The Washington herald., 1913-07-01
SENATE CAUCUS
AGAIN DEBATES
TAX ON Income
Provision Of Finance Commit
tee Is Meeting with Con-
siderable Objection.
BACHELOR TAX UNJUST
Exempticn Feature Is Criticised-De-
bate May Start Late
Next Week.

The Senate Democratic caucus passed
from the consideration of schedules and
rates in the tariff bill yesterday to the
income tax.
Nearly all of the afternoon session and
a night session, that begun at s o'clock
and lasted until nearly midnight. was
devoted to discussing the income tax. A
wide divergence of views was disclosed
For three hours and a half yesterday
afternoon the caucus discussed the single
feature of exemptions. Some of the
Senators chided Senator Williams of
Missippi, author OF the Senate amend
ment. with his work and told him that
the House bill carried a wiser provision
concerning the income tax than the
Senate Committee has reported to the
caucus. This was a very irritating criti-
cism to Senator Williams. who has been
congratulated by many of his colleagues
on his work of revision.
Opinions Are Varied.
At the outset of the discussion a Diff
ference Of opinion developed as to
whether there should be any distinction
drawn between married men and I'M
married men.
A number of Senators favored a fiat
the $4,000 proposed as minimum and
the additional exemptions on account
Of dependent husband or wife and de-
pendent children. One or two SEN
ators expressed the opinion that. If an
exemption should be given on account
of each child, that il ought not to be
limited to children. but ought TO apply
to each and every child in the family.
One Senator pointed out that the
proposed discrimination against I'M
married men was unjust. because it
might turn out in some instances that
an unmarried man was carrying a
larger burden in the way of support
ing dependent relatives than some of
the married men, who would be eN-
empted under the bill A suggestion
also was made that, in some cases
there might be dependent grandchil-
dren. for whom the bill made no pro-
vision. When the caucus adjourned
the afternoon session, none of the mat
tiers had been settled. and Senator Sim
mons had come forward with a sug-
gestion that the bill omit all refer
ences to dependent children. and diff
ferentiate simply between married and
unmarried men.
Chairman Simmons seemed to be dis
turbed over the way in which the In
come tax was dragging in the caucus,
and said that ne had no hope of getting
the bill reported into the Senate before
July 4. Senator James Hamilton Lewis.
of Illinois. predicted that it would be
July 10. or a week from Saturday. be-
fore the caucus completed its work
Senator Lewis yesterday offered an
amendment for a general plan of coun-
tervailing duties. He laid it before the
Finance Committee and will advocate it
in the caucus as a substitute for the
anti-dumpIng provision of the House bill,
which was STRUCK out by the Senate COM
mittee. Senator Lewis explained that
he offered the amendment after a confer
ence with Representatives of the Illinois
Manufacturers Association. who had
complained 10 him that there ought to
be some method for protecting the Amer
lean market against foreign goods, and
20 enforce equal treatment from Tor
eign countries for American exports.
Meat Inspection LAW.
One of the most important acts of the
caucus yesterday was the approval of an
amendment reported by the Finance Com
rnittee at the morning session. of the eau
Gus which directs the Secretary of Agri-
culture to impose a rigid system of meat
inspection against any meats imported
from a country, the meat inspection laws
Of which are no. as rigid as our own.
An amendment by Senator Johnson of
Maine, putting Spanish cedar logs on the
free list, also was adopted at the morning
session of the caucus. These logs are
used chiefly in the manufacture OF cigar
boxes and other containers.
The free list was finished at the morn
ing session, and nothing remains but tic
income tax and the administrative fea-
lures. But it is evident that there will