The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-08-31

Washington, Aug. 27-Supporters
Of the S2,000000,OO0 war revenue bill
today began the circulation of cloture
petitions to restrict debate and bring
the measure to an early vote.
They needed only sixteen sigma
lures, but they obtained more than
fifty. The circulation of the petitions,
however, stirred up a hornets nest
among the "Maximalists" and bitter
debate ensued.
At the end Of the clash Senator
Johnson Of California proposed an
amendment to levy an additional tax
of 73 per cent on war profits, making
the total levy 80 per cent. This would
yield revenue estimated at from ST.
4G0,000,000 to $3,200,000,0oo for the
present fiscal year. The amendment
will receive the backing Of probably
thirty Senators, but indications are
that a majority Of the Senators will
not support any proposal to take more
than 60 per cent of war profits.
SOutherners Make Protest.
The Finance Committee held two
meetings during the day in an effort
to devise a way of winning back the
Democratic insurgents from the
Southern States, who are protesting
against the prewar basis of the war
profits tax, on the ground that it
would ruin Southern cotton milling
interests. The committee is practi-
cally decided to offer some modifi-
cation of the prewar basis, but to-
days meeting failed to bring about
an agreement whether to go back to
the House plan of excess profit levies,
based upon capitalization, or whether
to amend the prewar basis to provide
special classification for concerns
which had subnormal profits before
the war, is the problem the committee
is trying to decide.
eve are merely trying to devise q
way for the real friends of this bill
to get together" said Senator Sim
mons, chairman of the committee, to-
night.
Postal Rate Raise Debated.
The Senate spent the whole day dis
cussing the increased postal rates.
No action was taken, but a vote on
this may be reached before tomorrow
night. Senator Harwick of Georgia
opposed the Scent first class postage
rate on the ground that it would Sc
riously curtail postal revenues, be-
cause people would conduct their cor
respondence by post card instead of
letter. There is no increased rate on
post cards.
Senator Harding of Ohio declared
the proposed new war levies on pub
fishers were "an outrage" because,
he pointed out, they are already sub
ject to all the war taxes. The bill pro-
posed not only to make a special levy
upon publishers profits but raises the
second-class postage rates as we'll.
Borah Assails ClOture Plan.
Senator Borah called the Senate's
attention to the circulation of the clo-
ture petition just before recess was
taken this evening. Senators John
son of California, Kenyon of Iowa,
Hoke Smith of Georgia, Shafroth of
Colorado, Townsend of Michigan and
Lewis of Illinois took part in the heat
ed debate which followed. Yelled
hints that the supporters of the bill
were aiming deliberately to cut off
debate before the war profits section
could be discussed were thrown out
by Senators Borah, johnson and Ken
yon. The Senators friendly to the
bill, however, made it clear that there
was no intention of making use of the
cloture petition until real evidence of
a filibuster developed.
81 hope we will so conduct our pro-
ceedings here that it will not be said
the first time the cloture rule was in
voked it was for use to cut off dis
cussion Of the war profits taxes" said
Borah.
81 wish those who have the cloture
petitions in their pockets would pre-
sent them how, so that it will not be
said they were used to prevent the
war profits discussion"
Senator Lewis, the Democratic whip,
assured Borah that the petitions were
being circulated now merely for pre-
sentation in case a filibuster devel-
oped.
d understand that the first invoca-