The Jasper weekly courier., 1918-04-12
American Business Men Ready to
Make Sacrifices With
out Stint.
TAXES HERE AID ABROAD.
American Taxation the Most Demo-
csatIc M the Worid
Dy OTTO r.. KAHN.

gain by preserving tie conditions which
existed during the IwC anti half years
prior to April, 1917. under which many
of Them mntie very large profits by fur
nlshing supplies. provisions and tiDan-
cial aid 10 the allied nations Taxes
were light. and this country was rap
idly becoming the great economic res
ervoir Of the world.
Nothing is palmer than that any sane
business man In this country must have
fo-eseen that. if America entered the
war. these profits would be immensely
reduced and SOME Of them cut of en
.irely because our government woIid
step In and take charge: that ii would
cut prices right and left, as. In fact, Ii
has done; that enormous burdens OF
taxation would have To be imposed. the
bulk of which would naturally be borne
by the weli-tO-do: in short, that the un-
precedented golden flow into the Golfers
of business was bound TO stop with our
Joining the war, or, ut any rate. 10 be
much diminished.
Bat IL is said the big financiers OF
New York were afraid that the money
loaned by them to the allied nations
might be lost IL these na tiOns were de-
| feated. and therefore they maneuvered
| TO get America into the war Iii order 10
save their investments.
Proof That the Charge Is Absurd.
| A moments reflection will show the
utter absurdity of that charge. Let US
assume. for arguments sake, that the
| allies had been defeated. Let us make
| the wildly Improbable assumption that
they had defaulted for the time being
| ,uon these foreign debts, the greater
part of which by the way. Is secured
by the deposits OF collateral In the
shape Of American railroad bonds am
stocks and of bonds Of neutral c0un
tries. aggregating more than sufIicien
in value 10 cover these debts LEI H.
assume thar the entire amount os a
lied bonds placed In America had h''t'
held by rich men In New York and ne
,.ast instead OF being distributed. as II
Is. throughout the country.
Is II not perfectly manifest that I
single years American war taxation ant
reduction of profits would take out o
the pockets OF such assumed holders {
vastly greater sum than any possible
loss they could have suffered by de
fault on their allied bonds, not to men
ton the heavy taxation which is boun'
10 follow the war for years to come am
the sbrinknge Of fortunes through tn
decline of all American securities II
consequence Of our entrance into til
war?
Not only Is the "rich mans war" a
absurd myth; the charge Is hateft
calumny.
Business men. great or small, are n
J different from other Americans, nm
we reject the thought that any Amer
can. rich or poor, would be capable q
the hideous and dastardly plot
bring upon his country the sorrow
md sufrer.ngs Of war In order TO er
rich himself Business men are boun
10 he exceedingly heavy financial Loser
through Americas entrance into tf
war Every element sf self-interei
should have caused them TO use the
utmost efforts to preserve America
neutrality. from which they drew |
much profit during the two and Ia
years before April, 1917. Every CO
sideration of personal advantage Col
= manded men of affairs 10 stand vii
/; and support the agitation Of the "peac
at-nny-price" party. They spurn'
I such ignoble reasoning; they reject'
Z; thai affiIiation they stood for W;
! when IL was no longer possible, wi
safety and honor, TO maintain peac
I because they are patriotic citizeI
first AMI business men afterwards.
4; Our Income Tax and Taxes Abroad
CD The largest incomes are tax
far more heavily here than anywhe
~ else in the world.
It The maximum rate Of income raS
It ton here Is 81 per cent. In England
Is 421. per cent. Ours Is therefore
"a per cent. higher than Englands al
re the rate I'm England Is the highest pl
n yaillng anywhere In Europe And
addition TO the federal tax we mt
,o bear In mind our state and municlI
90 taxes.
ei CD Moderate and small incomes.
: the other hand. are subject 10 I
,r smaller rate Of taxation here than
~ England