The Robesonian., 1918-01-28

THE RICH AND THE WAR
Talk of Rich Mans War and
a Poor Mans Fight is Arrant
Demagoguery if Not Treason.
University News Letter.
There we're seven of Us in the
smoker of a train going into WASH
ington City the other day. One mem
ber Of the party fussily asserted his
pariotism. He was thoroughly anti
German and wanted this fight fought
to finish, he said; but -! And
then he jumped on Congress for leav-
ing the rich to get richer out Of the
war. Poor folks are the folks that
| will ray these war taxes; the rich
are not paying anything to speak OF,
he said: and so on and on, ad indlgnl-
tum, ad nauseum. Two-cent post
cards, three-cent letters, movie and
railroad ticket taxes and the like were
cited to show how the plain people
were taxed to death.
The alarming thing was the quick
agreement of five Of US to all the
tommyrot the fool was talking, and
the low level of intelligence that a
group of well-dressed people repre-
sented.
We stood it as long as possible:
and finally we asked him if he had
| read the war revenue bill. No, he
hadn't he said; nor had he read Com
| missioner Roper's detailed account Of
2 who would pay the two billion eight
) hundred and sixty-six million dollars
f this bill was contrived to raise.
: The Simple Truth.
= Then we told him that two billion
: seven hundred and fifty million of the
: total would be paid by the rich and
2 the well-to-do, the luxury-loving and
h pleaeure-seeking people Of the coun-
8 try. And we showed him the figures
n of the government experts. Here they
e are:
q War Excess Profits .......... 81 .2eo. .eeo. .eee
Income Taxes, personal and cor
- porAte ........... A,ioVooVoVe
= Alcoholic Beverages ... 2o6. .o00. .o0e
a | Tohaeeo Taxes . 65, 000. .00e
q Commodity Revenues-autos. films
q jewery. drugs and the like 60.000.0Ot
4 Club dues, show tickets, etc.. $4,000, ,00t
!, Munitions Manufacturers .. 25.Oo0,o OF
o Miaeellaneou. . . 100000. .00t
It Total ........... ............ 1886. .ooo.o .oo
1t Our penny increases in postage
e. will amount to about rs million dol
lars a year. Which is to say, fol
" every three dollars we pay in increas
st ed postage, the rich and wellto-do pa!
v 81 dollars Nine-tenths of the person
s. al income taxes in North Carolina will
r be paid by two or our richest men
Mt Ten of the richest men IN Amerlc;
le will each pay personal income take
IN amounting to $650,0O0 or more.
u No man with small means and larg
patriotism will allow himself to b
Mt irritated by stamp taxes these days
III It is about the only way many OF u
e. can help to support our boys owe
I'd there.
n Postage excepted, practically ever
m dollar of our new war taxes Will b
Mt paid by wealth and luxury. AS neve
Of before .in this country, or any othe
ty except England, wealth has been con
he scripted for government purposes.
Giving More Than Taxes.
Dawson Of the Morgan Bankin
-i1ES SlOSCA ~ SIN -
desk, resigned his 100000 salar.
and is giving all his time and geniu
to the Red Cross in Washington, fc
" a dollar a year. Otto Kahn gives u
~ his share Of profits in a great banl
- ing business and surrenders his il
come freely to patriotic purpose
Vanderlip of the City National Ban
by of New York gives practically all h
ice time to floating Liberty Loans ar
in War Savings Certificates. Henr
at Ford turns over his great factory
or, the government and refuses cent {
Ire profits. Hurley, Willard, Harrise
and hundreds Of other rich men a
in in Washington City working day al
he. night at gigantic war problems wit
*. out cent of pay.
nd The time, the genius, the income
he and the sons Of these and many 9th
in rich men are being given to the Fla
The in supreme sacrifice. Our Universi
FOR Glee Club ran across young Gould Al
ek- scores Of other rich young men in t.
ian camp at Spartanburg the other da
e4- They are privates in the ranks, ia
), a ing pot-luck with half million 9th
fo- privates in cur American army. The
lay are some Of the things we said to tt
uc- little group. And they had a We
es- prompt and definite effect.
The drummer apologized to t
is company, saying, Well, l guess
our talked too much.
all Mischievous Talk.
for Here is a fair sample of the ts
,at- that is common everywhere today.
of is mischievous because it weake
is the support of our government in
, to perilous hour; and it is talk tt
OF spreads like a prairie fire. The des
hest lie that is going the rounds
day is the saying that this is r
ON mans war and a poor mans fight
When an ignoramous says it, y
ar can forgive him; but when it is 81
the by man that ought to know bett
ion. you feel like denouncing him as
saw agent Of the Kaiser and a traitor
ina his country.