Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-12
VERDICT IN THE
GREAT TAX CASE
Findings of the Ways and Means
Committee Must Pass the
Criticism of Congress
Special Correspondence Evening Ledger

Of the House of Representatives brought In a |
verdict this week. 1t assessed damages In |
favor of the Government in the sum of |
s1,s00, 000.0 900. which is the largest amount |
ever charged against the people of the |
United states in any single case. 1t would |
be idle to say the jury had no difficulty in |
reaching its conclusions. The jury had the !
largest job ever tackled by any similar body |
OF men, and IL had no precedcnts to guide IT, |
1t labored hard to convince itself that its
verdict was just, but having been charged !
by the presiding Judge, in this case the
President of the United states, to find |
fixed amount for the Government use. 1t did
so with about as much enthusiasm as the
average jury brings in verdict of murder
in the first degree. But the jury knew that
there would be an appeal from its verdict
to the House of Representatives and from
the House of Representatives. to the Senate,
and that its verdict was not final after all.
What the Verdict Means
The verdict of this legislative jury was
not made known definitely until Thursday
but up to that time, due to the usual leaks
that scatter piecemeal information from
lIlb fBlSldilNe jury lODnl, fI'hbu "'''
known about the discussions of the jury
to make the telegraph wires hot with pro-
tests from every corner of the United
States. Despite all these, however and
Notwithstanding numerous hurry-up calls
| from excited business men who came rush.
ing to Washington, the jury stuck to its
job and unloaded It's work upon the House
| It was not altogether a unanimous verdict
although the ma jority was so strong as to
| make futile single vote in opposition to
| the bill. The report accompanying tho Ncr-
dict told the story of the mental and hnan-
cial labors Of the twenty-threc men Of the
Ways and Means Committee. who under
stood full well that their action, even though
dictated by the war necessities set forth by
| the President and the Secretary of the
Treasury would mean a thousand eHplana-
tions to the vast number of constituents
who would be directly affected.
Distribution Of the Burden
This article is not written to justify tho
bill. nor even to sympathzc with the mem
bers of Congress whose duty it was to pre-
pare it. The bill is bad enough, but it had
to be. The committee was obliged to show
the ways and means of raising the sum
needed by the President to get the war with
Germany started Neither is this article
intended to approve in toto the manner in
which the distribution Of taxes is to he
made The bill ns finally reported in the
newspapers tells that story in part what
this article is intended to- convey is tie
suggestion that the bill takes good care
that the raw products of the country which
are very expensive in the large cities are
not burdened with taxes while all indus
! tries engaged in the fabrication of raw
} products are severely taxed This is due.
largely, to geographical conditions and To
! the strength of the voting power from agri-
, cultural sections. There was no hesita-
ton in levyinG taxes upon business and
Industrial enterprises wherever found, or
even upon success But raw materials,
such as cotton and grain, or other commod-
ties which are now bringing high prices,
were treated with extreme consideration,
The inclusion Of 10 per cent horizontal
tariff rate on imports now entered free and
on dutiable imports was probably the most
= general Of the paragraphs of the bin as
related to the entire population.
Working Up the Farm Movement
| on the day Chairman Kitchn reported
= his great tax bill the chairman of the
. Agricultural Committee Mr.. Lever, Of South
: Carolina. called up his Sls,5oo.oOo bill pro-
r viding for a survey of the farms Of the
+ United States, 1t was the first of several
I Of the war bills intended to boost the
: American farm In connection with the re-
| ported food scarcity. 1t was admitted in
| debate that while the Department of Agri-
2 | culture now employs about 1900 men and
women gathering information about the
farm and otherwise developing it, the new
. bill would provide about 1000 more places
a at salaries approaching s25o0 per annum
: The exclusion of farm labor from conscrip-
, ton for fighting purposes necessarily en-
= ters into discussion of this kind, and the
CITY man in Congress may be pardoned foI
J.. inouiring whether the present Adminstra'
c ton means to draw chiefly upon the cities
, | for it's fighting men and for its taxes II
g | order that those who flock to the farn
. service at good Government salaries may
a | avoid the battlefield. Whether such Sug
u geston is justihable or not, the rural dis
= tricts are sufficiently strong in both leGisla
:, five bodies to drive a good bargain at this
/, critical time with all those who, seeing
= new light, are willing to engage in a back
y to-the farm" movement,
. North Cardinals Big Hand
II The "Tar Heel State" it is worth men
tion,ns is playing big hand in present
y day legislation. The chairman of th
% WAYS and Means Committee of the House
e which drafted the s1,sooOOO,OOO tax bill
e ia Claude Kitchin, of North Carolina. Tn
s. chairman of the Senate Committee o
g Finance. which will have charge Of the bi
H. on the Senate side is Furnifold Mel. Sim
t. mons. of North Carolina. The chairma
st NJ the House Committee on Rules Is Nj
lie pou Of North Carolina, and the cnairma
a. of the Senate Committee on Rules is Ser
h ator Oyerman, of North Carolina.
1t II drastic action becomes necessary