end to such tax
shirlling that which has been exposed The Con
gressmen from this State will be expected to insist
upon that point. The people of California are weary
OF being robbed by tax-shrkers. The language o
the law should be freed from antiquities and made
clear beyond the possibility of legal quibbe More
over heavy penalty should be imposed upon the
corporation that undertakes to evade the law and
shirk the tax. The issue will be one of the most i'm
portant to be dealt with at the coming session. and
the delegation from California should stand as unit
for the people and the Government against the
shirkers