The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-06-21
President Wilson
Scores Profteers

whether congress snail remain III seS'
sion this summer to enact new revenue
legislation, by appearing before the
House and Senate in joint session and
calling upon members to put aside
politics and all other considerations
to provide money for growing wal
expenses and to advise the country
of the war burdens it must meet.
AS the President was leaving fol
the Capitol, word came that the Ger.
man drive against the west front hao
been renewed. He gave his visit q
dramatic touch by announcing thu:
news as he concluded his prepared
speech, saying it strengthened the
purpose he had tried to express.
The demand that with the war at
its speak and crisis" Congress do its
duty at home as the soldiers are do
ing their duty in the trenches over
seas, brought instant acquiescence
There was still reluctance in some
quarters to believe immediate legisla
ton imperative, but plans for mid
summer adjournment were abandoned,
and both Democratic and Republican
leaders expressed their determination
of going to the task of passing rev.
enue bill. The suggestion by the
President that most of the new taxes
probably would fall upon incomes, ex-
cess profits and Injuries and that
profiteers could be reached in this
way, was greeted with cheers, and
congressional leaders said later the
money needed would come from those
sources.
The Presidents speech follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress: 1t is
with unaffected reluctance that /
come to ask you to prolong your ses-
sion long enough to provide more ad-
eauate resources for the treasury for
the conduct of the war. / have rea-
son to appreciate as fully as you do
how arduous the session has been.
Your labors have been severe and pro-
tracted. You have passed long Sc
ries of measures which required the
debate of many doubtful questions OF
Judgment and many exceedingly diff
ficult questions of principle as well
as of practice. The summer is upon
us, in which labor and counsel are
twice as arduous and are constantly
apt to be impaired by lassitude and
fatigue. The elections are at hand,
and we ought as soon as possible to
go and render an intimate account OF
our trusteeship to the people vino del
egated us to act for them in the
weighty and anxious matters that
crowd upon us in these days Of crit
ical choice and action. But we dare
not 90 to the elections until we have
done our duty to the full. These are
DAYS when duty stands stark and max
ed. and even with closed eyes We
know it is there. Excuses are I'M
availing. We have either done our
duty or we have not. The fact will
be as gross and plain as the duty IT.
self. In such a case lassitude and IA
tigue seem negligible enough. The
facts are tonic, and suffice to re-
freshen our labor.
Additional Revenues Necessary.
And the facts are these: Addition
nj revenues must manifestly be pro-
yided for. 1t would be most I'M
sound policy to raise too large pro-
portion of them by loan, and it is ey-
ident that our four billions now pro-
vided for by taxation will not OF
themselves sustain the greatly en-
larged budget to which we must inn
mediately look forward. We cannot
in fairness wait until the end of the
fiscal year is at hand to apprlse our
people of the taxes they must pay on
their earnings of the present calendar
wear, whose accouptings and expendi-
lures will then be closed. We cannot
get increased taxes unless the country
knows what they are to be and prac-
tees tho necessary economy to make
them available. Definitene5s, early
definiteness as to what its tasks are
to be is absolutely necessary for the
successful administration OF the treas
ury. 1t cannot frame fair and work
able regulations in haste; and it must
frame its regulations in haste II 1t is
not TO know its exack task until the
very eve of it's performance. The
present tax laws are marred, more
over. by iniquities which ought to be
remedied. Indisputable facts, every
one: and we cannot alter or blink
them. To state them is argument
enough.
Essential to Prevent Imitation
And yet perhaps you will permit
me to dwell for moment upon the
situation they disclose. Enormous
loans freely spent in the stimulation
of industry Of almost every sort pro
duce mutations and extravaganza
which presently make the whole eco
nomic structure questionable and IN
secure and the very basis Of credit IL
cut away. Only fair, equitably dis
tributed taxation, of the widest Incl
dence and drawing chiefly from tn
sources which would be likely to de
moralize credit by their very abund
ance, can prevent initiation and keel
our industrial system free of specrla
ton and waste. We shall natural!
turn, therefore, suppose, to wa
profits and incomes and luxuries TO-
the additional taxes. But the wa
profits and incomes upon which tn
increased taxes will be levied will b.
the profits and incomes of the calen
dar year 1918. 1t would be manifest
ly unfair to wait until the earl!
months of 1919 to say what they ar
to be. 1t might be difficult, ! SHOULD
imagine, to run the mill with waite