Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-08-12
Estimates Before LaWmaking
Body Place Expenditures to-
Run Country for Coming.
Year al Thirty Billion
DEBATES EXPECTED
IN SENATE CHAMBER
After Bill Has Been Passed
in House Revision VIII Like
ly Occupy Senator's Bond
Issues Raise Eight Billion.

tHr SoRHtSs JoupNAt srse'tt usAsSp msO
Washington Aug. l1,--War taxation
with all its problems and it's benefits
as well as its evils, is the subject which
will occupy congress almost to the ex-
cluson of all others when 1t reasse M
blcs for regular sessions on August "a,
A statement of an Older generation
once remarked that government was
nothing more or less than the power to
levy and collect taxes. 1t is Obvious
that while the subject of war taxation
has the attention Of congress it must
necessarily command the attention of
the American people, because the sta
bilitV of goVf rnment is mfsasured
chiefly by its revenue
Bill Being Framed,
The ways and means committee Of
the house is now engaged in the pre-
liminary work of framing the S24,-
600 0.000,000 revenue bill which is to
provide the sinews of war for the
coming year. Passage of the bill by
the house in substantially the form in
which it comes from the) committee
promises to be matter Of course.
In the senate, however will come
revision and reconstructi0n, often the
subject of prolonged debate and even
ftlibuster, which viii put the bill more
nearly in the shape in which 1t ulti-
mately Wilt become, the senate as
some historian has said, being "the
saucer in which lis cooled the hot tea
soming from the cup of the house,
the deliberations there are sure To be
prolonged,
VIII Trim IN Conference.
After the bill has been passed by
the senate it will go to conference.
often referred to as the place where
bills really are made. Here a joint
committee representing senate and
house smoothes out conflicting provi.
sions, arranges compromises for hard
fought amendments; and finally, in
ducing each side to give way a little,
or when agreement is shown to he
hopeless, discarding provisions entire
ly reports back to both houses of
congress a completed bill. Sometimes
one house or the other, insistent on
some provision, refuses to accept the
decisions of the conferees and de-
mands further consideration, but mi
the end q bill that is adopted by both
houses of congress comes out,
The war revenue bill will be thread
ing its way through these tortuolisI
passages in the halls of congress for
several weeks, possibly until snow
flies and it will be well for any Amer
lean newspaper reader who wishes to-
grasp the significance of its move
ments as it progresses TO fix in mind
the five stages through which the bill
passes before 1t goes to the White
House for the signature of the presi-
dent. these stages are:
4 f..,, Ia. NnTf,s CO.
and means committee. (This is now
going on,
ong Argument likely.
IT is considered In the house and
with more or less limited debate. and
possibly some amendments from the
form, is passed and sent toI
the senate
The bill is considered by the senate
finance committee, to which II hasl
been referred In this committee theI
bill may be practically made over"
or to the structure Of the work off
the house may be added the ideas of
the senate committeeman.
1t Is debated and passed in the sem
ate, often after nights of prolonged
argumen and parliamentary maneu-I
yer.
AS altered by the senate the bill
goes to the conference committee OH
senators and representatives which
finally reports back a compromise
draft on which both houses can agree
Inasmuch as this particular bill
the long arm of the govern
ment tax collector so 1t can reach into
almost every mans pocket, one whoI
attempts.to be informed OF what sacri-
fices he will be called upon to hake
that the world may become a decent
plate to live in, will do well, to survey
the needs which have brought before
the country this measure for taxing
the high and low,
Aid ng Allies.
The American people of course will
not only finance their own share OF,
the war. but they will furnish In large
the monetary backbone to en-
able the allies to continue. This new
law is expected to make an equitablel
of the burden to all tho
people in Just proportion to theirl
share of the nations wealth. Resultst
Of the present laws have not been en-
tirely satisfactory.
Experience has pointed out weak
spots,
Estimates submitted to congress
place the expenditures of the coming
year at about $50, 200, 100000. 1t does
not necessarily follow. however, that
The actual expenditure will reach that t
figure. The house committee on ap-I
is of the opinion thatl
s24. .000, ,000, 900 will suffice, According
d the original budget the expenditure /
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