The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-05-27

WILSON IN CHARGE
OF THE TAX .TANGLE
Tells Congress in Joint Ses.
sion 1t Is Necessary to
Act Immediately
us UNFAIR TO WAIT
/ UNTIL NEXT YEAR
Principal Increases Should Be ON In
comes, War Profits and Lllxuries-
Profiteering Must Be Reached by
New Legislation, He Declares.

WASHINGTON, May 27-Presdent
Wilson personally took charge of the
war tax legislation tangle today and, APP
pearing unexpectedly before joint ses-
sion of congress- declared it was necessary
to proceed Immediately with the new war
tax laws. Plans which might have de-
layed the work, but which involved a
working agreement between both parties
have fallen through, the President told
the legislators, and there was no way to
meet the problem of financing the war
except to have congress remain in ses-
sion and go ahead at once.
The President called upon congress to
eliminate politics from consideration
Politics, he said. is adjourned" The
principal increases in taxation. the Presi-
dent said, should be on incomes, war
profits and luxuries. 1t would be mani
festly unfair, the President said, to wait
until 1919 before determining what the
new taxes would be. The Presidents
address was comparatively brief, taking
less than ID minutes for delivery
In specific terms the President gave
distinct warning against lobbying in con
HtttfoH with ife iitN DItf. 1Upfp Is III
ldisputable evidence of profteering at
4 present. the President said, and he de-
: clared it must be reached by a new legis-
lation
'.Profiteering that cannot be got at by
the strength Of conscience" said the
President, ''can be got at by taxation .
There need be no hesitance in taxing the
country the President told congress. if
it were taxed Justly. He appealed to
congress to approach the great task with
out selfishness or fear of political conse-
quence. An intense and pitiless light
beats upon every man and every action
in the tragic part of war that is now
upon the stage" said the President.
The President concluded with an ap.
peal to congress to do its work un-
. grudgingly and said he could not guar
antee a proper administration of the
treasury unless the questions were set
tied at once
When he had concluded his address
the President unexpectedly made brief
! extemporaneous statement in which lie
said that just as he was leaving the
White House for the capitol he had
heard the new German drive apparently
I had just begun and that it added to
/ the SoitIDnitN OI his conception OF the
country IS duty.
The President said in part: at is
5 with unaffected reluctance that / come
e to ask you to prolong your session long
|. enough to provide more adequate re
G sources for the treasury for the conduct
! of the war. | have reason to appreciate
!. as fully as You do how arduous the ses
4 sion has been. The elections are al
e hand and we ought as soon as possibl,
: to go and render an intimate account
n of our trusteeship to the people VIII,
r delegated us to act for them in tn,
h weighty and anxious matters tha
d crowd upon us in these days of critica
e. choice and action, but we dare not z,
n to the elections until we have done on
o duty to the foe and the facts are these
m Additional revenue must manifestl
g. be provided for. 1t would be most un
k sound policy to raise too large a pro
ID portion by loan and it is evident tia
r. $4,00o,o00,000 now provided for b
m taxation will not sustain the greatl
enlarged budget to which we must in
mediately look forward. We cannot i
fairness wait until the end of the fiscs
year is at hand to apprise our peopl
of the taxes they must pay on thei
n earnings of the present calendar yea
whose earnings and expenditures wi
then be closed We cannot increa.
-, taxes unless the country knows VIII;
~ they are going to be and practices IL
necessary economy to make them avai
able.
The present tax laws are marred |
o. iniquities which ought to be remedie
he We shall not fully turn, / suppose,
RI war profits and incomes and luxuri
re- for the additional taxes. Taxes of tn
= sort will not be paid until June of ne
il' year and the treasury must anticipa
= them. 1t must use the money they a
IL to produce before it is due. The co
~ sideration that dominates every 9th
now and makes every other seem trivi
.;g is the winning of the war. We are n
m. only in the midst of the war, but we a
an at the very peak and crisis of it,
ATTACK ON PARIS