The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-03-14
RICH MAN s WAR
HATEFUL CAL UMNY
BUSINESS MEN ARE READY TO
MAKE SACRIFICES
REVENUES HERE AND ABROAD
American Taxation the Most Demo
cratic in the World. We Tax
Normal Profits and They
Tax Only War Profits
BY OTTO Il. KAHN.

Nothing is palmer than that bust
ness and business men had everything
to gain by preserving the conditions
which existed during the two and a
half years prior to April, 1917, under
which many OF them made very large
profits by furnishing supplies, provi.
sIons and financial aid to the allied
nations Taxes were light, and this
country was rapidly becoming the
great economic reservoir of the world.
Nothing is palmer than that any sane
business man In this country must have
foreseen that, If America entered the
war, these profits would be immensely
reduced and some of them cut off en-
tirely, because our government would
step In and take charge; that it would
cut prices right and left, as, In fact, 1t
has done; that enormous burdens OF
taxation would have to be imposed, the
bulk of which would naturally be borne
by the well-to-do; in short, that the I'M
precedented golden flow into the cof-
fers Of business was bound to stop with
our joining the war, or, at any rate, TO
be much diminished.
But II is said the big fnanciers Of
New York were afraid that the money
loaned by them TO the allied nations
might be lost If these nations were. de-
feated, and therefore they maneuvered
to get America into the war in order to
save their investments.
Proof That the Charge Is Absurd.
A moments reflection will shcw 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
upon 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 and
stocks and of bonds of neutral coun-
tries, aggregating more than sufficient
in value TO cover these debts. Let US
assume that the entire amount of al
He'd bonds placed In America had been
held by rich men in New York and the
east instead of being distributed, as it
is, throughout the country;
Is It not perfectly manifest that a
single years American war taxation ana
reduction Of profits would take out Of
the pockets of such assumed holders q
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 bound
to follow the war for years 10 come
and the shrinkage Of fortunes through
the decline Of all American securities
In consequence of our entrance into the
war;
Not only Is the "rich mans war" an
absurd myth; the charge Is hateful
calumny.
Business men, great or small, are no
different from other Americans, and
we reject the thought that any Ameri.
can, rich or poor, would be capable of
the hideous and dastardly plot to
bring upon his country the sorrows
and sufferings Of war in order to en-
rich himself. Business men are bound
to be iexeeedingly heavy financial losers
through Americas entrance into the
war. Every element of self-interest
should have caused them TO use their
utmost efforts to preserve Americas
neutrality, from which they drew so
much profit during the two and half
years before April, 1917. Every con,
sideration Of personal advantage COM
Inanded men OF affairs to stand with
and support the agitation Of the "peace-
at-any-price" party. They spurned
such ignoble reasoning; they rejected
that afiliatiOn: they stood for war
when x Vas no longer possible, with
safety and honor TO maintain peace.
because they are patriotic citizens
first and business men afterwards.
Our Income Tax and Taxes Abroad.
(1.) The largest Incomes are taxed
far more heavily here than anywhere
else in the world
The maximum rate of income taxa
tion here is 81 per cent In England
IL IL 42h per cent Ours Is therefore
20 per cent. higher Than England's, and
the rate In England is ih> highest pre-
sailIng anywhere in Europe. And in
addition to the federal tax we must
bear In mind our state and municipal
taxes.
l2) Moderate and smali incomes. On
the ofIlel. hand ..rr Is,pi~' y mr.
@.s..ff.. $50 ..s. .t.....s .l...s. a.