Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-05-27
The Presidents Address
The presidents addre.. fo,lo~.
"Gentlemen Of the consress:

Gentlemen of the congress:
IT ls with unaffected reluctance
th~at.I-come to ask you to prolonR
your session long enough to- provide
adequate resources for the treas.
ury for the conduct Of the 4 i
nave, reason to appreciate as fully as
you 90. how ar1uous the session has
Your. labors have been severe
nd p~r0tracted.. You have passed a
long series OF measures which ~
dutfed the debate of many doubtful
questions of Judgment and manyfex-
ceedinety difficult. questions. Of prin-
clplei A. we'll as Of practice. The sum
met, ts upon us. In which labor and
couHseI are twice arduous and are
constantly apt to be impaired by
!aseitude n fatigue, The elections
are A. hand and we ought as soon as
PosfiO.e TO 60. and render an intimate,
Pccount5 OF our %trusteeship to the
people who delegated US to act for
them In the weightysand anxious mat
ter1 that crowd: upon us In these DAYS
pf critical choice .and-action. But we
dare not go to the elections until we
have done our duty to the full. These
are days when duty stands stark and
naked.And even with closed. eyes we
know 4 is there. Excuses are I'M
avaihng.. We have either done u
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.
.s Cannot Wait.
J And the facts are these: Add
tional revenues must ,manifestly be
provided for. 1t would be q most un-
sound policy to raise too large a
proportion Of them by loan and It is
evident that the four billions now pros
Yided for by taxation will not Of
Themselves sustain the greatly en-
larged budget to which we must i'm
mediately look forward. We 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 present calendar
, year, whose account!ngs and ,expendi-
lures will then be closed. We cannot
get increased taxes unless the country
knows what they are to be and prac-
tices h necessary economy to make
them available. Defniteness. early
deflntteness. as to what its tasks are
to be is absolutely necessary for the
successful administration of the
treasury: 1t cannot frame fair and
workable regulations in haste. and IL
must frame its regulations in haste II
1t is not to know its exact task until
h very eve Of its performance The
present tax laws are marred. more
over. by. inequities which ought to be
~rernedied. 1ndisputable facts, every
one; Ind we cannot alter or blink
them. To state them is argumen,
enough.
And vet perhaps you will permi1
mefto dwell for a moment upon the
situation they disclose. Enormous
loans freely, spent in the stimulation
Of industry Of almost every sort pro.
duce mutations and extravagancet
which presently make the whole eco.
nonnic structure questionable. and in.
secure and the very basis. Of credit /:
cut away. Only fair, equitable dis.
tributed taxation Of the widest Incl.
dence and drawing chiefly, from thu
sources which would be likely to de.
moralixe credit by their very abund,
ance. can prevent imitation and keer
our industrial system free Of specu,
lation and waste. We shall naturall,
turn. therefore. I suppose, to wal
profits and incomes and luxuries fol
the additional taxes. But the wa,
profits and incomes upon which tn.
increased taxes will be levied will b,
the profits and incomes Of the 'calen,
dar year 1918. It would be mani
testify unfair to wait until the. earl,
months Of 1913 to say whatIthey arr
10 be. 1t might be dificult I shoult
imagine to u the mill with water
that had already"gone owe the wheel