The Washington times., 1909-04-20
This Explains the Earnest
ness Shown in Senator
Aldrich's Address.
WESTERN SENATORS
OPPOSING HIS PLAN
Cunmins and La Toilette Follow
ing Fighting to Do Away
With Protection.
BY ]. c. wELLIvER.


Senator Aldrich. with a good deal of
feeling, and an earnestness which
seemed to some listeners to be rather
unnecessary, assured the Senate that
his tariff bill will produce all the rev.
enue the country needs.
Especially was he ardent in protesta-
tiOn that there was no need for new
taxes to meet expenses. He was eIo-
quent in his warning that new taxes
will mean new extravagances, and
therefore should not be permitted.
And a few hours after Senator
Aldrich had made this speech a group
of Western Senators-an Republicans
met at the home of Senator Cummins
to confer about how to reorganize the
revenue system of the Government.
The truth is that between the Al
drich position and that Of the Western
Republicans is a gap 90 wide thats4t
is hard to see how party loyalty can
ultimately bridge it,
Opposes Income Tax.
Aldrich is determined that there shall
be no income tax. He Is opposed to
such tax per Sc; and he is stil more
opposed to It because he knows that its
establishment would mean the begin
ming of the disintegration of the pres
ent protective system.
The Western Republicans, believing
that the protective system has been dis
torted into gigantic scheme for con-
ferring favors on special interests. are
determined to find new revenue sources.
in order that there may be revenue ar
guments for reducing the tariff sched
tiles sharply in the future. The fight,
down under the surface. IS a iife-and
death struggle between two systems Of
revenue and taxation.
That is the real significance of the
present tarif revision. Mr.. AldEich and
his supporters are ready 10 go any
limit to prevent the country committing
itself 10 income tax. They foresee the
time, not far ahead, when with busi-
ness once more on a normal basis. and
an income tax in effect, the country will
have a vastly greater surplus in the
treasury than ever before.
Would Abolish Tariff.
To reduce that surplus, Congress would
have either to repeal the income tax. or
reduce tariff schedules.
The extreme protectionists know full
well that in such a case. the tariff will
suffer. They recognize that an income
tax will be an immensely popular
method Of raising money. and that,
once in force the tendency win be TO
use 1t more and more. and the tariff
less and less. for getting the Govern
ment's money. This is the real menace
to the tariff: and this is the explanation
OF Senator Aldrich's urgent insistence
that no new revenue legislation shall
De passed at this time. He wants to
wait until the return OF normal business
conditions shall have restored the bal
ance between revenue and expenditure;
then i will be easier TO oppose income
tax as an unnecessary tax.
1t is an embarrassing position that
Senator Aldrich finds himself occupying
just now. The national sentiment in
creasingly favo1s income taxation. and
the revenues need IT, To tide over this
crisis without az experiment I'm income
taxation IS the great task Aldrich has
set for himself. His opponents under
stand his position; they know that the
present is The greatest opportunity they
are likely 10 get In a generation; and
they will make the most Of the Oppor-
tunity-
Aldrich in Earnest.
This explains the deep interest in the
revenue explanation by the Rhode Is
lander. Senator Aldrich assures the
Senate that normal conditions are fast
returning, and that his bill is a better
revenue producer than the DingIcy
measure. II both statements are true.
the surplus will be with us again in
the not distant future, without any
new taxes. Then II the scheme Of econ
onies works out. it will be bigger than
ever: though IL is to be said that no
body takes the economy talk very seri-
ously.
The men who believe in the income
tax per ST. and who. besides that, re-
gard II as the instrumentality through
which to force ultimate reduction Of the
Continued on Second Page.)