The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-03
SENATE RATIFIES'
WAR TAX REPORT
WITHOUT DISSENT
Measure Completed After s.
Month Fight Now Goes
to President.

Washington, Oct. 3-Final enact.
nent of the war tax bill. the greatest
| single revenue raising measure in
American history, awaited today only
approval of President Wilson. Con-
gress' work on the bill ended late yes
| terday when the senate after adopt
| ing the conference report on the
measure, rushed it over to the public
| printer. The conference report all
| ready had been adopted by the house.
The engrossed bill was ready today
| for the signatures, of Vice President
| Marshall and Speaker Clark, after
which it goes to the president. Presi-
Dental approval is expected.
The speedy action on the conference
report raised members hopes for adj
journment of the war session by Sat.
urday or not later than next week. The
administration Seamen and Soldiers
j Insurance bill, which has passed the
House, will be brought UP today in the
| Senate. Its disposal in a few days is
anticipated. The only other measure
! the leaders expect to put through be-
fore adjournment is the eight billion
/ dollar deficiency appropriation bill, the
! conferees on which expect to agree to-
j day and obtain adoption of their. re-
! port with perfunctory debate.
! The revenue measure was subjected
, to sharp criticism during the debate
in the Senate yesterday afternoon, but
senators who opposed the conference
! agreement made no attempt to delay
final action because, as they said, the
government is seriously in need of
funds. They made it clear. howecer,
that efforts would be made in Deem
Der to repeal some Of the objection
| able features.
/ Senator Simmons, chairman of the
finance committee, in charge of the
bill, told the Senate that the total es-
timated yield of the treasure in it's
| present form would be $2,535, 000,0
nearly $20O,000,000 less than the es-
| innate given out after the conferees
i made public their report Saturday
night. Revised figures, Senator Sim
hons said, made the reduction Of the.
estimate necessary. He added that
the conferees had increased the bill
approximately $12S, 100000 over the
Senate bill.
Senator Simmons called the confer
ence agreement a distinct Senate VIC
II tory and said that the House yielded
on 275 Of the 800 contested points in
the bill.
ST say unreservedly that it is a much
improved bill, much fairer TO the tax
payer and to the government said
Senator Simmons.
II Senator Pomerene, of Ohio, and
Senators Salisbury and WoIcott of
Delaware, both condemned the re-
storation of the special munitions tax
by the conferees. Senator Pomerene
declared the tax penalized one of the
institutions most necessary to the
| xxyfr, <>f 49,,
bury expressed the belief that the
tax originally was enacted to. salts
~ pro-German propaganda and said,
II hope we will never be oppressed
with such a tax again." Senator Sim
mons said he did not attempt to JUS
tify the tax. while Senator Penrose
Of Pennsylvania, another Of the con-
ferees, said the only redeening fea-
ture of the tax was that it expired
on January 1.
In defence of the postal rate in
creases agreed to in the conference,
Senator Simmons had read into the
Record a letter from the Postmaster
General in which he stated that the
/ government would still lose 100000
600 a year in handling magazines and
] newspapers even after the new rates
go into effect.
Senator Cummins, of Iowa, attack
ed the bill as representing a fiscal
policy almost certain to bring ruin
to the country. He estimated that
the expense of the first year of the
war would be between $4,000 00, 900
and $4,000, 00O. 900.
Senator Wadsworth, of New York,
assailed the principle under which the
4 income and war profits taxes were
4 framed. Sooner or LATER" he said,
1--WE must discriminate between earn
ed and unearned incomes. This
measure taxes the worker definitely
more than the ,drones. We still leave
| incurred and uncorrected the injus-
tice of the income tax. AS it now
stands it inflicts serious injury upon
business and permits those who do
\ not work to escape lightly"
III Senator Penrose made a brief
4 speech in defence of the conference
report.
ST cannot defend some of the fea-
lures Of this BILL but the govern
ment needs the revenue, and even if
it is only eighty per cent good I feel
ator Penrose. Besides, it will be
possible to repeal some of the objec.
Il tionable sections in December
Senator Smoot declared the bill moi
nearly so good now as before it went
= Ito conference.
II Senator La Toilette made a sl1or1
protest against the measure. 81 vot
n ed against this measure when it lef
the Senate because it violated every
principle of wise and just policy fol
i financing the war" he said 81 de
: not believe that it is possible for an,
d government to finance the war OF
economically sound principles, be
= cause wealth will not stand for it
and wealth is always potentially ablt
to control the finances of war. How
ever, it is the duty of legislators tt
xIapproximate a just policy.