Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-05-15
PAYING THE COST OF WAR


The American committee on war finance is doing
splendid work in digestng and presenting for public in
formation the subject of financing the 1t places the
whole matter on business as well patriotic basis
and reaches certain conclusions that irrefuabe. 1t
takes the ground that far possible pay the wars
cost 60 and in order to do this that all make such
sacrifices as necessary to accomplish it. 1t believes
the money should be raised largely by graduated IN
come tax low for small incomes with an allowance for
married men, permitting all income to sustain life and
purchase its necessa1ies Above three thousand
dollars year income the tax grows steadily until it be-
comes conScaoIy for all incomes above 100000 year
The hearty Endorsement of the plan coming from
with large incomes shows that the accumuatng Of money
has not deadened patriotism. Henry Ford who under
the proposed law would lose Of his income $5000OOO,
heartily ndorses the plan So does E. W. Sclpps, the
multimlonaire newspaper man, and these but few
of the immensely rich who are willing to put up their
money while the masses, from whom the fighting men
must largely be drawn are offering their lives. More
than his life give and the loss of all income is
nothing compared to it. Nor it just the multimion
aires who express this sentiment Recently the board
of directors of the St. Paul Association of Public and
Business Affairs the big civic and commercial organiza
ton of St. Paul adopted with but dissenting vote the
following resolution
"Whereas: Many hundreds Of thousands Of American
citizens to be called upon for the supreme patrotc
sacrifice pledgng their lives for their country; and
Whereas The least that those remaining at home
can do in any measure approaching this sacrifice of
those the firing line is to pledge their entire financial
resources therefore, be it Resolved: That in behalf of
or nearly nVe thousand raul business
and professional men urge upon the government con-
scrpton of dollars we'll of men, to be brought about
by through the imposition of large graduated income
taxes reaching total absorption for all incomes over
100000 year"
Powerful labor and farm organizations have also
enthusiastically ndorsed the plan Of taxing incomes to
pay the war debt.
From the standpoint Of patriotism the plan should be
backed by those who will have the larger portion Of the
bill to pay From the viewpoint Of business they should
ndose that the country may get back to normal
conditions and not be handicapped with great burden
of debt when this happens. There is still another view
point outside of business and patriotism and that is self
interest The war has to be fought to the end We must
either beat Germany be beaten by her. To defeat her
will require united effort and perhaps great sacrifice
Yet whatever that sacrifice may be it must be made. Sup
pose through the lack of patriotism and failure of the
wealth of the country to respond to the call for the
forced to carry on the alone, How much greater
any? If Germany should wn---wel the wealthy can do
kaiser got through collecting indemnity from them
and raising funds to rehabilitate Germany Put on a
financial basis the man with thousand dollars is inter
ested that amount in the war; and the man with hundred
million is interested in just the same amount that is
all he has, 1t is gratifying to read the expressions of
sentiment coming from the rich for it shows that regard
less of station all Americans and rich and poor
alike are ready to make any and all sacrifices for our
common country that circumstances may demand Of u.s.
When the Northwest has built it's 1000 ships it will
have string of them that placed bow to stern would
Tp9c ftIrm milo chin