Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-03-19

line has SCARED because Of scarcity Of
crude until % is making .hc cost Of
automobile travel excessively high.
To add from ] TO ? cents q gallon
arbitrary revenue tax would be to
place . serious EN- barge upon dOmes-
tic commerce. The farmer VIII be
compelled TO revert 70 the horse
plow. The automobile truck will have
10 give way to former methods Of
transportation.
There is no more reason why oil
should be taxed than there is why
other staple articles, such as coal,
iron. flour. lumber. meat, etc, should
be taxed. Petroleum and its products
have ceased 10 be luXuries Any ac-
/ ton that affects economy in the oper-
alton Of gasoline propelled vehicles
or machinery IS a serious blow TO
commerce and business.
Therefore, the imposition Of the
. proposed tax would mean the singing
I out of the oil industry among all the
legitimate business of the country for
a discriminatory and burdensome tax.
F II would place gasoline in the same
category with liquor and tobacco.
which are universally looked upon az
harmful 20 mankind. whereas gaso-
/ line has become one of the greatest
] aids 70 human progress. annihilauon
( of distance and comfort Of mankind.
T n would enormously increase the cap
. ital requirements Of the Independent
producer. refiner and marketer at
one Of the most critical periods in the
b SPORT " 600. . It gOcOinETA
history Of the petroleum business. II
would tend 20 check the tremendous
Z progress caused by the development
f and introduction Of gasoline and other
engines using products OF petroleum.
and would probably result In a per-
manent tax on gasoline because OF the
Z impression Of congress that the
, STANDARD oil company would pay the
| tax, and that it is a luxury Instead OF
I q necessity.
/ Every user Of petroleum. kerosene
and gasoline should oppose the tax
az being eyorbitant and discrimina-
tory. because it imposes a tax upon
articles Of common necessity and not
upon articles Of luxury. which is con-
I trary to the settled policy Of this
government and ought not TO be de-
parted from. because the petroleum
I industry is now in an abnormal con-
dition owing TO the fact that the war
demands Of Europe have depleted our
! supplies and prices have already ad-
vanced as high as the consuming pub
+ lie can afford TO pay. because Of the
startling decrease in the production
. :
/ because the Standard oil company
i could absorb the tax where II had
/ competition and pass 1t on to the con-
| sumner where 1t had no competition,
and because the tax applied at the
point Of manufacture would necessar-
+ ily be a tax upon exports which, If so
/ considered. would be forbidden by
/ Article /. Section 9, Paragraph Of
4 the federal constitution, which for
F bids the taxing Of any article exported
from any state.
/ All oil fraternities. automobile as
sociations, farmers and other con-
sumers should get in touch with each
other and protest by letters and tele-
gram to the members of congress,
and especially to members Of the sem
ate finance committee and house
ways and means committee. Sympa-
thetic protests from other associations
and interests should also be secured
until the whole citizenship becomes
negative expression voiced loudly TO
congress as soon as the bill is intro
duced