The Taney County republican., 1916-05-25
WASHINGTON Letter

NEW TAXATION: "A special tax on
gasoline ard tax Oh sllin,ernal combus
tion engines according ta or.epoTer,
it will be remembered, were proposed
BY President Wilson in his annual
Message as a means Of remedying the
Treasury deficit. He also propos
ed an additional stamp tax to include
bank checks, etc. Speaker Clark has
from the first been open and deter
mined in his opposition to an addition
al stamp tax. Other influential mem
bers of Congress have, furthermore,
opposed any tax on gasoline and gaso
line engines. As consequence, Mr..
Wilson has had to devise some new
method Of taxation, and to this end
has proposed a material increase Of
the income tax, the imposition Of an
inheritance tax and a special tax on
the manufacture of munitiOns Of Tar
The proposition has been made inform
ally, thus far, as Mg. Wilson is anxious
to learn il the Democrats in Congress
will stand for these new taxes before
he commits himself to them publicly
He is convinced that all OF these taxes
will be popular, and that their impo
sition will not alone ftset the deficit,
but will promote his popularity. There
are many members Of Congress who
believe that an increased income tax
and an inheritance tx will be popular,
bnt they are in doubt as to how tax
on munitions will work out. Others
believe a national inheritance tax will
prove unpopular for the reason that
this has thus far been a field left open
to the StatA governments, most of the
States deriving a very considerable
part of their income from inheritance
taxation. In the case Of the tax on
munitions, there is little doubt ,hst,
could it be so imposed as TO insure its
coming out of the pockets of the man
ulacturers, it would command pretty
general approval. But, if, as scme
fear, it will be merely passed on 10 the
workingmen in these hazardous under
takings, resulting in a decrease o
wages fer those who perform the actua
labor, it also will doubtless prove high
" unpopular. In any event, ats i'm
position will serve primarily 10 brng
home TO the people the woeiul incom
pe,ence Of the Democrats in running
the Government and their wanton dis
regard Of their own pledges of econo
my in public expenditures.
A CONTRAST IN METHODS: -Un
DIR the recent Republican AdminIstra
tion there flowed into the TreasuI,
each month revenue amounting TO ap
proximately s45,500,0 OF thi
amount $22, 100000 consisted Of Gus
toms reveue which, except in rare in
stances, were paid by the foreign pro
ducer, while 100000 was take
from American citizens in the form c
internal taxes. Under the Wilson Ad
ministration the receipts amount t
S53,l00,000 a month but Of thi
amount only Sl9,00O,OOO is paid b
the foreigner in the form Of custom
receipts, while the balance $34, 100
900, is wrung from American citizen
in the form Of special taxes on income
vocations, enterprise and thrift. Thos
Americans who have been compelle
to pay taxes every time they gave
note or renewed one, to put speci
Government stamps on every telegral
they sent and 10 pay special tax 0
every long distance telephone messag
they sent will appreciate the ruth
the statement that for every dollar
tax paid by the foreigner in the iorl
Of tariff, the American citizen pa!
S1.79 in special taxes. 1t is large
this gross mismanagement Of the puI
lie finances which has so greatly di
gusted a majority Of American citizel
as to insure Republican victory ne
November.
BRANDEIS OR UNTERMYER:
President Wilson has encountered
much difficulty in his efforts TO comp