Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-06-05
PRESIDENT DEMANDS
NEW REVENUE BILL
CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PRO-
cEED IMMEDIATELY WITH
MEASURES TO PROCURE
NEW REVENUE.
CANNOT WAIT ANOTHER YEAR
Chief Executive Puts Emphasis on
Opinion That Increased Taxation
Should Be on incomes, War Profits,
and Luxuries-"Must Do Duty to the
Full"

Should Be on incomes, War Profits,
and Luxuries-"Must Do Duty to the
Full"
Washington.-The president on COM
pleting his speech urging congress to
provide needed war revenue added a
brief extemporaneous statement in
which he said that just as he left the
White House he heard that the Ger
mans new drive had opened, and this
added to the solemnity of the situa-
ton. He said:
Gentlemen of the congress: 1t is
with unaffected reluctance that I come
to ask you to prolong your session long
enough to provide more adequate re-
sources for the treasury for the con-
duct Of the war. / have reason to ap-
preciate as fully as you do how ardu-
Gus the session has been. Your Ia
bors have been severe and protracted.
''The summer is upon us in which la
Dor and counsel are twice 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 peo-
pie who delegated us to act for them
that crowd upon us in these days of
critical choice and action. But we
dare not go to the elections until we
have done our duty to the full.
"These are days when duty stands
stark and naked and even with closed
eyes. We know 1t is there. Exposes
are unavailing. We have either done
our duty or we have not. The fact
will be as gross and plain as the duty
itself In such a case lassitude and
fatigue seem negligible enough. The
facts are tonic and suffice to freShen
the labor.
Must Provide More Revenue.
Sand the facts are these: Addition
al revenues must manifestly be provid-
ed for. 1t would be most unsound
policy to raise too large a proportion
of them by law, and it is evident that
the $4,000,000,O00 now provided for by
taxation will not of themselves sustain
the greatly enlarged budget to which
we must Immediately look forward.
'We cannot in fairness wait until
the end of the fiscal year is at hand to
apprise our people of the taxes they
must pay on their earnings of the pres
ent calendar year, whose accountings
and expenditures will then be closed.
We cannot get increased taxes unless
49, 70 hn
and practices the necessary economy
to make them available.
"Definiteness, early definiteness, as
to what it's tasks are to be is absolutely
necessary for the successful admins
tration Of the treasury; it cannot
frame fair and workable regulations in
! haste if it is not to know its exact
task until the very eve of it's perform
ance.
1.-THE present tax laws are MARRIED
moreover, by inequities which ought to
be remedied. Indisputable facts, ev-
cry one; and we cannot alter or blink
them To state them is argument
| enough.
Sees Danger Of Initiation.
"And yet perhaps you will permit me
to dwell for a moment upon the stu
alton they disclose. Enormous loans
freely spent in the stimulation of in
dustry of almost every sort produce in
| fiations and extravagances which pres
| entity make the whole economic struc-
| ture questionable and insecure and the
very basis of credit is cut away. Only
| fair, equitably distributed taxation OF
the widest incidence and drawing
| chiefly from the sources which would
be likely to demoralize credit by their
very abundance, can prevent imitation
| and keep our industrial system free OF
speculation and waste. We shall nat
| urally turn, therefore, l suppose, to
war profits and incomes and luXuries
for the additional taxes.
| "But the war profits and incomes
upon which the increased taxes will
be levied will be the profits and in
comes of the calendar year 1913.
'It would be manifestly unfair to
wait until the early months of 1919 to
say what they are to be. 1t might be
QlIHculI, L SHoulu llHdSlHe, W run Tie
mill with water that already has gone
| over the wheel.
| Taxes Not Paid Until June, 1919.
| Moreover, taxes of that sort will
not be paid until the June of next
year, and the treasury must antici-
pate them. 1t must use the money
they are to produce before it is due
1t must sell short-time certificates OF
| indebtedness.
"In the autumn much larger sale
| of longtime bonds must be effected
than has yet been attempted. What
are the bankers to think of the GER