Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-30
HOUSE IS IN DARK
ON WAR TAX BILL
Ways and Means Subcommit-
tee Keeping Secret Its Plans
for New Levy.
METHODS STILL UNKNOWN

With the army bill out of the House.
the attention of the revenue-raising
ways and means committee is today
centered on the fact that. to the amaze
men of all, the subcommittee which
was appointed to frame a tentative
draft of bill to levy war taxes has
completely submerged itself and evil
IDENTIFY intends to stay beneath the sur
face until an entire bill is finished
Members of the committee not on the
subcommittee, as well as other mem
bers of the House, today expressed
their surprise at being kept SO long in
the dark on the all-important subject
Of taxation. and there are very tangible
evidences of an explosion before long
unless the lid of secrecy is taken of the
ways and means committees executive
committee conferences.
Work May Be Entirely Undone.
There are also Indications that when
the entire ways and means committee
gets together the work of the sub
committee will be entirely undone.
Members of the House have enough
information now to believe that the pol
icy to be adopted by the democrats on
the subcommittee will be to hit the war
traf1ickers," and not to equalize the bur-
den of taxation SO as to distribute the
load evenly all over the country.
A member of the House today sug-
gested that the reason why Representa-
income tax and father of the present
law, was not included on the subcommit-
tee, is because he favors an equalized
load of taxes, whereas certain leaders
believe the proper thing to, do is to make
a certain group Of manufacturers pay the
whole cost of the war II there is any
way to do 1T.
May Be Given Hint.
1t is likely that before the ways and
means committee can soak" any group
from the administration end of the gov
ernment that the proper course to. pur-
sue in war times is business as usual,
and that to smother manufacturers with
taxation will be mighty poor way to
keep alive the industrial and economic
forces of the nation. It is also likely
that any old-time statesman who intends
to stick to 'soak-the-war-trafflcke
policy may be upset
This is particularly true in view OF
the fact that some of those who are
ready and anxious to make manufacture
ers pay. the total cost are quite prepared
to exempt from taxation any and all per-
sons dealing in cotton In any form.
It Will be argued. though. that recent
fortunes made In cotton should be ex-
aotly as liable to taxation as any other
taxable property.
Nou-Partisan Tax Suggested.
It was the understanding until re-
Gently that a non-partisan tax policy
would be adopted. but the work Of the
subcommittee SO far has reduced that
understanding to mere cinders. Repub-
licans will not follow the line laid down
so far. and will probably offer a raise
in some of the tariff items unless an
agreement can be reached.
1t is also surprising to some of the
members to read that it will be pro-
posed to tax incomes as low as 81 1000
1t had been thought that there would
be no drastic lowering of present in
come tax exemptions. The committee is
understood to be divided as to lower
ing the exemption to $1,000 or $I,5OO
with no certainty of either one.