The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-09-25
A Tax on Neutrality.


essary to burden us with war taxes
growing out of war which other peo-
Piles are waging The logic of such
reasoning is that we must be taxed
for war when there is war abroad,
and that one of the duties of a neu-
tral is to pay war taxes for the priv
ilege of neutrality. This is entire
ly new reasoning, and II would dis
credit the administration utterly as
a plea in extenuation If advanced un-
disguisedly. This is so clearly rec
ognized that the Administrations TAX
ing it's cue from Mr.. Wilson himself,
prefers the hardly less discreditable
course Of attempting to obscure facts
as a means Of hiding a deficit in gov
eminent revenues which could be
seen before the first hostile gun was
fired in Europe.
The present tariff law was drafted,
admittedly, with a purpose to re-
duce revenues from imports from
S40,OOO,O0O to $5O,00O,0O0 annual
ly. Although the demand of the Bal
timore platform was for "a tariff for
revenue" Mr.. Wilson. and his repre-
sentatives in the House, Immediately
after assuming power announced
intention of so enlargng the free
list, and so reducing the schedules
in all protected lines, while imports
would be increased, the; revenues
from imports would shrink certain
ly $4O,0OO,000 and possibly $780,
100000 a year. There was nothing
evasive in their attitude at that time.
They exhibited candor which was
really refreshing, and in marked con-
trast with the deception they are
now attempting. The present effort
at deception grows out of the over
whelming success Of the policy of
tariff reduction. 1t became our mel
ancholy duty. during many months
following the early operation of the
|
that. while the Administrations ex-
pectation of largely increased i'm
ports was being realized, is esti-
mate of loss in revenue was being
much more than realized.
At the same time, the ordinary
expenses of government, so far from
being reduced, were increasing. The
first year of the Wilson administra-
tion cost the country, in round fig
ures, s1OO,OOO.0OO more than the
last year of the Taft administration
had cost. A deficit was plainly in
sight, and, with Congress showing
no disposition to reduce expenses, it
was to be seen that a bond issue to
raise current revenues was threat
ening. In the nick of time came
temporary suspension of imports
all warning countries in Europe, to
serve the purposes of men looking
president was not above taking the
lead in sounding an alarm in the
sense that it was an effort to mis-
lead the public mind as to the origin
Of the impending deficit. which, he
told Congress. was plainly indicated
in the loss of customs revenue dur
ing the single month of August. He
proposed a war tax to supply losses
which. he said. promised to con-
tinue for some time. while he made
no reference to the fact that they
had then been continuing for some
time. We lost no time in proving
the form Of his declaration of the
emergency to be evasive and insin-
cere. This fact is so plain that he is
now finding himself more strongly
opposed among the Democrats of the
House than at any time before. Now,
for the first time, we see the admin
istration leaders in the House en-
deavoring to prevent instead of fore
ing the holding Of party caucus on
GA oohihiSh otion PioSrdmmc. luc
deficit must, of course, be wiped out.
The public credit must be sustained
There will be no party division on
that point. But Democrats as we'll
as Republicans. it now begins to ap-
pear, demand that the administra-
tion shall be honest with the people,
and shall not, while acclaiming itself
as having saved us from war levy a
war tax upon us to cover the sources
of deficiency inaccurately attribut-
ed to a war in Europe. DEM
ocrat.
Chamberiain's Collie, Cholera and