The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-09-11

are conducting a business, they are
in il for the profits That's what ey-
erybody is in any business, as such.
for. They may or may not be patri-
otto. Most of them, like most other
citizens, are patriotic; most of them
contributed huge sums to the Red
Cross; many of them have sons in
the army, either somewhere IN
France" or ready to so there. But
they. like every other person in any
line. are patriotic as citizens, and not
per Sc as business men, distinguished
from other people
Before the war, these people sold
comparatively little goods for war
purposes. To hold them down to the
profits that they were making be
fore the war would be just as absurd
as to hold anybody else down to such
profits.
Should it prove to be the case that
these industries were not making very
much more than others, then tax
of eighty per cent of the war prof
its would put them out of business
We use the term VERY MUCH
MORE advisedly, for every one who
thinks knows that these companies
have invested much in installing ma
chinery and erecting structures that
will be worthless after the war. and
they will probably have to install
more right along until the war col
lapses.
To adopt the suggestion of Senator
Hollis and cut war profits to moth
ing would mean the closing of these
factories. Neither LaFollette nor
Johnson would continue in business
without profit Brady and BOrah
wouldn't either, we opine. if there
we're stock available in public ser
vice monopolies that would continue
to make profits, war or no war.
To close the factories now would
be a fine thing for Germany, but not
so good for this country until 1t
could get organized to make its own
munitions and the war might be over
with Teuton victory by that time.
There is a neat bit of sophistry in
the comparison between drafted men
and drafted industries. When you
take a man for war, you have to take
the whole man. When you conscrip.
capital engaged in production, you do
not take the whole industry and di-
vert it entirely from its ordinary OPP
erations; if you should, you would de-
stroy its usefulness. You take from
it what it can stand and still func-
ton.
No doubt some armor plate and mu-
nitions factories have held up the gov
eminent in the past. Secretary Dan
iels contends that it was because
they we're trying to do this that he
failed to let contracts provided for by
congress for ships while vainly urg-
ing that congress build government
ship yards and factories big enough
to supply the government Today we
find ourselves unprepared to take
over these factories in body weighed
down as we are with other duties and
responsibilities. We may after a time
get OF that point; we cannot do it
now, without a loss of time tina,
would be fatal If we close these fac
tories by unwise taxation we shall
help the Germans sacrifice our troops
and receive the blessing of the
81 W. W"
One of the senators on the finance
committee said that he had studied
the question involved for two years
The committee had labored night and
day to get up fair bill with the aid
OF four experts of international repu
tation. This seems to have been true
OF course, the committee was divided
LaFollette being in the minority, bu
before the measure is condemned i
ought to be intelligently discussed
We believe the committee tried t
make the levy so as to secure thu
same results intended in the draf
law take profits up to a point where
they could be spared without Grip
pling the industries taxed
A good deal of political economy o
the antediluvian age has been waste,
by statesmen. Much has been sal,