Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-12-02

million acres of land that lie under
swamps or subject to periodical
overflow or too wet for anything
hut grazing which it is perfectly
feasible TO drain and protect and
redeem. The congress can at once
direct thousands of the returning
soldiers TO the reclamation of the
arid lands which it has already IN
dertaken. if it Will but enlarge the
plans and the appropriations which
e has entrusted to the department
Of the interior. 1t is possible in
dealing with our unused land to
pdeCt q great rural and agricultural
development which will afford the
hest sort of opportunity TO men who
want TO help themselves; and the
secretary Of the interior has
thought the possible methods out in
"a way which is worthy of your
most friendly attention.
Appeals for Help Abroad.
u have spoken OF the control
which must Yet for a while, per
haps for 4 long while, be exercised
over shipping because of the pri-
ority Of service TO which our forces
overseas are entitled and which
should also be accorded the ship
ments which are TO save recently
liberated peoples from starvation
and many devastated regions from
permanent ruin. May l not say 3
special word about the needs of
Belgium and northern FranCe2 No
sums of money paid by way Of in
deunity Will serve Of themselves
TO save them from hopeless disad
vantage for years 10 come. Some
( thing more must be done than
merely find the money. If they
had money and raw materials in
abundance tomorrow they could
not resume their place in the in
dustry OF the world tOmOrrOw-the
very important place they held be
/ fore the flame Of war swept across
them. Many of their factories are
razed to the ground. Much of their
machinery is destroyed or has been
/ taken away. Their people are scat
/ tered and many Of their best work
men are dead Their markets Will
/ be taken by others, if they are not
| in some special way assisted to
/ rebuild their factories and replace
/ their lost instruments of manufaC-
/ ture. They should not be left TO
/ the vicissitudes Of the sharp com
petition for materials and for in
dustrial facilities which is now to
set in. / hope, therefore, that the
/ congress will not be unwilling, if
il should become necessary, to
/ grant to some such agency, as the
war trade board, the right to es-
4
I supply for the benefit of these peO-
pie whom we have been so happy
/ to assist in saving from the Ger
man terror and whom we must not
now thOughtlessly leave 10 shift
! for themselves in a pitiless com
pctitiye market.
Tax Important Issue.
For the steadying of the facili-
tation of our own domestic bust
ness readjustment, nothing is more
important than the immediate de
termination OF the taxes that are to
be levied Tor 1918, 1919 and 1920
As much Of the burden of taxation
must be lifted from business as>
sound methods OF Financing the
government viii permit, and those
who conduct the great essential in
dustTies of the country must be
told as exactly as possible what
obligations to the government they
will be expected to meet in the
years Immediately ahead OF them.
1t viii be Of serious consequence to
the country to delay removing all
uncertainties in this matter by US
ing a day longer than the right pro-
cesses of debate justify 1t is idle
10 talk of successful and confident
business reconstruction before
those uncertainties are moved.
Heavy Drain Continues.
If the war had continued it would
have been necessary to raise at
least eight billion dollars by taxa
ton payable in the year of 1919;
but the war has ended and | agree
with the secretary of the treasury
that ii will be safe to reduce the
amount to six billions. An immedi-
ate rapid decline in the expenses
Of the government Is not looked for. +
Contracts made for war supplies
VIII, indeed, be rapidly cancelled
and liquidated, but their immediate
liquidation viii make heavy drains
on the treasury for the months just
ahead Of US.
Six Billions Sufficient.
The maintenance of our forces
On the other side of the sea il .tiU
necessary. A considerable proper /
ton of those forces must remain
in Europe during the period of oc-
CupatiOn and those which are
brought home viii be transported
end demobilized at heavy expense
for months to come. The interest
on our war Gebt must, Of course. be /
paid and provision made for the re- /
taiument Of the obligations OF the
government which represents it
But these demands Will. Of course, /
fall much below what a continua- (
ton Of military operations would 4
have entailed ard six billions /.
should suffice TO supply n sound /
foundation for the fiscal operations ,
of the year
Si.GO0,0O0 in 1920.
Il entirely concur with the sec +.
rotary Of the treasury in recon- I
mending that the two billions need J
cd in addition to the four billions /
provided by existing law. be obtain /
ed from the profits which have ac- /
crued and shall accrue from war .
contracts and distinctively war /
business. but that these taxes be |
confined 10 the war profits accru-
ing in 1913. OF in 1919 from bust
ness originating in war contra cts.
urge your acceptance OF his rec
that provision be
made now, not subsequently, that