The Marietta journal and courier., 1918-03-22
No Extortion to Be Tolerated, but
Liberal Disposition Toward
Business Needed.
Shrinkage of Values Would Cur
tail Capacity to Provide
SineWS of War.
transcription Of Men, conseription of
Money" Analysed.
BY OTTO n. KAHN.

Much is being said about the p!au-
sible sounding contention that be-
cause a certain portion of the young
manhood of the nation has been con-
scripted, therefore money must also be
cOnscripted. Why, that Is the very
thing the government has been doing.
1t has conscripted a portion--a rela-
lively small portion-of the men OF the
nation. It has conscripted portion
large portion of the incomes of the
nation. Capital and business pay more
than four-fifths of our total war taxa
tiOn directly and large share of the
remaining fifth indirectly.
If the government went too far in
conscripting men the country would be
crippled. If it went too far in con-
scripting incomes and earnings the
country would likewise be crippled.
Results Of conscrlption Of Capital.
1 would ask those who would go
further and conscript not only incomes,
but capital, to answer the riddle, not
only in what equitable and practicable
manner they would do it, but what the
nation would gain by it?
1t is true that few years ago a
capital levy was made in Germany, but
the percentage Of that levy was so
small as to actually amount to no more
than an additional income tax and that
at time when the regular income tax
in Germany was very moderate as
measured by the present standards of
income taxation.
Only a trif1ing fraction of a mans
property is held in cash. If they con-
script a certain percentage of his pos
sessions in stocks and bonds, what
would the government do with them?
Keep them? That would not answer
it's purpose, because the government
wants cash, not securities.
Sell them? Who is to buy them when
every ones funds would be depleted?
If they conscript a certain percent
age of a mans real estate or mine or
farm or factory, how is that to be ex-
pressed and converted into cash?
Are conscripted assets to be used as
basis for the issue of Federal Re
serve bank notes?' That would mean
gross imitation, with all its attendant
evils, dangers and deceptions.
Would they repudiate a percentage
Of the national debt? Reputation is
no less dishonorable in a people than
in an individual, and the penalty for
failure to respect the sanctity of obli-
cations is no different
The Thrifty Would Be PenaIized.
The fact is that the government
would gain nothing in the process of
capital cOnscriptiOn and the country
would be thrown into chaos for the
time being. The man who has saved
would be penalized, he who has wasted
would be favored Thrift and construc-
tive effort, resulting in the needful and
fructifying accumulation of capital,
would be arrested and lastingly dis
couraged.
l can understand the crude notion Of
the man who would divide all posses
sions equally. There would be mighty
little coming to any one by such distri-
button, and it is, of course, an utterly
impossible thing to do, but it is an un-
derstandable notion. But by the con-
fscation of capital for government use
neither the government nor any indi-
vidual would be benefited.
A vigorously progressive income tax
is both economically and socially
sound. A capital tax is wholly un-
sound and economically destructive.
1t may nevertheless become neces-
sary in the case of some of the belliger-
ent countries to resort to this expedi- |
ent, but can conceive of no situation
likely to arise which would make it
necessary or advisable in this country.
More than ever would such a tax be |
harmful in times of war and post-bel- |
lum reconstruction, when beyond almost |
all other things it is essential to stimu- |
late production and promote thrift, and |
when everything which tends to have
the opposite effect should be vigorously
rejected as detrimental to the nations
strength and well-being.
There is an astonishing lot of haZy |