The sun., 1918-09-23
Hundreds OF Thousands OF Workers
Inflated into the Income TAI Class.

Hundreds OF Thousands OF Workers
Inflated Into the Income Tax Class.
The House revenue bill has now
gone to the upper branch Of Congress.
It may be radically amended by the
Senate; It may not be. But, Senate
correction or no Senate correction. al
ready 1t Is being revised by the eco
nomic law.
The economic law is no Stacker. 1t
r. on the Job all the time. 1t Is no
Kitchin bungler. 1t news straight to
the line. though Kltchin. undertak.
ing to determine the industrial fate
OF a nation, skids all over the lot.
Chairman KITcHIS's blatant boast
has been that he would assess the ex-
pense of the war on that part Of the
country north Of Mason and Dixon's
line. His pertinacious ambition has
been not merely tn assess ii north
of Mason and Dixon's line, but to
wiring 1t out of few hundred thou
sand persons north of Mason and
Dixon's line. Wherefore, he has
drawn against industry taxes to kill
industry. He has drawn against in
dividuals taxes to empty their peck
cts. But the chicken that Is plucked
to Its skin Is incapable Of furnishing
more stuffipg for feather pillows; the
man or woman that is permanently
strapped may become useless for fur
Their taxation purposes. The wheat
held that is blasted by frost will pro-
vide no bread; the industry that is
throttled in its necessary operations
will yield simmer production.
These things Mr.. KrTCHIN, chair
man Of the Ways and Means Commit
tee. has been doing his lever best to
-. bring about. Yet some Of the things
that be declared never should happen
are actually taking place. He pro-
posed, but COP disposed.
Because KITCHIN would strap them,
tens Of thousands of individuals may
take fewer bonds than they were able
70 take before. Thousands Of indus
trial and commercial concerns may be
able to take fewer. Because KITCHIN
would strap them, tens Of thousands
Of individuals may not be able even to
pay the income taxes they paid be-
fore. Thousands of industrial and
commercial concerns may be in the
same box Nevertheless, the economic
law takes Mr. KITcHIN by the collar
and shakes some of his economic stu
pidlties out of his system.
Deliberately Mr.. KrTcHIN excluded
millions and millions Of American
citizens from the income tax pro.
visions. But now the higher cost OF
living Is recruiting them by millions
in the income tax army. The SIT d
week man goes up to 800 or S23 q
week, still remaining in the income
tax no mans land. But the force
which drives the SIT a week man UP
TO S23 a week drives the $50 week
man up to $50 and the $50 week
man up to $40 and so on, until we
have new income tax payers In droves
even on that sacred ground south OF
Mason and Dixon's line.
Some of the statistics Of single
industry will illustrate how the in
come tax army is being recruited de
spite Mr.. KITCHEN. Since this coun
try went Into the war the better paid
railway employees have had nothing
like the advances that have been given
in other industrial fields. Yet the
official records show that more than
5000 railway workers in general and
division officers, averaging consider.
ably lower than 5000 yearin 1917
have gone over the income tax top by
several hundred dollars each In 1918
Some $500 travelling agents were far
below the income tax deadline last
year: now they are on the very edge
of 1t, and goodness knows how far be
yond 1t they will be next year. The
same is true Of nearly 5000 train
despatchers. Some 1000 yardmasters
who were clean out of 1t until this
year are now in the income tax zone
The same is true of some $4,000 yard
engineers, while nearly $4,000 road
freight engineers have gone over the
b income tax top, with more than 30. OOC
road freight conductors close at theil
heels. More than $4,000 passenger
engineers and conductors were In the
exempt dugouts last year; now they
are right out on the firing line. Some
10000 brand new income tax payer.
in this one field alone!
But n great deal more than this has
happened. Hundreds of thousand.
working directly and indirectly fol
the Government--shipbuilderS. steam
filters, rIgger iron and steel workers
general mechanics, munition worker,