The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1918-05-31
PRESIDENT URGES
CONGRESS TO PUT
TAX ON PROFITS
Wilson Asks New Revenue Bill Be
Passed at Once.
TO CURB WAR PROFITEERING
Executive in Address to Lawn takers
Warns Against Politics and Says
Taxation Will Act as Restraint
Where Conscience Fails.

Washington, May 2S.-President
Wilson personally took charge of the
| war-taX legislation tangle and appear
ing unexpectedly before joint SEES
sion OF congress declared it was neces-
sary to proceed Immediately with new
war tax laws.
Plans, which might have delayed the
work, but which involved working
agreement between both parties, have
fallen through. The president told the
legislators there was no way to meet
| the problem Of financing the war but
| to have congress remain in session and
go ahead at once.
There is indisputable evidence of
profiteering at present, the president
said, and he declared it must be
| reached by the new legislation.
"PrOfiteering that cannot be got at
by restraints of conscience" said the
president, "can be got at by taxation"
Must Do "Duty to the Full"
The president in his address said:
Gentlemen of the congress: 1t is
to ask you to prOlOng your session
long enough to provide more adequate
resources for the treasury for the con-
duct of this war. / have reason to APP
preciate as fully as you do how ardu-
Gus the session has been. Your labOrs
have been severe and protracted. You
have passed long series of measures
which required the debate of many
doubtful questions of judgment and
many exceedingly difficult questions of
principle as we'll as of practice.
"The summer is upon us in which
labor 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 in
the Weighty and anxious matters 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.
More Revenues Must Be Had.
"These are days when duty stands
stark and naked, and even with closed
eyes, we know it is here 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.
"And the facts are these: Additional
revenues must manifestly be provided
| for. 1t would be most unsOund policy
| to raise too large proportion of them
! by law, and it is evident that the 81
| 000,O0OOO0 now provided for by taxa
| ton will not of themselves sustain the
greatly enlarged budget to which we
must Immediately look forward
| eve 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
the country knows what they are to be
! 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; and it must frame it's regula-
tions in haste if it is not to know it's
Co@ %oc TIn Of 70
performance.
1.-THE present tax laws are married,
moreover, by inequities which ought
to be remedied. Indisputable facts,
every one; and we cannot alter or
blink them. To state them is argu-
ment enough.
Sees Danger of Imitation.
'And yet perhaps you will permit
me to dwell for q moment upon the sit
uation they disclose. Enormous loans
freely spent in the stimulation of in
dustry of almost every sort produce
mutations and extravagances which
presently make the whole economic
structure 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
initiation and keep our industrial sys-
tenn free Of speculation and waste We
shall naturally turn, therefore, l sup
pose to war profits and incomes and
luxuries for the additional taxes"