Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-04-25
VITAL WASHINGTON NEWS.

m1ttee OF the state Bar Association.
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VITAL WASHINGTON NEWS.
The impression is steadinly gaining
ground that the Democratic excise-in-
come tax, which proposes to place
upon wealth a part of the burden of
sustaining the government, will pass
the Senate and the White House.
Senator Penrose, who pretends to be
the leader of the Stand -patters in the
Senate, has made the statement that
none of the Democratic bills would be
allowed to pass the Senate, but it is
becoming more and more apparent
that Senator Penrose and those who
believe as he does no longer have the
power to allow" certain measures to
pass, or prevent others from passing.
The truth is, great many of the
Senators, on both sides of the cham
ber, either because they are at last
frightened by the wave of protest
against the high tariff injustice, or be-
cause they believe in the inherent JUS
tice of the income tax measure have
come to 10 kofavorably on the meas
ure. At least there has been a cessa-
tion of the talk about the sunconstitu-
tionality" of the bill, and since this
always has been the Stand-pat way of
opposing all logical measures, the
sign is considered a good one. No
body pretends to know, of course,
what President Taft will do in the
event the bill passes the Senate and
reashes him, but from the amount of
popular approval that has been ae-
corded the measure, it is admitted by
even the friends of the President that
a veto for this measure will mean
political suicide for him.
The present tariff law raises about
$3.50 100000 year in government rev.
enue. And for every dollar of revenue
turned into the United States Treas
ury it is estimated by Democratic
leaders in Congress who have studied
the question from every possible an
gle, that the tariff barons put five into
their own pockets in the form of lotto.
In other words, the tariff gives these
beneficaries the right to collect five
dollars in tribute for every dollar the
government collects in revenue.
This condition is alone responsible
for the horde of mushroom million
aires in this country. On every hand
the people pay tribute.
In the past, the tariff barons have
urged tariff for two principle reas-
ons: First, they pretended that they
wanted to protect American working
men. That this argument, which the
Republican protectionisfs listened to
with a willing ear for the past six
teen years, is a farce, pure and sim
pie, has been proven by the Demo-
Gratis Vt this session of Congress,
chiefly TAirough the various investi-
cations into trust methods Secondly,
the trusts urged that in no other way
could keyRnue to support the govern
ment eollected.
Having disposed of the first argu-
ment, the Democrats, through the ex-
cise-inocme tax bill, have offered a
solution of the other alleged difficulty
The Democratic party believes there
is another way to meet the expenses
of government, and that that way lies
through .an income tax. And on the
merits OF that belief the party is go
ing to ask for national support next
November.
TWO IRRESISTIBLE MEASURES.
The bill repeating tina tax on sugar,
which will reduce the price to the
consumer two cents pound if the
measure is enacted into law, and the
bill to place a tax on all incomes in
excess of $4,000 a year, are two of the
most Important measures passed by
the House of Representative in the
last 25 years.
These sister bills, conceived and
framed by Democratic committees,