The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-03-15
THE RICH MANS WAR
A HATEFUL CALUMNY"
american Business Men Ready to
Make Sacrifices With
out Stint.
TAXES HERE AND ABROAD.
American Taxation the Most Demo.
cratic In the World.
BY OTTO Il. KAHN.

Nothing is palmer than that business
and business men had everything to
gain by preserving the conditions which
existed during the two and a half years
prior to April, 1917, under which many
Of them made very large profits by fur
iishing supplies, provisions and finan-
rial aid to the allied nations. Taxes
were light, and this country was rap
idly becoming the great economic res
eryoir of the world.
Nothing is palmer than that any sane
business man in this country must have
foreseen that, If America entered the
war, these profits would be immensely
reduced and some Of them cut off en-
tirely. because our government would
step In and take charge; that 1t would
cut prices right and left, as, in fact, 1t
has done; that enormous burdens of
taxation would have to be imposed. the
bulk of which would naturally be BORNE
by the well-to-do; in short, that the I'M
precedented golden flow into the Golfers
of business was bound to stop with our
Joining the war, or, at any rate, to be
much diminished.
But 1t is said the big financiers OF
New York were afraid that the money
leaned by them to the allied nations
might be lost If these nations were de-
\ feated, and therefore they Unanswered
to get America into the war In order to
save their investments.
Proof That the Charge Is Absurd.
A moments reflection will show the
utter a5surdity of that charge. Let us
asslE.e. for arguments sake, that the
allies had been defeated. Let us make
the wildly improbable assumption that
they had defaulted for the time being
upon these foreign debts, the greater
apart of which, by the way, is secured
by the, deposits of collateral In the
shane of American railroad bonds and
stocks and of bonds Of neutral coun-
tries. aggregating more than sufficient
in value to cover these debts Let us
assume that the entire amount of al
IiaA bonds placed in America had been
by rich men in New York and the
east instead of being distributed, as it
is. throughout the country.
Is it not perfectly manifest that a
sipl.ie wears American war taxation and
reduction OF profits would take out of
The pockets. Of such assumed holders q
vastly greater sum than any possible
loss they could have suffered by de-
fault on their allied bonds, not to men
ton the heavy taxation which is bound
ia follow the war for years to come and
The slrinkage of fortunes through the
decline of all American securities In
consequence Vt our entrance into the
war?
Not only is the srich mans war" an
absurd myth; the charge is hateful
calunny.
business men, great or small, are no
different from other Americans. and
Ne reject the Thought that any Ameri-
can. rich or poor, would be capable OF
the hideous and dastardly plot to
I,riig upon his country the sorrows
and srfferings of war in order to en-
rici himself. Business men are bound
10 lie exceedingly heavy financial losers
through Americas entrance into the
war Every element of self-interest
should have caused them to use their
utmost efforts to preserve Americas
neutrality, from which they drew SO
much profit during the two and halt
years before April, 1917. Every con
sideisstion of personal advantage com.
nianded men of affairs to stand with
and support the agitation of the peace
at-any-price" party. They spurned
such ignoble reasoning; they rejected
that affiliation; they stood for war
when II was no longer possible, with
safety and honor. to maintain peace
because they are patriotic citizens
first and business men afterwards.
our Income Tax and Taxes Abroad.
ID The largest incomes are taxed
far more heavily here than anywhere
else In the world.
The maximum rate of income taxa
ton here is 81 per cent. In England II
is 42h pcr cent. Ours is therefore 90
per cent. higher than England's, and
the rate in England is the highest pre-
vailing anywhere in Europe. And In
addition to<the federal tax we must
bear In mind our state and municipal