The Cordova daily times., 1916-07-26
THE PROPOSED TAX ON COPPER.

In commenting last week upon the proposed federal tax on copper did have the of the before and therefore had be cautious It nconcevabe to us at that
 time that copper alone among the metals should be taxed yet mention of no other was made in the press dispatches How ever they prove be Out of the entire long list of crude commodities copper singled for special taxaon
 That congress should have such conception IS dumb founding Why copper and not ron ead zine and the rest? Why not coal and petroleum? Why not wool leather wheat corn and cotton The thing that bady stands out is the unarness of this project Here have class legislation with Copper producers right in standing aghast at the enormity of the idea.
 But this is not the worst The proposed act reads: Evey person smeng copper refining metallic copper or allowing copper shall pay an excise tax -. (on) the cross receipts from the sale disposition of crude unefned copper sold disposed o for any purpose except for refining allOying.'
 We interpret this meaning that the miner does not have to pay anything unless he sme and refnes The melter does not pay anything unless he sells his pig copper for cast ing purposes The rener has to pay of course he Will ro" back upon smee and the brass maker has to pay again for refined copper that he If the profit be less than per cent nobody has This lets out the careless e fellow Of is only the small class of big fellows at whom its present spirit IS alnng Ihe thS IS bungng and monstrOus.
 Alas! Class legislation is the governing idea in the new revenue bill whole The income tax IS doubled in rate without there being any reduction in the exemption @ 1s tax is thus kept distinctly class tax It falls upon small percentage of the population Of the country and chef upon the people of few states The proposed tax on copper is even more narrowly limited There talk among the pro ducers spreading the generally but how is that going be done when half of copper production be sold in foreign markets in competition With the copper of the rest of the world?
 We find fault with the principle that taxes must be raised advocate military preparedness and that IS gong to cost money which be supplied by the people, but let them basis of equality We do find fault With plans for unequal axaon class axaon that made the cloak for all kinds of governmental extravaganza We grumbe about copper provide money to build marble post offices in Yahoo and shack towns and to drede creeks Ill the prares We object the expenditure of public to main tain and aggranze the obberesthe bureaus-n Washing ton that spend prepare bulletins gravey to inform us that Dutch have taken Hoand to print the mouthng at and to carry on va retv of enterprises that broach upon the scandalous.
 Now that congress has learned how it IS not only to spend other peoples money but also to get it, how long it going be before the income tax quntupled and tax on copper levied and quadruped And what is going to be the economic result if the earnings of profitable industry be sucked away to be wased7
 This copper not be felt keenly when copper IS above 2Oc will at the normal of about 15c and under Con slider producer 2c and whose output is 6OOO 900 pounds 15c Gross output $lOO5OOOO net output $ O1OOOO excise $9l 5O0 rae 12 per cent When the nrce for copper gets 4c the determination of the lO per cent profit under the clause that grants exemption will be gn to be interesting g.-Engneerng X Mining Journal.