The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-04-12


ten pays more national taxes than the
rich bachelor with no family. because
the poor man and his family consume
more. The poor man on a salary, the
working gir or the working woman
feels the national taxes in the shape of
an increased cost of living. These
taxes increase the cost of food, drink,
clothes. houses, hardware, furniture,
carpets, shoes, g,ass, paints, and
thousand other things, including rent.
This system of raising money to
support an army, navy and govern
ment has always seemed to me IN
just, because it is like taxing the peo-
pie of the country-men. women and
children-so much per person, regard
less of the benefits they receive from
the government and regardless of their
ability to pay.
The income tax offered one means
of remedying this evil. Every demo-
crat in congress and many progress
sive republicans were heady to insert
an income tax provision in the tariff
law. In the senate the Gemocrats and
progressive republicans developed an
outspoken and admitted majority in
favor of an income tax. lie became
evident that such a provision would
be incorporated in the tariff law un-
less extraordinary measures were tax
en- to prevent it. These extraordinary
measures were taken by President
Taft
They came in the shape of special
message from the president to con-
gress on June 10th of last year, re-
commencing against Incorporating an
income tax in the tariff act, but in
stead to incorporate small tax on the
net incomes of the corporations. AS
a special reason for the passage OF
would enable not only the government,
but the public, to get an annual re-
port from each corporation and thus
secure full knowledge of the real bust
ness transactions, gains, and profits of
every corporation in the country. This,
he said would be valuable step to
ward the supervision and control OF
the corporations.
1.-The subterfuge was effective. The
friends of the income tax in the SEN
ate found that enough votes had been
won by the presidents recommended
ton to make it impossib for them to-
incorporate the income tax clause in
the tariff act, and it was in that way
so the inheritance tax, which had been
adopted by the house at the presidents
recommendation, was eliminated. That
was less than one year ago. What,
now, has become of this device which
was used to defeat not only the in
heritance tax, but also the income tax?
"The first thing that happened to
it was that it was attacked in court,
and within a few weeks we shall know
whether the tax it imposes is consti-
tutional or not.
"The next thing is this attack on its
publicity provision. The proposed
amendment will lock up the informa-
ton given by the corporations so il
shall only be made public upon order
of the president himself. The presi-
dent is given exclusive information
about corporations, which he can use,
if desired, for political purposes.
'T am not ready by killing the pub
licity clause to help this administra-
ton out of a hole. 1t has used it's
corporation tax law, and especially the
publicity provision, as a weapon to kill
the income tax and the inheritance
tax. I am not ready now TO help il
emasculate the corporation law by
taking out of it the vital essential OF
publicity which the president at that
time advised the house of representa-
tives and the senate was the import
ant consideration for it's passage"