The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-09-10
REP. LONCWORTH
OBJECTS To BIG
TAX ON PROFITS
Provisions of Revenue Bill
Approach Danger Mark,
House is Told.
(By Associated Press1

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1e.-Wealth
is taxed to about the straining point
by the new war revenue bill. Repre-
sentative Longworth of Ohio, declared
in the house today when debate Oh
the huge tax measure was resumed.
He warned his hearers that any addi-
tional taxes levied hereafter must be
borne by people purchasing articles of
daily necessity and said that as the
cost of the war mounts greater pro-
portion Of it will have to be borne by
future generations.
Pointing that congress is about to
exact from the American people a
sum which would have more than
paid the entire cost of the Civil War,
both to the Union and the Confeder-
acy, Mr. Longworth said the tax of
80 per cent on war profits and the
maximums of 70 per cent on excess
profits and n per cent on incomes
was mighty near the danger mark"
He added that this is bill "to raise
war revenue and not reorganize So
ciety. Just as surely as you impose
tax which amounts to plunder." said
the Ohio representative, "just so sure
ly do you overshoot the mark and rem.
der difficult if not impossible the
financing necessary to effectively
prosecute the war"
Most of the coming issue Of Liberty
bonds. Mr.. Longworth said. will be
purchased by individuals and their
purchasing power will be affected d.
rectly by the taxes on their incomes.
Dry Bill Discussed.
Although he and other members had
doubted its possibility, the ways and
means committee, Mr.. Longworth con-
tinued, had succeeded in framing
bill designed to raise $1,000. 100000 by
taxation without resort to consump-
tion taxes and increased tariff rates
These remain, he added, as additional
sources of revenue in case of those
counted upon are destroyed by legis-
lation or otherwise.
Contending that the presidents or.
der stopping the manufacture of beer
after next Dec. 1, will cause a loss of
$50O,00,O00 of revenue under the war
tax bill, Mr.. Longworth said congress
may be forced to impose consumption
taxes sooner than had been expected
In that connection he suggected a tax
of seven cents a pound on coffee, 25
cents on tea, 10 er cent on rubber, 20
per cent on wool. Is per cent on hides
and one cent on sugar He estimated
these would yield $240,O00,OO an
nually
The Ohio representative also
warned that the proposed wartime
national prohibition legislation would
reduce the estimated revenue returns
from beverages by $500, 900. 900,
which with the lost revnue on beer
from December l, until the national
prohibition measure become effective
would reduce the revenue under the
bill to $4,000, 100000
Bill is Improvement.
Although criticizing some of it's fea-
lures, Mr.. Longworth commended the
bill as whole as vast improvement
over the old law.
In including, the speaker portrayed
the conditions under which the Ger
man people. gagged and bound, pay
bloody tribute to the insatiate ambi-
ton of the house of Hohenzollern.' -
and said that mo citizen of the en-
battled nations, not even the son of
the great pacifist. Henry Ford, is more
surely immune from bodily harm, than
are the German emperor's six sons,
who will me preserved undamaged for
posterity"
Last of all the Wilhelms in Ger
many to give his life for the water
land" Mr.. Longworth continued, will
be Wilhelm, the Kronprinz: last of all
the Fritzes to go will be Eitel, and so
with the Adelberta, the August Will
helms, the Oskars and Joachims'
Sons Of the presidents of the United
States, he said by comparison, have
been less timorous. Without mention
ing by name his father-in-law, Col
Roosevelt, Mr.. Longworth said:
Patriotism First.
"All four sons of former president
have been on the real front, three of
whom there was no possible legal OBJ
legation. One has perished gloriously
on the field of honor. two have been
wounded, one SO seriously that he has
been invalided home; the only one
who has escaped injury has been dec
GRATED for conspicuous gallantry in
action" He added that a son of the
only other living ex-president, refer
ring to Mr.. Taft, is at the front and
that If President Wilson had been
blessed with sons of fighting age they,
too, would have been on the firing line
Let patriotism" Mr.. Longworth
said, continue to Danish all selfish
and partisan spirit from our delibera-
tions and make us brothers in the
cause, so that we may stand shoulder
to shoulder, Northerner and Southern
er, Republican and Democrat, united
indissolubly during this war by the
passionate resolve that government of
the kaiser. by the kaiser and for the
kaiser shall perish from the earth