The Washington herald., 1914-09-29
Taxation Theorists.

The Democrats are ready to impose $Ioooooooc
new taxes to help out the government the Republic
ans are insisting that economy and the defeat OF
pork-barre legislation would save the people from
this burden; all over the country, from New
York to Wisconsin and on to California, there is
complaint of the high taxation on property and
earnings; and the Anti-Saloon League is making a
campaign in the churches of Illinois, Massachusetts,,
and other States for an amendment to the Federal
Constitution that would deny the right of the Fed
eral government to about S23ooooooo of the reve-
nue. it receives from whisky and beer and trans
fer this one-third of the entire revenue from taxa
ton now received from luxuries to the already
heavy taxation against property, business, and in
comes.
And yet Col. Roosevelt complains that there is
no independence in politics. The Colonel should
revise his views this question If any other country
or this country ever had Independent political
slants than we have at present. it has not been set
down in the political histories It is longer neces-
Sary for ProPagandiSts to show any knowledge
of government affairs to find audiences that will
listen to their dictation as to how the government
should be run in regard to its most essential ma
chnery the raising of the necessary revenues for its
support.
Prince Bismarck in his autobiography, said that
the forces of revolution he had to combat while
chancellor of the German Empire were led by the
learned proletariat who were educated and highly
cultured gentlemen, without property industry, or
business, but who lived salaries and promulgated
impossible theories regarding the science of govern
ment of which they had no knowledge and no desire
for even information. The criticism of Bismarck,
who was the architect of the German Empire, may
not be applied to all the independent theorists who
are now telling the people how the taxes are to be
applied to supply $I!ooooooooo revenue for the
Federal government alone, without regard to the
heavy local taxes to the cost of State county
and municipal governments. But the criticism might
be applied to those dreamers who, at a time when
Congress is trying to avoid deficit in the Federal
Treasury franticay urge the people send petitions
to Congress for national prohibition amendment
that would strike off S23ooooooo year revenue and
turn that taxation the already heavily bur-
dened property and business of the country. These
gentlemen without incomes that are touched by the
present law advise increased tax, a further tax
on business with which they have no connection,
tax industry to which they are strangers, tax
IN property when they never returned property tax
n their lives increased tax on railroads over
which they ride on half fare as the only favored
lass of the public.
This is a good time to take such agitatons at
heir worth political froth on heavy sea in which
he ship of state is having trouble in making safe
BORT. For, should the people follow the advice of
he advocates of national prohibition and Congress
2bey the dictates of the people that Congress would
;ome in for the greatest condemnation ever visited
pon the national legislature the people first faced
he huge deficit and then increased taxation to meet