The Monticellonian., 1919-06-20
By EDWARD B ARK

By EDWARD B. CLARK.
 NaShington.-For once in a lifetime the house committee on ways and means has been unanimous on propo- sitloh. There WAS ho partnership, to the reinotest degree of kinship, in the vote on the report calling for the re- peal of the so-called semi luxury taxes In the war revenue bill. Unanimity had 1t as Republican and Democratic members of the committee vociferously voted aye"
 It Is the rareSt kind of thing to secure unanmity in voting in a house committee. let alone securing it in the house itself. Patriotic Americans re- member with chagrin and shame that even the war resolutions received some adverse votes. cast by men who did not think the rights of their coun- Try Were worth upho1ding By way of diversion 1t may be said that some ef these unpatrlotic voters still hold office in congress.
 It seems probable that unanimity in voting will break records during the present session of congress. Both parties seem determined to get rid of certain forms of taxation which wSgh heavily on the purse of the individuals. Of course it may he necessary to di- vert the taxes so that they may be raised by other methods. but with the rapidly decreasing expenses of gov ernment it appears to be likely that many levies now can he eliminated and no replacements made.
 Much Revenue Must Be Raised
 The United States government has big war debt. Congress iS now study ing out ways and means of financing 1t. It is probable that shortly an at tempt will be made to put in several definitive measures. one of which may be adequate when enacted into law to meet the financial situation. The leaders of the house are studying va riouS plans, some of them of Repuh- liean and some of them of Democratic origin In questions of finance mem bers of majority party in congress are not averse to consulting members of the minority. for good financial heads in the United States admittedly are so few that no chance to get So- lution of monetary problem Is let slip.
 It was not many years ago that i'll terms purposely exaggerated q member of congress, sneering at the opposition party. said that unless they took care they would make billion dollar con gress of It. That remark was taken as the height of exaggeration and ef absurdity but not many years went by before the country not only had bill Hon dollar congresses, but billion dol lar sessions, and this was in the days of pence.
 Just how long il is going to take to pay off the national debt no one. of course, can determine. The best that the legislators can do is to guess at it. Ii has been said that perhaps it can be reduced at the rate of billion dol lars a year. but this to most of the legislators apparently seems impossi hle unless the intention is to levy high CT taxes than perhaps is iustifiable  The United States owes about $50. .000,- 100000
 Within a few days it has been esti- mated that II may be possible to keep the actual expenses of the United States government at a figure q little below S3,0O0, 100000 year If this can be done il may be, legislators think. that the debt incurred by the war can be paid off at a billion dol lar rate annually, but it is admitted that the governments expenses are likely to run higher than the esti- mate.
 Congressmen Not Lazy.
 Whatever else may be said by the flippant. the caustie and the critical generally about members of congress. no man rightly can charge the individ- uals of that body with iaziness Of course there is an occasional lazy man in congress, as there is in every other vocation in life, but if congressman wants to keep his seat he has to work
 Americans who think of their con