Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-22

taxed. He is against the policy of adj
mnistering an anesthetic before extract
ing money from them for public pur-
poses. So long as they give up the money
unknowingly they are prone to regard the
public treasury merely as a reservoir of
wealth to be drawn upon, failing to take
into account that it is their money which
fills the reservoir in the first place.
And this Judge Hull went on, in ex-
planning his views, is what makes for
prodigal appropriations, waste in public
expenditures, and the demand from each
congressional district, Give, give, give.
THE tariff and the general system of
indirect taxation by which the people the
source of all public revenue, are made
not to realize that they are paying, is re-
sponsible for the lack of public interest
in the nations income and for the CEN
tering of that interest on the nations out
go.
X
1T is not a matter Of wonder that the
people of each congressional district are
prone to gauge the efficiency of their rep
resentative in Congress by the amount of
appropriations he gains for them rather
than BY the amount he saves for the
whole body of the people. The all too
common notion is that it is merely Tn
Gle Sans money that is being spent, not
our owr money But Uncle Sans II oney
is our money--"ours and mile and the
money of ever individual citizen Of the
country.
TO my mind it is certain that the in
come tax Law Will bring this fact closer
Tome to the individual and give him a
new and bette- perspective on has coun-
try's fiscal affairs. Before he asks new
and greater appropriations he will be
prone to estate and count the cost
healthier -public sentiment about the uses
Of public money is certain to result.
There is no question that the income
tax Is the fairest tax that can be i'm
posed; it imposes the amount each indi-
vidual shall pay by his ability 20 pay,
and measures it by his net income
Moreover, its fexibility is far greater
than any other tax that can be laid. Tn
der the system wAere we placed our chief
dependence on the customs tariff there
has been d constant succession of great
Treasury surpluses succeeded By periods
Of deficits. Naturally a surplus is a
temptation to spend; and, whenever there
has been a surplus our expenditures
have advanced. leaving US unprepared for
the period Of deficit when, our rate of
spending being fixed. it is impossible
seemingly for us to retrench.
~ direct tax. such as the income tax,
involves no such far-reaching results as
accompany u changing of the tariff. Each
year Congress may measure the probable
legitimate needs for the ensuing year and
provide for it merely by adjusting the
rate OF the income tax. When a surplus
seems imminent the rate can be reduced
when deficit is threatened the rate can
be Increased.
II look for broader application of the
income tax in time-a reduction of the
exemption below the present three-thou-
said-dollar mark--so that a greater por-
ton of the people may pay their proper
tionate share in the expenses of the gov
eminent.
"A curious, and to my notion a most
interesting, effect of the income tax is
that it will tend to inculcate habits of
thrift among the people. OF course, any
well regulated business concern keeps ac-
curately its cost account and knows pre-
cisely how and why and in what amounts
it spends. and can put its finger instantly
on any wasteful or abnormal item in the
list. Thus it can effect economies where
needed and at the same time know accu-
rately what is its net income.
But how manw of us individuals do
anything the sort in regard to our