The Washington times., 1917-05-26
Sanity in the Senate


United States. The news regarding
its attitudes and its activities is most
encouraging. Apparently the un-
necessary and un-American press
gag law cannot get past its guard
ianship of public rights. This alone
would constitute a high title to
praise. But it is not all; the per-
niciously stupid revenue bill jock
eyed through the House of Represen-
tatives by combination of reckless
ness and rapacity is in the way of
being made fair and reasonable.
It is probably superfuous to ex-
patiate upon the evils of the proposed
censorship. The general arguments
against it are commonplaces Of mod
ern democratic principle. What
makes the present attack upon the
press peculiarly vicious is its coinci-
dence with demands by the President
and his Administration for sundry
overlordships that cover the whole
range Of public activity and private
life.
By the time the various grants Of
power are made which Mr.. Wilson
represents as indispensable to the ef-
fieient progress of the war, there will
be no single act of politics, trade, in
dustry, enjoyment, or plain ordinary
living over which dictatorial powers
may not be exercised. Nothing has
ever been known Like it; Prussian or
Eanization seems trivial before the
possibilities of the legislation now
pending in Congress. Plainly when
the Presidents will is done and all
the citizens become mere puppets in
the hands of the Government, the
only safety will lie in the freedom Of
the newspapers.
It is a sound axiom that the great
er the prerogatives of the ruler, the
more urgent is the need for unfetter-
ed publicity and uncontrolled criti-
eism. What other hope can there re-
main to a free people? It is not
necessary to assume any malevolent
purpose in the ruler. Even his
agents may be free from reproach as
regards their intentions. Human fall
ibility, whether in the chief or the
subordinate, is a factor of sufficient
moment to place the check of public
discussion in the very front rank Of
public rights. Nothing can be sec
ondary to it.
As for the suppression Of military
information, it need only be pointed
out that no special law is necessary.
The newspapers are responsible for
what they print, and they and their
makers, like every other person and
thing in the community, are amen
able to the laws which forbid the CIV
ing Of aid or comfort to the enemv.
There is ample authority existing in
the Government to curb all conceiv-
able abuses Of the press. Additional
powers can only have a sinister mo-
tive. It is to be hoped the Senate
will stand firm.
In the interests of moderation and
sound finance, the Senate appears to
contemplate reduction of one-third
IN the war revenue measure perpe-
trated by the House. This, having in
view the fiotation of future loans, is
surely wise. But, in fact, it is not
so much the amount of the tax as the
method of raising it that matters. 1t
would be possible to make a levy of
$1,250, ,000, 900 very oppressive, and it
might be possible to raise more than
$3.50, ,000,0 900 without serious injury
to any one. The method of the House
Ways and Means Committee seems
to have been to seek the crudest,
most burdensome, and least equitable
method of assessment, and then
adopt it blindly.
Some of the changes already out
lined by the Senators are undoubt-
edly in the right direction. None
will meet more cordial Endorsement
among business men than the method
of determining the "excess profits"
basis of taxation. The levy upon
anything above 8 per cent on capital
invested was plainly a hit or miss
proceeding. making injustice newt
able and inviting trickery and fraud
Comparison with previous years
earnings has, at least, the scientific
merit of giving a real meaning to
the word excess" The House plan
amounted, at best. TO a penalty on
efficiency, the Senate system may be
defended as a toll upon special war
conditions.
Equally meritorious is the rejec-
ton of the wicked retroactive in
come tax. This was a proposal not
of taxation but pure plunder. Of
course, it was inevitable that it
would be thrown out. Even the SEN
sationalists of the House would not
have dared put it in, had they not
foreseen the action of the Senate.
The substitution Of a tax on adver-
tisements for the monstrous zone
-.l,or,a for Killing the r,,agazirae ,rJ