River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-07-18
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
(By James A. Frear, NJ. CO.

ing the war to take over the tele,
graph lines as war measure in the
same manner that authority was
given for control of railway and
shipping lines. The wire" mea-
sure will pass the Senate after some
discussion and is the last of the very
important war measures urged by
the President at this time.
Official figures have u s been
given out by the Internal Revenue
collectors office for the fiscal year
of 1918 from which appear the fol-
lowing collections during the past
year. Louisiana, $780,, $50; Ar
kansas S6,612,611; Florida $780,
539; S h Carolina, $8,451, 1856;
Minnesota, $7O,606,0 95; Wisconsin.
S58,8I7. 708 and New York which
stands at the head 1888, 305, 900, 900,
in round numbers. Excess war pro.
fit taxes made the large increases
which reached a total of 1851, 918,-
236 in collections. The new revenue
bill is expected to more than double
that amount. 1t is now being pre-
pared by the H us e Committee.
Chairman Kitchen estimates t h e
Treasury will need tWenty-four bill
lion dollars for the next fiscal year
and one third of this amount is pro-
posed to be raised by direct taxes.
During almost continuous sessions
for oyer five years thoseletters have
been sent regularly to papers in the
District. AS frequently stated they
have not attempted to give any
complete record of events but have
served to keep constituents advised
of few Washington events, legis-
lative and otherwise which were be-
lieved to be of interest. The war
has brought great responsibilities to
Congress in legislative way. Bills
reaching many billions Of dollars
are put through without delay to
meet pressing war necessities while
expenditures are left in the hands of
various bureau chiefs who handle
the different activities of the gov
ern m ut. Cri c i m over
m e t s and contracts have
occurred and changes have b n
made to prevent profiteers f r m
taking advantage of the Govern
ment. Such efforts have occurred
in every war, but our war mach
inery now is running more smooth
ly and successfully than at any time
heretofore, and with the direct aid
of the Federal Trade Commission
conditions are certain to:be further
improved.
Political propaganda has endeav-
ored to create suspicion that oppo-
sition occurs to some of the war
measures on the part of Individual
Members. That cannot be serious
ly offered and should not deceive
anyone, for generally speaking,
most of the measures have gone
through the House unanimously and
while amendments have been Of
fered to perfect or change bills
they have been passed substantially
as desired. Occasionally defect or
weakness is discovered in bills draf-
ted by bureau chiefs and introduced
by the committee in charge, t
apart from efforts to correct or i'm
prove, it can be said t h all war
measures have had the support of
Republicans and Democrats alike.
and unanimously SO in practically
every case. Those bills direct and
indirect number about one hundred
and all have been passed, as stated.
Among important measures can be
named; authorization of all issues of
war bonds; army and navy appro-
priations; increase in the military
and naval branches of service: con-
scriptive act; espionage measures:
aeronautics reaching over billion
dollars in appropriations; food and
fuel survey and control; war reve-
nue. measure; military and naval
war risk insurance; war fl nc e
corporation; prohibitory measures:
raj way operations; authority to
take over telephone and telegraph
lines and many other measures of
scarcely less Importance. The Suf-