The sun., 1918-05-28
WASHINGTON. May s7.-Th

GENTLEMEN OF THE CONGRESS-:
1t is with unaffected reluctance
that l come to ask you to prolong
your session long enough to provide
more adequate resources for the
Treasury for the conduct OF the
war. have reason to appreciate
as fully as you do how arduous the
session has been. Your labors have
been severe and protracted. You
have passed long series Of meas
ures which required the debate OF
many doubtful questions OF judg-
ment 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 i'm
paired by lassitude and fatigue. The
elections are at hand and VIC ought
as soon as possible to go and render
an intimate account OF our trustee
ship to the people 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 20 to the
elections until we have done our
duty 10 the full.
These are days when duty stands
stark and naked and even with
closed eyes We know It Is there.
Excuses are unavailing, We have
either doDe 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.
Explains wisdom Of Action.
And the facts are these: Addi-
tional revenues must manifestly be
provided for. 1t would be a most
unsound policy to raise too large a
proportion Of them by loan. and II Is
evident that the four billions now
provided for by taxation will not Of
themselves sustain the greatly en-
larxed budget to which We must i'm
mediately look forward. We cannot
in fairneas walt 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 cal
endar year. whose accoun,ings and
expenditures will then he closed.
We cannot get increased taxes un-
less the country knows what they
are to he and practices the neces-
sary economy 20 make them avail
able. Definiteness. early definite
ness. as TO what its tasks are to he
n absolutely necessary for the sue
crssfu! administration of the Treas
ury. II cannot frame fair and work.
able regulations in haste; and L
must frame its regulations in haste
II It is not to know its exact task
until the very eve of its perform
ance. The present tax laws are
marred. moreover. by ineQuities
which ought to be remedied Indis-
putable facts. every one: and we
cannot alter or blink them. To state
them Is argument enough.
And yet perhaps you will permit
me to dwell for moment upon the
situation they disclose. Enormous
loans freely spent in the stimulation
OF industry of almost every sort pro-
duce infiations and extravagances
which presently make the whole
economic structure questionable and
insecure and the very basis Of credit
rs cut away. Only fair. equitably
distributed taxation Of the widest in
cidence and drawing chiefly from
the sources which would ne likely
to demoralize credit by their very
abundance can prevent imitation and
keep our industrial system free OF
speculation and waste.
Unfair to wait.
We shall naturally turn. therefore,
I suppose. TO war profits and in
comes and luxuries for the addi-
tonal taxes But the war profits
and incomes upon which the in
creased taxes will be levied will he
the profits and incomes Of the cal
endar year 1918. II would be mani
festly unfair to wait until the early
months of19l9 to say what they are