The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-03-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
BY c. II. Tavtnncr.

pound, place tax on wealth!
The Democratic House of Repre-.
sentatives has announced this as
a part of its program to bring
about reduction in the cost OF
living.
Now getready for the old cry;
You can't do it; it's unconstitu-
tionall" Whenever it is propos-
ed to tax wealth instead of pow
cry, wealth raises the question of
constitutionality, accompanied by
the charge of "radicalism." The
income tax is not radical. Every
first class nation Of the earth
except this one raises a parC Of
its revenue to meet the expenses
of government by taxing incomes,
among such nations being Great
Britain, Japan, France, Den
mark. Germany, Holland, Aus
tria, Switzerland, New leland,
and many others.
Under our present fiscal policy,
the expense of maintaining the
army and navy, building public
buildings and running the gov
ernment is met by taxing the
things the people must have in
order to live. Practically all the
revenue is derived through the
customs houses and internal rev.
enue offices, with the exception
of a comparatively small amout
derived from the corporation TAX,
which was recently passed as a
cheating substitute for an income
tax. While the hat, coats and
shirts of the masses are taxed
almost II per cent under this
fiscal sysytem, Rockefeller,
Morgan, and the other million
aires are not asked by the federal
government to pay any tax
whatever on their swollen for
tunes. Thus a poor man with a
family actually pays more to-
wards running the government
than does millionaire bachelor.
The Democratic plan is to
place sugar on the free list. This
will repeal the tax on the break
fast table, now borne by the
American people. Then the pres
ent corporation tax will be ex-
tended to include individuals and
eopartnerships having an annual
income of SIS, 900 year or more.
The excess of income over S., 900
will be taxed one per cent, BRING
ing into the treasury between $50
100000 and $50, 100000 year,
which will more than cover the
$53, 900, 900 now derived annually
from the sugar tariff. The price
of sugar to the consumer, it is
estimated, VIII then be reduced
about one and one-eighths cents
a pound.
Those who scout the idea that
an income tax bill can be so drawn
as to stand the test Of the Supreme
Court, may be referred to the
opinion of one of the country's
leading lawyers, William Howard
Taft, as follows: I'm my judg-
ment, an amendment to the con-
stitution for an income tax is not
necessary. 1 believe that the in
come tax, when the protective
system of customs and the inter-
nal revenue tax shall not furnish
income enough for government
needs, can and should be devised,
which, under the decisions Of the
Supreme Court, will conform to
the constitution"
PROTECTING THE CHILDREN
Nothing in the history Of Amer
lean tariff-making has 50 Chor-
oughly demonstrated the fallacy
of the high protection principle
as the testimony Of the Law
renee, Mass, strikers.
In the same room where Car
neige and Schwab told how they
juggled millions, the Rules Com
mittee Of the House heard Gath
ers, mothers and children tell
how whole families were forced
to live on So and Sc a week paid
by the highly protected wooden
trust. The witnesses tod how
they were forced TO work ten
hours a day; how they had to
use a sort Of mollasses" as a sub
s,fif,4fa for bf1ffar. how chi ldro,,