The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1918-11-09
MR.. SIMPKINS PAYS
HIS INCOME TAX
BY ROBERT McBLAIR.

tears. Ii was a portrait o1 bs father,
Colonel Simpkins, who had four times
been promoted for valor during the
Civil War and had died bravely on the
field of action. Mr.. Slmpkins' throat
ached now for two reasons: First. he
reverenced and adored the memory OF
his father; secondly, his age and his
eyes and his game leg wouldn't let him
70 to wi.r himself. And as he observed
the martial bearing ard uncompromis-
ing gaze of Colonel Simpkins he saw,
IN imagna ton, the khak! clad la's OF
the new generation marching forth AMI
crossing three thousand miles OF sea to
fight, maybe die, for liberty.
Mr.. Simpkins peered around to make
sure that neither Bess nor John (whO
were at the teasing ages of sixteen
and seventeen) were where they could
see him. then he Strengthened and
threw his right arm up for salute.
But his equity shoulder twinged, and he
groaned. He couldn't even salute.
Damn said Mr. Simpklns. and
with his other hand GssssiS tasisss6 -
white mustachIos.
He turned and limped into the Ii
brary and sat down creakily before the
mahogany desk on which were lying
the blanks for his income tax state
ment, blanks which he had rather
grumpily got from the Internal Reve-
nue. officer only that day after lunch
con on his way home from the club.
Mr.. SSnpkins' income for 1917 had
amounted TO just about Sl5,OUO and he
had been rather snappy on the sub
ject of taxes ever since he had discov-
cred that the more income a man his
the greater the percentage Of II he
pays in taxes. He could think Of sew
eral men who, like himself, were mar
ried and had two children, and yet,
although their incomes were nearly
half of his. they would pay only
ASDcfl fsprttao u the amount he paid.
fe glNWnV auWv - blank nearer
and bcgsn filling In the information
| that 1t asked for.
As Mr.. Simpkins' income was S1o,OOO
he had to figure out the amounts pay
able on each of the successive smaller
classes of incomes In order to arrive
| at the total due from himself He
passed over the first class who must
pay taxes. that is, single men making
over 1000 His calculation for mar
rIed men then showed up as follows:
First, they pay per cent. (under
the 1916 law on all income over
$1,000 deducting 500 for each Of their
children under eighteen years. In MIR.
Simpkins' case this was s212, @ich he
put down I'm the payable" column.
He saw next that. under the 1917
tlsv, married men pay All additional 2
per cent. on all over So, wjt6 tbs
same allowance for children. This
added $3.50 to his payable" column.
He then observed that for every
$500 jump in his Income over $1,000
he had to pay Surtax. the percentage
growing larger with each jump. This
was $3.50 more added to his burden
And on top Of all this came an Eek
cess Profits" tax Of per cent. on all
"occupat ton" income over $4,000. max
ing S720 more.
The total. then. he must pay was four
teen hundred and thirty-four dollars.
"Wheww exclaimed Mr. Simpkin,
angrlly. There's young Henry vii
kIns, who married Jake Johnson's girl
he makes $1,000 and he doesn't pay 6
. cent. Of taxes. | guess this is his wal
AS well as mine"
Thinking of young Henry wilkins
he remembered that Mrs. wilkins wen
every afternoon to make bandages 70
the Red Cross and that Henry, whit
WAS a lawyer was aiding the LOca
Draft Board with its questionnaires.
WELL" he admitted to himself
\ THAT makes a difference.
He thought next Of Judge Willough
by, whose income was about $1,000
ale only pays $40" commented Mr.
Simpkins. not quite 50 angrily thi
time and then d thought struck hin
IF, and he sat up rigidly in his chair.
i Judge Willoughby's son had beel
drowned on the Tuscania when II Wa
r summarized with the loss " two kau
l dred soldiers.
Judge Willougbby gave his son Z
America" muttered Mr. Simpkins.
=" He leaned forward suddenly and pu
his face In his hands.
For long time Mr.. Simpkins ga
very still in that position. There wa
no sound in the library except tn
ticking of the tall clock and an occs
sional trill of laughter from the chi
Gren skylarking upstairs. The squar
nf ligh, on the carpet gradually viti
| drorn itself thrnurh the window an