The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-08
Why the President Is Needed on
the job.


In his admirable appeal to the citi
Gems Of the United States to submit with
calm Judgment and unruffied spirits 10
the unpleasant necessity Of increased
taxation President WILSON said:
The people OF this country are both
Intelligent and profoundly patriotic. They
are ready TO meet the present conditions
IN the right way and TO support the Gov
eminent with generous self-denial.'
Thereupon the President left II to the
wisdom OF Congress to devise the par
ticular method of internal taxation
that Is to raise the additional 500
COO 900 required by the Government He
merely suggested that such sources OF
revenue be- chosen as would begin to
yield at once and yield with a certain
and constant flow.
1t now appears that certain members
Of the House of Representatives, In
Guiding. as we suspect, the Hon. Coz
DELL HULL, but not, as we nope anu
believe. the Hon. OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD,
are trying to persuade themselves and
others that what the President says
about "A prompt certain and constant
flow of revenue indicates an opinion on
his part that the income tax should be
made 10 supply the deficit.
Far from It! II that is what the
President had meant 10 recommend,
his habit of precise "a well as elegant
speech would have led him TO say;
Between three and four hundred thou
sand people In this country are both In
tsliigent and profoundly patriotic. They
are ready to meet the present conditions
in the right way and to support the Gov
ernment with generous self-denial"
Moreover. an increased income tax
would not 'begin to yield at once"
IL It not Incredible that President
WILSON should praise the telligence
and patriotism and generous selfdenial
Of a hundred million Of Americans,
more or less, II the Idea was In his mind
that the extra burden OF emergency tax
alton, requiring intelligence to under
stand, patriotism to approve and gener'
Gus self-denial TO pay, ought to be Shout
dered by an almost infinitesimal frac-
tion of the entire population?
The President is needed on the Job
not only to carry the heavy load OF
care and responsibility imposed upon
him by the war situation but also to
restrain and guide the tax layers In
Congress, Already we have indications
of the extent to which some Of these
self-denying patriots temporarily In
legislative Office would be willing to so
In the matter of taxing the few for
the exemption OF the many.
There Is now, for example, before the
Committee on Ways and Means bill
introduced by Representative BAILEY
Democrat, of Pennsylvania.
"That a supertax of Ave percentum be,
and il hereby, laid on all Incomes. how
ever derived, OF 100000 or over. for the
purpose of covering any dehcit in Federal
revenues resulting from losses in Gus
toms receipts due to the present war IN
Europe; provided. that any moneys de-
rived from the supertax on incomes $780,
600 or over In excess OF the amount neces-
sary to cover said deficit in customs re-
celpt shall become available for expendi-
lures in support OF the naval establish
mcnt; provided further that " surplus
should still remain after all naval re-
auirements shall have been met the resi-
due shall be applied in the payment Of
pensions authorized under existing laws
90 soldiers and sailors"
II Ave per cent, additional, why not
ten per cent? Why not twenty-five
Der cent? IL a supertax on incomes OF
e2o0OO why not heavy increase on
all the incomes touched by the present
law2 With preferred list of tax
payers already established by the act Of
October 8, 1918, the machinery Is pro
vided for the extension OF the principle
of inequitable taxation 30 dear to the