Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-12-08
Wednesday, December 8, 1915.
The Presidents Message.

eress. II was clean-cut. hand
somely worded document presenting
some of the chief problems now con-
fronting the American people. II
was Wi,sonian in its smoothness of
diction and studied simplicity of ex-
preston.
Preparedness. pan Americanism,
government owned merchant marine,
punishment Of plotting hyphenates,
and more taxes-those were the big
propositions of the message. The sug-
gestion Of later message TO zeal
with commercial conditions was made,
1t was a good message, as messages
go, striking a responsive chord IN
many places, particularly IS to moral
partnership of the republics of the
Western Hemisphere. and the spanking
of citizens Of foreign birth who allow
their sympathies with their national
tiles TO betray their foster mothers
neutrality On this point the Presi-
dent said:
There are citizens of the United
States | blush TO admit, born under
other flags but welcomed under our
generous naturalization laws to the
full freedom and opportunity of Amer
lea, who have poured the poison of dis
loyalty into the very arteries Of our
national life. who have sought to bring
the authority and good name of our
government into contempt to destroy
our industries wherever they thought
ii effective for their vindictIve pur-
poses. to strike at them and to debase
our politics to the uses of foreign in
of passion, disloyalty and anarchy
must be crushed out. They are not
many but they are infinitely malignant
and the hand of our power should
close over them at once
1t is with the socialistic scheme of
government owned and operated mer-
chant marine and with a plan of pre-
paredness for defense" not advised by
the military and naval experts of the
nation, that arouses strongest opposi-
ton. Any plan of defense that calls
for the expenditure Of hundreds Of
millions of hte peoples dollars that is
not prepared and advised by those
whom we have. educated and trained
in the arts of defense, is instantly sus-
pected of control by politics and
greed: and neither one of these should
be allowed TO figure in a sacred duty
of the people.
AS to the need of a merchant marine
malady perfectly but his remedy has
been tried many times and always
scored a failure. If the military ma
tions cannot succeed in competition
with and encouragement of, private
enterprise, then under a political sys-
tenn like our own and the resentment
of independent American spirit what
must be the result? To the practical
mind the Administrations government
ownership theory is as hopelessly I'M
American and inefficient for America
benefits as is the present tariff for
foreign revenue only.
A merchant marine bought and oper-
ated by direct taxation in opposition to
the enterprise of those who pay the
taxes is worthy Of the Democratic
party.
And that brings US to the Presidents
taxation plans. Proposing that the
new bills should be paid by internal
taxation. the President suggested that
Ivy lowering the present limits of in
come exemption and the figure at
which the surtax is imposed, and by
increasing step by step throughout the
present graduation. the surtax itself,
income taxes as at present apportioned
would yield sums sufficient to balance
me DOOhS Oh the treasury at lNe emu
of the fiscal year 1917 without any
where making the burden unreason-
ably heavy. He added that there were
many additional sources of revenue
which justly could be resorted to with
out hampering the industries of the
country or putting any too great
charge upon individual expenditure.
He estimated that a one cent tax per
gallon on gasoline and naphtha would
yield $10,000,000 a tax of so cents per
3 horsepower on automobiles and inter-
nal explosion engines, s15,OOO.OOO a
stamp tax on bank checks, probably
slS.O00,000; and a tax of so per cent
per ton on fabricated iron and steel,
probably $10.OOOOO0 He advised the
continuance of the sugar tax, which
he fought to remove last year, and an
extension of the war revenue" bill.
Less than one year ago President
Wilson spoke of those who opposed his
government ownership scheme as