Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-06-24
SEMELUXURY TAX
HAS NO FRIENDS
HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COM.
MlTTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY
FOR ITS REPEAL.
BOTH PARTIES SEEK RELIEF
Huge Sum Must Be Raised by Vari-
Gus Methods, but Congress Intends
to Make the Burden as Light as
Possible.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.

Washington.-For once in a lifetime
the house committee on ways and
means has been unanimous on a propo-
s1uon. There was no partnership, TO
the remotest 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"
1t is the rarest kind of a thing to
secure unanimity in voting in a house
committee, let alone securing it in the
mouse 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 UNFOLDING BY way of
diversion it may be said that some of
these unpatriotic voters still hold Office
in congress.
1t 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 weigh
heavily on the purse of the individuals.
Or course it may be necessary to di-
vert the taxes so that they may be
raised by other methods, but with the
rapidly decreasing expenses of gov
| eminent it appears to be likely that
| many levies now can be eliminated and
no requirements 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
It. 1t 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 Repub-
| lican and some of them of Democratic
origin. In questions of finance mem
| bers of a majority party in congress
are not averse to consulting members
| of the minority, for good financial
heads in the United States admittedly
arc so few that mo- chance to get a So
luton Of a monetary problem is let
| slip.
| 1t was not many years ago that in
terms purposely exaggerated member
of congress, sneering at the opposition
| party, said that unless they took care
they would make a billion dollar con-
gresS of ii. That remark was taken
| as the height of eXaggeratiOn and of
absurdity, but not many years went by
| before the country not only had bill
lion dollar congresses, but billion dol
lar sessions, and this was in the days
| of peace.
Just how long it 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.
1t 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-
BILE, unless the intention is to levy high
er taxes than perhaps is justifiable
The United States owes about $30,000,-
100000
Within a few days it has been esti-
mated that it may be possible to keep
the actual expenses of the United
| States government at a figure a little
below $3,000,000,000 a year. If this
can be done it may be, legislators
think, that the debt incurred by the
| no off Of al
lar rate annually but it is admitted
that the governments expenses are
likely to run higher than the est
mate.
Congressman Not Lazy.
Whatever else may be said by the
f1ippant, the caustic and the critical
generally about members of congress
no man rightly can charge the individ.
uals of that body with laziness. 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
! gressmen as men who come to Wash.
ington to sit in the senate or the house
for four or five hours each day discuss
| ing carefully the affairs of state, then
to go home to the family fireside tC
dine, thence tC the theater, and thence
to bed for roseate dreams, have not
visualized the situation with a frac
tional part of correctness.
The smallest part of the work which
a national legislator does is performed
on the floor of the house to which he
| happens to belong. The solid truth is
that large part of the actual business
of the house and senate is carried or
| in the absence of Quorums. Leaders
| of both parties are left on guard, and
| if anything is going to break members
| instantly are summoned to their tasks
of duty but more than One-half Of the
| time the members of the two houses
are in their office rooms working either
in behalf of their local constituents OF
in behalf of measures intended to af
feet the entire constituent body of the
! United States.
Live Member Has Lots to Do.
The day of a member of the house
who halls from a live. up-to-date dis
J