The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1913-09-16

uniform tax" for deliberately to com
pei the rich man to pay more than hi
share is most outrageously unjust
Instead of raising the rates on a few
large incomes, suggests the New Yorl
Tribune, the senate ought to reduc,
the minimum taxable income from
$4,000 to $4,000 and thus distribut,
more widely and fairly the burdens O
the tax, because, THE more people
paying direct tax of this sort, tn,
more diffused will the sense of respon
sibility for government become ant
| the stronger will be the check put up
on extravaganza in federal expendi
lures"
This question is Illuminated by the
criticism of Senator Root, who attacks
the income-tax proposal on the ground
that ii would thrust the burden of that
form of taxation on few States, es-
pecially New York, making the bill in
effect Legislation by the south and
other agricultural communities against
the industrial communities of the
country" He refers to the income
tax passed in the stress of the Civil
war, under which the limit of eXemp-
ton was $4,000, and there was no gra-
dation of the tax beyond $4,000. The
larger incomes paid the same percent
age as the smaller incomes subject to
the tax, yet, he tells us, under that
act the states of Massachusetts, New
York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania
paid more than two-thirds of the en-
tire tax" And, reminding the senate
that in proceeding to grade a tax they
must have in mind mot only the rela-
tons between this congress and the
individuals, but you are to have in
mind also the relations between this
congress and the states," Senator Root
proceeds:
IF you impose too great burden
upon the same people who paid two
thirds of the old income taX-that is,
the people of the few states with the
great industrial communities in them
you are diminishing the taxable re-
sources of the states. The taxation
with which we are now concerning
ourselves is but a very small part of
the burdens that are imposed upon the
people of the United States. The
State of New York-and | speak of
that merely because | am more famil-
iar>with it than am with other States
while it has great wealth has great
demands.
why, the expenditures of the city
of New York for the year 1911 were
over $412,000,000. Where did we get
that? Part of it was borrowed, and
we shall have to pay it in the future.
But in the same year the direct taxes
imposed and collected in the state of
New York upon real and personal
property amounted to over $234,000,-
O00
The result is that the people of
the state of New York, and mainly
the people whom you strike with this
income tax, are the source of supply
upon which the state of New York
has to draw to pay these enormous
expenses. So you ought to remember
that in imposing an income tax you
should not be unfair as between the
taxable resources of the state of New
York and the taxable resources of all
other states"
Taking sharp issue with Senator
Root, the New York Globe Qnd.) says
he did no good to New York or the
cause he spoke for by attacking the in
come tax bill as sectional measure,
and it describes as "singularly foolish
and non pertinent" his solemn warn
ing to the other states that they must
not be unjust to New York and that
the union will not endure if there is |
injustice And The Globe continues:
Nor does Senator Root achieve any
thing by ignoring the reason why |
he exemption is placed as high as it
s. He is intelligent enough to under
stand the argument and to state it
airly when attempting to overthrow
t. The argument, in brief, is that per-
sons OF. small incomes spend on an av-
rage larger percentage of their net
Incomes than do persons of large in
omes; that as other taxes, in one way
IT another, are taxes on consumption,
ne rich do not now pay in taxes as
arge a percentage of their incomes
S the non-rich; that consequently
discriminating income tax is equaliz-
lg. Moreover, there is basis for the
lam that larger percentage of those
aving incomes of $4,000 and over
odge taxes more successfully than
nose with incomes of less than $4,000