The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-13

big personal in a&assasassac wy
terest from BASIL MANLY
which the most
disinterested statesman that ever
breathed would have hard time
to get away.
They are all taxing themselves,
first of all, and they are naturally
interested in how those taxes are
going to hit THEN and their rel
atives and their friends.
This does not mean that they
are grafters, or any more influ-
enced by petty personal motives
than YOU or | would be in their
positions.
But it does furnish a good
working hypothesis to explain the
general theory on which revenue
bills are drafted. and many of the
queer items and jokers that get
into the bills.
Same When They Vote
It's the same way with the SEN
ators when they come to vote on
the bills. They just naturally
can't help thinking more about
how particular tax is going to
affect them and their friends than
about how it is going to burden
the American people as a whole.
Let's see in concrete terms
how this hypothesis works
out. Take the finance com
mittee first. Here is the ma-
iority vote in that committee:
Simmons, Williams, Stone,
HOke Smith, Gerry. Penrose,
Lodge, Smoot, Gallingcr and
Townsend.
What are these men think
ing about when a new tax is
proposed?
We can get some sort of
line on their thoughts
from their testimony in the
Mulhall investigation, when
every senator was required
to make a statement of his
financial interests that might
he affected by pending leg
islation.
Simmons, chairman of the com
mittee, owns some land, partly
cultivated and part in timber, a
lime kiln and some railroad stock.
John Sharp Williams owns
plantation and a wad of bank
stock.
Stones Pile Hidden
Hoke Smith has newspaper, a
lot of bank stock, interest in some
cotton mills, and several parcels
of Atlanta real estate, one of
which is listed for taxes at
-275, 900.
Bill Stone told the investigating
committee that he didn't own any
thing in particular, but there is
reason to believe that he didn't
work for the baking powder trust
and help old Col. Wetmore in his
fight against the tobacco trust
simply for love or glory.
Bill Phelps said "Stone hides
the Shells" and he apparently
does, for nobody knows exactly
where Stones interests lie.
Penrose Well Heeled
Peter Goelet Gerry was not in
the senate when the Mulhall
shake-up occurred, so he isn't on
record, but at any rate he has to
look out for the interests of the
Gerrys and the Goelets and the
Townsends Che married Town
send), and that ought to keep his
hands full.
On the republican side we come
first TO Boies Penrose. Boies hides
the shells, too, and only told the
Mulhall committee about stock in
the United Sugar & Land Co., but
the stockholders list of the Utah
Copper Co. shows him as owner
of 1896 shares, worth at yester-
days market $51S,976.
Then there is brother Spencer
Penrose, the copper king, with
1858 shares of Utah copper, and
stock in score of other COM
panies.
Lodge Wealthy
Henry Cabot Lodge must have
difficulty in forgetting his Cen
eral Electric, American Agricul-
tural & Chemical, National Car
bon and U. S. Smelling & Rein
ing stock, and his other large
whenever a proposal to
tax incomes, war profits, NUM-
tons profits or copper stock |
comes up.
Nor can he forget that he is In |
some degree RESPONSIBLE for the
fortunes of the Cabots of Boston,
whose interests extend into all the
great branches of commerce.