The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-22
THE TARIFF PROGRESS.


The word received in yesterday
mornings 5 dispatches from Washington
that the tariff debates arc likely 10
drag on good while yet, will be dis
appointing generally to the country.
But il is no moro than The Tribune
anticipated \ good deal of the most
important work upon the bill has not
yet been reached in the Senate; this
not only as to schedules. but as TO in
dependent propositions. And the House
viii have another 90 at 1T when the
Senate gets through.
The schedules that remain to be dis
posed Of arc important, and are likely
to draw out n good deal Of debate,
while the independent propositions arc
of the most vital and imperative char
acter.
First will be the income tax propo-
sition which is likely to take the form,
under President Taft IS guidance, of an
amendment of the Federal Constltu-
ton allowing specifically of the impo-
sition Of such a tax, and designed 10
make the power of Congress as elastic
as possible in the imposition of such
taxation. There seems to be IN the
Senate an acquicScence of the manager
Of the majority III this proposition. But
those who hold fast to President Taft 5
previous declaration that he believed
an income tax Inv could be enacted
that would pass the scrutiny Of the Su-
prcmc Court will make a determined
effort for the Gs2rafting upon the new
! tariff la'~ of an income tax proposition.
This in spite Of the fact that to do so
would "enact q lawsuit. y For, Of
course. the collection of an income tax
would be resisted from the first.
President Taft s other suggestion, for
the imposition of a tax upon corpora
tions. comes very close to the income
| tax principle, applied, however, only TO
corporations and not to persons. AS
stated by Justice Harlan in the former
income tax decision, the line of distinc-
ton between this kind of corporation
tax and n straight out income tax is
SO ulUl dS W DN ulHiNult w 'ANNS ~ ~
tain of its phases, and yet hope was
held out through the wording of the
former decision that such corporation
tax would be held valid. Assuming
| that it would be, If carefully framed,
there would be from this source very
great and fruitful source of public rcvc-
nue.. And when the proposition to
amend the constitution so as 10 allow
of the imposition Of an income tax
comes mp for passage in Congress, it is
hoped that it will not be assumed that
the corporation tax is already assured,
! but that the resolution may be so
broadly drawn as tc make the validity
of corporation tax, such as is pro-
posed also absolutely secure.
In the meantime 1T must not log for
gotten that the tariff schedules are be-
ing forced through the Senate on ba-
sis so exactly contrary TO the basis de-
clarcd by President Taft in his cam
Ipaign pledges last year as TO be absolute
" indefenslble We copied on Sunday
from the New York Tribune very
strong editorial, showing that the Sen
ate has wholly mistaken the temper of
the American people on this question,
and has forgotten The campaign pledges
of it's candidate for President, wherein
the sort of revision that the Repub-
lican party had promised was expressly
defined. There can be no controvert
ing the validity of the New York Trib-
une s position on this question. To
that VIC add this morning a very en-
phatic declaration from the Des
Moincs 0owa) Register and Leader,
which is also stalwart Republican or
gan, and which expresses the same idea
as that in the New York Tribune with
true Western force and abandon, in the
following words:
1t is a strange situation, surely, when
fight To retain the Dingley schedules can
he heralded fight for free trade. and
foreign domination. II is a strange sit
uation when the President. after him
self making the demand Tor a reduction
from the Dingley schedules will sit back
and allow the Senate committee in
croascs 10 be voted by as bloodlcss COM
bnation as ever pooled TO steal n rail
road or loot n bank, without raising a
finger TO sustain the men who are stand
ing by his personal pledges aud by the
pledges made by him for the Admins
tration.
4 good deal of speculation has been
INDUCED in by Eastern newspapers,
both Republican and Democratic, as to
whether President Taft would sign or
veto such bill as the Senate is franz