The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1917-08-29
HARD TO AGREE
on REVENUE BILL
Difficult to Satisfy All In Tax
alton Measure.
PROTESTS FROM ALL SIDES
Senator Simmons Said, "if We Were TO
Strike Out Everything In the Bill
Against Which There 10 a Protest We
Should Strike Out the Whole Bill"

0TOhtQ otFthc WI u VnCiG III
BY ARTHUR w. DUNN.
Washington, Aug. 20. Especial.
The making OF a nonpartisan revenue
bin might eem to be very easy, espe-
cially when such a bin receives the
unanimous support Of the ways and
means committee in the house and
practically the unanimous support of
the finance committee In the senate.
Ii Is natural to suppose that when men
OF both parties unite ON "a revenue bill
1t Is a very good bill.
However, the present evenu bill,
nonpartisan In almost every particular
Is far from the success that might be
expected. This revenue bin seems to
have been the subject OF a great deal
of trading, and the Democratic ma
jority in both house and senate were
obliged to make concessions to the Re-
publican minority In order to insure
nonpartisanship. The result has been
very severe criticisms of the bill In
both branches of congress.
TNot Wntppou thto onaPos
When the evenu bill was being
considered I'm the house many members
said they did not like 1t. but voted for
1t In hopes that IL would be whipped
into shape" by the senate Judging
from what different senators have said
of the bill, including members Of the
finance committee that worked so long
over IL, the process OF whipping Ii
into shape has not been wholly a sue
cess.
or course Ii is difficult to raise ST.
O~OO,OOO,OO0 In taxation In addition to
the billion necessary for ordinary ex-
penses Of the government and satisfy
all who have to bear the burden. The
same difficulty is encountered as In all
taxation measures. Those who repre-
Sent so many varied interests find 1t
very difficult to levy taxation so as to
avoid serious complaint on the part of
many people.
Process Of elimination.
Senator Simmons OF North Carolina,
In charge OF the revenue bin, knows
the difficulty OF preparing a measure of
this kind. At n stage OF the proceed
ing he told the senate. after several
criticisms had been made OF the varf-
GUS taxing features of the bill:
IF we were to strike out everything
In the bill against which there Is a pro-
test we would strike out the whole
bill"
He then went on to say that the bin
levies exceptionally and phenomenally
high rates of taxes. but that the emer.
to raise an enormous amount of mon.
ey, more than has ever been attempted
by the government before.
Comment From 6~randsoss.
Senator Myers Of Montana introduc.
ed "A bill intended to stop the picketine
by suffragists In front of the White
House, and when he had made some
comments on IL Senator Brandegee OF
Connecticut made inquiry as to wheth.
err there weren't sufficient laws ON the
statutue books and Ii the pickets had
not been convicted. "Inasmuch as the
law was sufficient to land them In
JAIL" said Brandegee. land they only
got out because the president wanted
them out, / fail to see why additional
legislation is necessary"
Senator Myers said that the president
erred In granting the pardons, and he
did 1t because he was so good hearted.
An Unpopular Tax.
There was one feature of the revenue
bill which was shown to be a very I'm.
popular tax, and that was taxing bank
checks. Senator Smoot pointed GU
that such taxes would tend to make
people draw their money out of the
banks. just as In the past. He said
that some ten years ago an endeavol
was made by business men to encour
age a depositing of small amounts In
the banks. This had created a spirit
OF saving among the people and hat
resulted I'm the establishing of banks Ii
small communities. Several other sen
ators spoke Of the desirability OF keep
ing money In the banks and In circu
lation. As a result Of the discussion
the bank tax proposition was voted GU
with a large majority.
Consumers Pay the Taxsa
Strenuous objection was made to thu
proposition for a stamp tax OF | cen
on parcel post packages. Several sen
ators inyeighed against this tax as hit
ting the people who were using parce
post service. Finally the point wa
made that the men who would pay thu
largest tax on this account were thu
mail order houses. This caused a shift
In the controversy. and 1t was then as
serted that the consume would pa,
the tax. and here was where Senator
McCumber rose to the occasion will
this emphatic declaration:
81 should like to have any senator
or any other man upon the face of tn,
earth give me a single instance IN
which a tax can be levied that will no
ultimately be a tax upon the consumer
II this awful tax, this exorbitant ia,