Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-06-07
ASKED BY PRESIDENT WILSON
IN ADDRESS BEFORE JOINT
SESSION OF CONGRESS.
TO LEVY TAXES AT ONCE
Would Place Burden Of Struggle on
Large Incomes, War Profits and
LuSurles, and Declares Amer
iea's Great Opportunity
ls at Hand.
western Newspaper Union New. Service.

Wilson personally took charge Of the
war tax legislation Monday, and APP
pearing Unexpectedly before a Joint
session Of Congress, declared il was
necessary to proceed Immediately with
new war tax laws.
The Presidents address in full fol-
lows:
Gentlemen Of the Congress:
1t Is with unaffected reluctance
that | come to ask you to prolong
your session long enough to provide
more adequate resources for the treas
ury 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 a long series OF
measures 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 ar
duous and are constantly apt 10 be
impaired by lassitude and fatigue.
THE elections are at hand, and we
ought as soon as possible to 90 and
render an intimate account Of our
trusteeship to the people who dele
gated us to act for them in the
weighty and anxious matters that
crowd upon US In these days of criti-
cal choice and action.
Must DO Our Duty.
But we dare not go to the elections
until we have done our duty to the
full. These are days when duty stands
stark and naked and even with closed
eyes VIC know it is there. Excuses
are u%navaillng. We have either done
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.
And the facts are these: Add
tional revenue must manifestly be
provided for. 1t would be a most I'M
sound policy to raise too large a pro-
portion of them by loan, and it is evil
dent that the four billions now pro-
vided for by taxation will not Of them
selves sustain the greatly enlarged
budget to which we must immediate
ly look forward.
I'VE cannot in fairness wait 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 calendar year, whose account
ings and expenditures will then be
closed. We cannot get increased
taxes unless the country knows what
/ khawr - 10 md nrapffana Nhn
necessary economy to make them
available.
"Definiteness, early d%efiniteness as
to what its tasks are to be is abso-
lutely necessary for the successful ad.
ministration of the treasury; 1t can
not frame fair and workable regula.
tions in haste; and II must frame its
regulations in haste II II is not to
know its exact task until the very eve
Of its performance. The present tax
laws are marred, moreover, by in.
equities which ought to be remedied
IndispUtable facts, every one; and we
cannot alter or blink them. To state
them is argument enough.
Warns Against Speculation and Waste
And yet perhaps you will permit
me to dwell for q moment upon the
situation they DISCLOSE. Enormous
loans freely spent in the stimulation
Of industry OF almost every sort pro
duce mutations and eXtrayagances
which presently make the whole eco
nomic structure questionable and in
secure and the very basis OF credii
is cut away. Only fair, equitably dis
tributed taxation of the widest incl
| Annnn nnl Arnnyfnr uhfnf1rr from the
sources which would be likely to de
moralise credit by their very abund
ance, can present initiation and keeI
our industrial system free Of specula
ton and waste.
we shall naturally turn, therefore
/ suppose, to war profits and incomes
and Injuries for the additional taxes
But the war profits and incomes upor
which the increased taxes will be-
levied will be the profits and incomes
Of the calendar year 1918. It woulC
be manifestly unfair to wait until the
early months Of 1919 to say what
they are to be. II might be difficult
/ should imagine to run the mill will
water that had already gone over the
wheel.
Moreover taxes of that sort viii
not be paid until the June of mex
year and the treasury must anticipate
them. 1t must use the money they
are to produce before 1t is due. Il
must sell short time certificates o.
indebtedness.
"In the autumn, a much larger sale
of long time bonds must be effected
than has yet been attempted. VIVA
are the bankers TO think of the Ger
t~ificates II they do not certainly know
where the money is TO come from
which is to take them up? And how
are investors to approach the pur
chase OF bonds with any sort OF con
fidence or knowledge of their wi af
fairs If they do not know what taxei
they are to pay and what economics
and adjustments Of their business
they must effect? I cannot assure the
.-.-N.- 80 a aVTaoada4nT aannfnfafroffO