The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1914-10-16

the new war tax will be extravaganza
and incompetence. 1t is a false pre-
tense, which cannot be proved by
facts as we know them, or as they are
reported in the official statistics, to
claim that $lO00000O0 of additional
revenue must be raised to offset the
loss in revenue imports caused by the
war in Europe. Losses in import re-
venues began with the second month
OF operation of the present Tariff
law, and continued steadily. Inevi-
tably the loss was greater in August
than in preceding months, for in that
month, the first of the war, Germany,
Austria, France and Great Britain, the
| four countries which lead all others
In the bulk of our importations, were
unable to send us anything. Yet the
falling off of $l0,O00,000 in that month
was not so greatly in excess of the
| falling off in earlier months under
the present Tariff law, as MIR. Wilson
in his address to Congress, sought to
J make it appear This fact is easy to
! understand. A large percentage of
! the imports was of goods made free
I OF duty, and falling off in such inn
portations could in no way affect
government revenues. In many other
lines, in which sharp reductions in
duties are made in the Underwood
law, the volume of imports had for
months been steadily increasing while
the revenues derived from them had
been RUNNING steadily lower for
months than they had under the
Payne-Aldrich law.
We were facing deficiency before
me war begun. The present tariff
was admittedly, framed on the basis
OF an estimated loss to the treasury
OF $4uOOO,OOO annually. This esti-
mate had been exceeded in the actual
losses up to the dates of the German
qeclaratlonS OF war against Russia and
france. Another source of loss was
IN receipts from the income tax. There
receipts owing either to bunglinR
estimates in the office of the conn.,
trolier, or to inefficiency or negligence
IN the collection of the tax, could BE
seen falling short of what had been
expected. This tax had been conf
IDENTITY relied upon for supplying the
great loss in Tariff revenues which
the administration declared a deliber
ate purpose to force when il so
greatly enlarged the free list and so
heavily reduced the duties on nearly
all lines Of manufactured goods with
q view to greatly increasing imports,
Ihe imports were greatly increased.
The loss OF revenue was even great
er than had been anticipated But
the anticipated setoff against this loss
from income tax receipts was not in
sight.
So much for the incompetence. For
the extravaganza, it began with the
advent of the present administration
and appropriations already made and
yet to be be made, show that it is to
continue. We called attention the
other day to the striking fact that the
ordinary cost of the first year of the
Wilson administration was more than
$lO0,000,O00 greater than the ordinary
cost of the last year of the Taft adj
ministration. AS the appropriations
are running now, there Is no hope of
checking this extravaganza. 1t is, &C
cordingly, to restore the waste of in
COINCIDENCE and extravaganza that the
president now urges the imposition
of war taxes, at time when imports
from France and Great Britain are
being resumed. The revenues from
these resumed importations will not
be large, under Our present free list
and reduced duties, and we are to be
taxed to supply the revenues they
will not yield, now that it is seen
that the income tax is failing and the
President opposes making it serve its
original purpose in any more effective
way. The war taxes will be paid by
those ultimate consumers" the De-
mocratic party came into power to
save and protect. They may not be
paid by foreign competitors with do
mestic industry, nor by the recipients
of more than average incomes. But
when all other sources fail, the "ul-
innate consumer" is still there.