New-York tribune., 1918-06-02

Inc PreSldentS address appears II
have cleared up the situation at one
blow. He came before Congress with
plain, clearly put facts:
additional revenues must manifestly be
provided for. 1t would be a most unsound
policy to raise too large a proportion Of
them by loan, and it is evident that the four
billions now provided for by taxation
will not of themselves sustain the greatly
enlarged budget to which we must imme.
diatey look forward. We cannot in fair
ness wait until the end of the fiscal wear
is at hand to apprse our people Of the
taxes they must pay on their earnings Of
the present calendar year, whose account.
ings and expenditures will then be closed
We cannot get increased taxes unless the
country knows what they are to be and
practises the necessary economy to make
them available.'
A united people, he said, would will
ingly bear whatever burdens were nee
essary. He phrased himself at this point
with touch of poetic eloquence
Have you not felt the spirit of the nation
rise and its thought become a single and
common thought since these eventful days
came in which we have been sending our
boys to the other side? I think you must
read the thought, as do, to mean this, that
the people of this country are not only
united in the resolute purpose to win this
war. but arc ready and willing to bear any
burden and undergo any sacrifice that il
may be necessary for them to bear in order
TO win it.
we need not be afraid to tax them. If
we lay taxes justly. They know that the
!
must pay for it, and if the burden Is Justly
distributed and the sacrifice made a com
mon sacrifice from which none escapes who
can bear it at ALL they will carry il cheer
fully and with a sort of solemn pride"
THE general tone to newspaper dis
a. cussion is that Congress must act
before it adjourns, and the conviction is
equally general that it will not act The
message itself meets with unqualified
approval from the press, so far as mate
rial for the present review has come to
hand. There is not single utterance
against the proposal to levy new taxes
The Tribune is especially pleased, pro-
nouncing the address Gas opportunc as it
was courageous and clear" It writes:
"No one could have spoken more felici-
tously upon the foremost domestic question
that confronts the American people than the
President spoke yesterday before Congress
And never was more timely and effective
word"
The Tribune then calls special atten-
ton to the passage wherein the Presi.
dent demands additional taxes as a
means for preventing undue imitation
through the raising Of enormous loans,
and adds:
"These the thoughts which for
months The Tribune has endeavored to set
forth. 1t is clearly licensed pleasure to
hnd the President giving the great weight
OF MS once and the clearness of his mind
to unqualified concurrence in a position
which The Tribune, almost alone among its
contemporaries, has consistently and insist
emily stated"
"The New York Times" says that at
the very peak and crisis" of the war
the country has found a man equal to
the occasion" 1t regards the address as
containing eloquent and unanswerable
advice. There is no political argument
against new revenue BILL" writes "The
New York World, "and if there were it
would be poor argument. The Ameri-
can people are determined to win this
war, and they expect to pay for victory.
"The New York Sun" SAYS:
Woodrow Wilson, in dema>Sinc that the
peoples money shall sustain to <he utmost
the nations great enterprise, is utteripg
substantially the same sentiment which
Lincoln had in mind when he urgsh his fsl
low citizens to become creditors as wellS
debtors with relation to the public debt"
This opinion comes from "The New
York Herald:
THE Presidents simple and conclusivs
statement tc Congress in Joint session
yesterday has settled it-there wtll M
new revenue legislation at this session"
"The New York Evening Post" calls
1t an eloquent and moving speech" and
adds:
I'm SO far as the Presidents appeal vs:
an answer to the Congressional dislike o
levying Increased taxes on the OF
Congressional election, the argument y
conclusive"
The Boston Evening Transcript
says that the message makes out
strong case against the desire for deiaf
by the Democratic leaders in the Houss
and Senate" while THE Buffalo Ex-
press" thinks that president Wilsos
made an appeal to Congress for ~
creased taxes which will make it prass
tically impossible for that body to ao'
journ without action"
"The Baltimore American" finds T