Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-21
Ehfntng Gl1at


income tax matters than ever knownI
petore in the history of Harrisburg.
FOR the first time quite a fewI
nave realized that even II they dol
not nave to pay taxes they must
make reports and they are stirringE
around looking up advice and ask
ing more questions than they expect
ed TO be thrust at them in a longI
time. Owing to the industrial act
iVlty there was much money earnedI
IN Harrisburg the last year and
quite a few persons who made good
wages nave been surprised to learnI
that they are now in the class whicnI
used to be styled plutocratic and that
that they must help pay for the war,
Wh1le the man and woman who hadI
the distinction of having paid taxesI
| on incomes have found that theyI
must pay proportionately more. Sew
eral men who were engaged on mu-|
| nitions and on railroad work haveI
| discovered that they are going to be
! income taxpayers and the men in
| banks and in various offices haveI
been buster answering questionsI
| from customers than they were in re-
ceiVing deposits last summer whenI
the war was wagng and the produc-I
ton of shells and other things in
| Harrisburg was humming along at
top speed. The chances are that
for the next three weeks there will
be more doing in the line of question
ing and answering on incomes thanI
ever dreamed of by people who had
not considered that they were liableI
to Uncle Sam for taxes.
A story heard last year about al
man employed on one of the rail-
roads came up yesterday in a new
| form and it relates to the incomeI
| tax. There was a man who hadE
made money and who owned q car.
| He had some money in the bank and
one evening he figured up what heI
had made and what the car had cost
| him.
II found out not only that I had
been going some, but that UncleI
Sam is chasing me. I am going toI
see banker" said he.
The removal of the poles from
Walnut street will take away from
the heart of the city an eyesore that
has been one of the marring fea !
lures of the city. 1t is only fair to-
say, however, that the distractions
would have come down a year agoI
had not the war come along to make
prices high and labor scarce. TheI
poles are fast disappearing from tho
principal thoroughfares of the city
and all of the public service com
panies have been cooperating to that
end in a harmonious manner. There
is n report current now that verY
soon the telegraph and telephone
companies will get rid of all over
head wires between Philadelphia
and Pittsburgh. running through!
this city. but 1t is likely nothing
will be done along this line so long
as the companies are under Federal
control.
Already plans are being made I'd
canvass for the next loan-the Vic1
tory Loan. 1T is common talk thai
the banks are going to take this
loan," said one of the men who has
been a leader in putting other is
sues across in Harrisburg. 'Therd
is nothing to it. The banks will takd
the Treasury Certificates. Nobody
denies this. The spirit shown by thd
banks since the signing of the arms
tice has been splendid. We all havd
come to see that the American bank \
err is a quiet, unassuming supported
of the government. Is it reasonable
to suppose that the public, of which
he is a part. will not be called upon
to do its part? Distribution is just
as essential now as ever. A nicd
financial situation would arise If thd
banks were forced TO absorb fivd
billion or so of the new issue to have
and to hold. | believe the readjust 1
ment will soon be over. Business
must be carried on and precious
little business can find air to breathei
in an atmosphere of cloSged banksI
Every business man who buys bonds
lightens the burden. relieves thd
bani'S mrd ushers himself and all his
fellows .ntu the realm of prosperity
There is more interest than you|
can imagine in the deeper Susque-|
hanna river project" said Eli Nj
Hershey, of the Rotary Club today
II find it all along the stream. Every
community has its boosters | be-
lleVe we shall have "a big gathering
on March 8 when the newly appoint 1
ed committee gathers here for its
first session. l discover that a mill
lion dollars does not look like such
a big sum to business men as it did
before the war. Congress also is
in a more liberal frame of mind. ;"
Congressman Kreider, who was kept
away from the previous meeting
held here to boost the river projectI
will attend the next meeting, as
: will representatives of Columbia
Sunbury, Williamsport, Lancaster
York and many other communities
interested.
The open season for students of
civil government is at hand. STU
+ dents from a number of the high
schools in this section have been
, coming to the legislative halls td
hear the debates. The Senate thus
far has furnished most of the en1