The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1918-06-06

The rich man can spend only q reia-
lively small sum OF money unproduc-
lively or sel6shly. The money that it Is
In his power actually to waste is ex-
ceedingly limited The bull, of Whist
he has must be spent and used for
productive purposes, just as would be
the case II II were spent by the gov
eminent, with this difference, however.
that, generally speaking, the individual
is more painstaking and discriminating
In the use of his funds and at the same
time boider. more imaginative, enter
prislng and constructive than the gov
eminent with its necessarily bureau.
cratic and routine regime possibly
could be. Money in the hands Of the
individual is continuously and fever
ishly on the search for opportunities
Il e., for creative and productive use.
In the hands OF the government II is apt
TO lose good deal of its fructlfyine
energy and ceaseless striving and to
sink instead into placid and somnoIent
repose.
There need not be and there should
not be any conflict between profits
and patriotism | am utterly opposed
to those who would utilize their coun.
try's war as a means to enrich them
selves. The "war proflteer," as the
term is generally understood, is a pub
lie nuisance and an ignomlny. Extor
Tomato profits must not be tolerated
but, on the other hand, there should
be reasonably liberal disposition to
ward business and a willingness to see
1t make substantial earnings.
For taxation presupposes earnings.
Our credit structure is based upon
values, and values are largely deter
mined by earnings. Shrinkage OF
valnes necessarily affects our capacity
to provide the government with the
sinews of war.
The CONSUMPTION Of Men.
Reverting now to the subject of the
CONSUMPTION of men, | know ] speak
the sentiment of all those beyond the
years of young manhood when say
that there is not one of us worthy OF
the name of man who would moi
willingly go to fight If the country
needed or wanted us to fight. But the
country does not want or call its en-
tire manhood to fight. 1t does not
even call anywhere near its entire
young manhood. 1t has called or in
tends to call In the immediate future
perhaps % per cent of its men be
tween twenty and thirty years of age
which means probably about pei
cent. Of its total male population of ali
ages But 1t has called from incomes
business profits and other imposts fall
ing principally on the well to do. ap
proximately ninety per cent. of our
war taxation. not to mention the con
tributions to the Red Cross, the Y. NJ
@. A. and oth2.-war relief activities
Let me add in passing that the chill.
dren of the we'll to do have been taken
for the war in proportionately greater
numbers than the children of the poor, |
because those young men who are
needed at home to support dependents
or TO maintain essential war industries
are exempted from the draft.
Our Laws Favor Sons of the Poor
The draft exemption regulations dis. |
crlminate not as in former wars. In
favor OF the rich mans son, but in
favor of the poor woman's son.
/ realize but too well that the bur.
den of the abnormally high cost OF
living, cassed largely by the war.
weighs heavily indeed upon wage earn
ers and still more upon men and wo-
men with moderate salaries. / yield !
TO no one in my desire to see every
thing done that Is practicable to have |
that burden lightened. But excessive
taxation on capital will not accom-
plish that; on the contrary. 1t will /
tend to intensity the trouble.
Taxation must be sound and wise
and scientific and cannot be laid in a |
haphazard way or on impulse or &C.
cording to considerations of politics /
otherwise the whole country will SUI.
fer History has shown over and over
again that the laws of economics can
not be deied with immunity and that
the resulting penalty falls upon all
sections and classes.
The question OF the individual is not /
the one that counts. The question is 4
not what sacrifices capital should and
would be willing to bear if called upon,
but what taxes It is to the public ad-
vantage to impose.
! do not say all this to plead for a