The Washington herald., 1917-04-26
How the Editors Are Viewing
America and the World War

| liquor. soft drink, coffee, tobacco, auto
mobile. transportation, and amusement
taxes
The most far-reachinE suggestion CON-
Germs income taxes-a 50 per cent in
crease on both Individual and eorpera-
uon income taxes and a lowering OF the
Income tax exemption from 1900 TO
1850 for unmarried persons and from
1900 to 1900 for married persona to-
Eether with a material raising Of the
supertaE Whatever may be said as to
the corporation income tax, we are Eiad
TO know that the personal income tax
Is likely at last to be democratized; In
deed, the exemption limit, following
Great Brttain's example, might well
have been placed still lower.
We have also Engiand's example with
regard TO the exeess-profts tax, hut here
the example Is q caution to US The tax
recently enacted by Congress proposing
burden OF per cent on business prof
Its over and above per cent OF the cap
ital employed. regardless Of whether
such profits have any relation 10 war
conditions or not, is unscientinc The
English excess-profts tax Is a burden
on business during the war only to the
extent that such profits are attributed
to the war. To increase such a tax Is
only to emphasize a present Injustice.
But this Is not all. The suggestion
comes from the administration that the
sxcess-profts tax be made retroac ctive,
70 apply to the present fiscal year. In
addition to the patent difficulty OF COL
lecttng such tax, the plan would i'm
pose particular hardship, for much of
the fiscal years income has already been
dispersed. and still more is being used
as capital for needed expansion Of bust
mesa and could not be drawn upon
nj vi
plans. It Is essential that in any tax
considerations nothing should be done
which would bring enterprise to a stand
still, which would induce capital tn Ko
into hiding. which would throw out OF
employment many worlmen, or which
would handicap the nation in its bust
ness activities.
No Time for False Economy,
Boston TanscriptJ
1t Is probable that one of the British
plumbers which Mr.. Balfour will caution
America to avoid is the blunder Of seek
ing to interrupt the ordinary course OF
life Of business and manufacture, for
the sake OF private economy. England
found, in the end, that her best policy
was TO keep Up her trade with the world.
II England IL better on financially than
the other belligerents of Europe-which
Is certainly the case-it is because she
has been able to pay a good share OF
the war expenses out OF the profit of her
commerce as she went along. British
commerce has not suffered very much
from the war, nor has Francis And
whatever reason there has been for
France and England holding on to their
business and manufacture Is much
stronger and more commanding in the
case of the United States, because we
are continental nation, with every re-
source and every sort OF production pos
sible right here, and a people never so
well able as now to handle and to alb
sorb those resources and productions,
To ask our business men and manu-
facturers to slacken up their operations
now is a good deal like asking US to
throw away our money; It Is business
that pays the taxes, that arms the ma
ton, that maintains the families of the
soldiers who are to do the fighting. AS
the Transcript has said before, II Amer
lea is 70 help the allies in the war itI
must help them with its prosperity and
not with its adversely; and that abound
ing prosperity which has made the al
lies so glad that We have come in is the
result Of business, manufacture, produc-
ton. use, enjoyment.