The sun., 1909-06-18
NO INCOME TAX VOTE TO-DAY
ALDRICH WILL MOVE POST.
PONEMENT UNTIL MONDAY.

i
ALDRICH WILL MOVE POST
PONEMENT UNTIL MONDAY.
Republican Insurgents Preparing for an
Attack on Taft's Income Tax Plan and
on the Proposed Per Cent. Tax Cd
| the Net Incomes OF Corporations
WASHINGTON. June 17.--While SENATOR
generally are disposed to believe that thu
recommendations made by President
Taft in his message Of yesterday will b.
carried out by the upper house. enough
developed to-day to indicate that the
opposition to Mr. Tafts suggestions vii
not be merely perfunctory and may re
suit In protracted debate. TIE Repub
lican insurgents are preparing for ar
assault on the proposition to enable the
States to amend the Federal Constitution
so that a tax may be imposed on private
incomes. and they will BIZ equally en-
phatlc in attacking the proposed addition
to the tariff bill for placing q per cent
tar on the net incomes Of corporations
Neither proposition, they contend, viii
satisfy those who want an immediate
tax on individual incomes, or meet con
ditions which the insurgents claim tc
exist.
The Republican members OF the Finance
Committee held a meeting this afternoon
TO consider the character and scope OF the
legislation proposed by the President
They had before them drafts Of the pro.
posed Joint resolution to enable the States
TO pass on the question OF amending the
Constitution and the amendment to the
tariff bill providing for a per cent ta1
on the net incomes Of corporations. Both
OF these drafts were made by Attorney
General Wiokersham, who was at the Cap
itol to-day consulting Senator Aldrich,
chairman OF the Finance Comm ittee, in
regard to them. The Republican oom-
mitteemen did not complete the considera-
ton OF the question before them and will
have at least one more meeting prior TO
the presentation OF the joint resolution
and the amendment to the Senate.
When the Senate last Friday took up
the pending income tax amendments. in
accordance with a previous agreement.
Senator Aldrich moved a postponement
Of action until tomorrow and carried bis
point. It was decided to-day by Mr..
Aldrich and his lieutenants that when the
time arrives tomorrow afternoon to vote
on the income tar question Mr.. Adrich
will move another postponement until
next Monday. That his motion will be
adopted Is generally conceded.
In taking this course Mr.. Aldrich will
save himself from the charge OF incon-
sistency. He has maintained all along
that the time to vote ON any amendment
proposing to raise additional revenue
by the imposition Of direct tax was after
all the regular schedules Of the tariff bill
had been disposed Of by the Senate. As
this disposition has not been made and
will not be made by tomorrow afternoon,
he and his advisers hold that another
postponement is desirable. Although the
regular Republican Senators. with Mr.
Aldrich in command. could begin the fray
tomorrow II they so desired, they are
glad. apparently. to obtain a few days
OF grace in order to give them plenty
OF time for the consideration OF the i'm
portant measures which will be proposed
as result OF President Taft's recon-
mendations.
1t is acknowledged on all sides that the
task confronting the Republican mem
bers OF the Finance Committee in draft
ing an amendment imposing a per cent.
tax on the incomes Of corporations is not
easy to carry out with satisfaction to
themselves and to those whose support
they hope to gain for the amendment.
Criticism has been begun already. not
only in the ranks Of the Republican in
surgents and among the Democrats. but
also among the Republican regulars.
Some Senators received many kilograms
to-day protesting against the proposed
corporation tax. One Of the main objec-
tions to the suggested legislation is that it
docs not contemplate taxing partnership
or unincorporated associations and for
that reason would be discriminatory in it's
effects. Other grounds Of opposition
are that it will put an unnecessary burden
on corporations already heavily taxed
and will curtail the incomes Of a great
many people of small means who are
dependent for support on dividends paid
on few shares Of corporation stock.
The Presidents recommendation that a
tax on tho net incomes Of corporations be
imposed as Q means Of raising revenue
has produced an anomalous condition in
the Senate. This suggested legislation,
although regarded by many Senators as
more drastic and far reaching than any
thing attempted by the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. Is being supported morally
by the very mon In the Senate who fought
to the extent Of their ability against the
radical features Of the railway legislato on
Of three years ago which Mr.. Roosevelt
advocated. Senators who intend to vote
for the corporation tax pointed to this
condition to-day as an example OF how
things had changed since Mr.. Roosevelt
left the White House. Some OF them were
disposed to be rather astonished at their
own willingness to follow Mr.. Taft in a
policy which they conceded would have
been bitterly opposed by themselves and
other conservative Republican Senators
had II emanated from Mr.. Roosevelt.
That the suggestion for taxing corpora
ton incomes was Mr.. Taft's very own
and was not adopted by him at the
suggestion OF Senators who hope by
this means to circumvent the efforts Of
the Democrats and Republican insur-
gents to enact legislation imposing q
tax on individual incomes was asserted
by regular Republican
Senators. They were frank enough to