The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-03-14
Raising Revenue Tax from 5
to 10 Per Cent on Sport
Equipment VIII Work
Great Hardship on Young
America That Loves to
PLAY Ball.
Nv HUGH 8. FULLERTON.

Baseball has received a lot Of hard
wallops in the last two years. but oaSe,
balls, tennis. basketball. 1ootoa1l ana
other Of the commoner athletc games
have received knock recently WHICH
will affect them for the next ten years
The United States government "nieI
has fostered and help build Us up INTO
+ha greatest athletic nation in the MIS-
tory Of tha world. has handed the wal
loo out to the kids and, I believe, mas
done it Internationally.
Congress has taken the balls anu
bats away from ten thousands ol
kinds in this country. The KIDS are
raising a big kick. but can't make them
selves heard, so I'm going 10 u! ~
speak for them
I'm not trying to start any Boston
tea party, or trying to pose as an sH
pert on tax matters, but II ain rAsH.'
1eIlers, and we've got kick coming.
Congress hasn't treated us kids square.
Among the hundreds OF its on Tue
hastily passed tax bill there IS tnls:
SPORTING goods excepting pASln
cards, children's toys and games. ~
Der cent" It never occurred 20 me TIC.
sporting goods, excepting playing caFus'
etc meant that the kid teams OF oase-
Snn nIayers will have to pay so cents
for a ''half-dollar dead ball. or SAI''o
for a Uniform this season.
Ru+ that is exactly what It means
II means that VIC kids who are learn
ing to play the game and are oe'eIop
ing future ball players ana 1ulure Gil
letes are going to do without uniforms
and bats and ball this season uhleSs
can Scrape up more money imam W.
afford. The prices already nave sone
up so high that quarter OF .ne an
teams have quit and with this tax on
49, Innior stars. the Little potatoes
ond the Bush Street Battlers might as
don't know anything about taxes.
.xccnt that the government heeoS
money and every one has to dtS anu
,,.v il I don't know whether 10 per
con+ tax on baseballs, gloves caps'
hats. and uniforms is too much OF w
little. But I do know that the plopo.
ton isn't right. Last year they taAeu
.;na Goods 3 per cent and raised
- RI 10 this year Last year my
$500 automobiles. monographs. cam
aras runs, diamonds and ~ OF otneI
things s per cent. and this year f<'4'eo
I:nder this years tax fellow can
bny $3.50 shotgun. Carriages,
Yacht, a motor boat, a canoe. huNc'.'s
elothers and all that sort OF IunS 80
~ &c taxed only per cent. but us Ntus
70. Tot - nav 10 per cent more 1or
o,,r baseball suits and shoes ana ese't
Thing we use. 1t amt right 1e'ie>
.nd let's don't stand for II.
WI know what I think? 'nlllh
,> sena,ors down in Washington
nn,led a boner. They sat around anu
read about Alexander getting SLo"'v .
year and Ccmiskey paying SoV'1'p
Collins. and Speaker seselns "ve.n
o,,er,,N season, and they figured; Il
&C. e6ak those guys" So they IN.
oasod rho tax on sporting SoooS
800, 2 70 10 per cent. thinking uhey
1yerr hitting the rich CLUB o"hsrs az
r,,oyers. Instead OF that they MT 'ue
kids. .o-,.4binp
There are sixteen firms nanuiac. "a ite
snorting goods in the Cn'lea 90 nnn
Their business runs aooue oI, ~
year, MI Of them combined sen eo
- cI,hs in organized baseball aooul
zoo. ono worth of stuff. That means
,bst 1ess than one-half Of l per cent o1
80 snortinS goods is bought oS pro
fessional teams and players. Inc
- tbat half Of that is given 70 the play
nrs by sporting goods hrHhs VII" Na,-
~ use the names Of players IN ausI,
Using their wares. The average 20 !,
player buys PAIR Oh 20 s.,I noe+
eornls of bats. The tax will not cost
~, more than 81. 1t is cincn Ihe
,.x viii not hit the manufacturers pc
oan.e they will simply increase 'he
price. ,,o business
~ snortins goods makers is with KIDS
under IS years Of age Inc pun ".
tho sales are of articles that Cost rs
80, 5o cents The cheap sheepskin'
covered balls the 50-cent gloves anc
49, .,,arape price Of uniforms for klc
~ - -,,s about $50 for ten uni
forms. s e.o+>
These are the boys the United star.
government is trying TO develop pnssl
cally. The government Itself mas pee,
for two years the biggest purchaser ~
snoring goods. In fact. last year lh'
snoring goods makers were htnl'eo Z
IS pcr cent production outside OF army
and navy contracts. fhe soEeFn'lieH
declared the making Of sporting GOOD!
next in essential work TO hgatlns ahS
naking ships and munitions.
The army leaders Of England. Franc
.,d America regard athletic training
as one of, the most important orancne'
~, tho service. The Reconstruction
leaders urge athletic training as par
81 tho preparedness program. yet the.
tax tho kids out OF their gloves an'
balls. No,
son there to tell those highbrows
bout when they were kids. 1 don
800 how much they tax. a guy VIII
b,,ys a,s5o casting rod and 100 rec
$50 enamellcd line. That's sportIn
roods. What we kids kick on is havin
athletic goods classed as sporttn
roods. Maybe it is all right to- SNOW
IN the tax on goods used by rlcl
snortsmen. They can afford IT, ou
we kids can't.
Do those senators know how the 'n'
.,tr ~ tho kid teams under sixtee
49, cot their uniforms? III to-
Ram They have invented a plan an
most Of them use 1t. dozen Kids &c