Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1919-05-07

and gloomy days, which have but tot
strong a tendency to spread the film
Of sad and joyless melancholy .ovel
the human spirit, We would like t
reserve at least portion of this week:
issue for communicating to our read.
ers sentiments of a more cheering ma
ture than could possibly be extracted
from so painful subject as this LUX.
ury Tax" And this suggests our sec
ond reason for withholding publication
in full. The subject is too painful, es-
pecially for this season of the year
The very name, Luxury Tax"
shows most callous If not contempt
uous disregard for some of the deep
est and tenderest sentiments of our
common human nature. Here, when
you take your girl to an ice cream par
lor and order say two nut sundaes, In
addition to the twenty cents for which
YOU would ordinarily become Indebted
YOU must pay an additional two cents
one penny for each ten cents OF pur-
chase-as war revenue. Should the
girl desire to be served with some
sort of pineapple decoction to give the
proper sort of glaze to the nuts that
decorate the top Of her glass, for
which the obliging druggist will
charge you another five cents per
serve, you are required to thrust an
other two pennies into the voracious
nav of the tax collector as war re-
venue.
Now it is not the tax itself that we
object to- Doubtless Uncle Sam could
not nay his war bills and the salaries
of those who collect them, without
these pennies. 1t is the hideous sar-
casm of calling this a Luxury Tax"
The commissioner takes pains to ex-
plain that this is done on the ground
that sodas, nut sundaes and the like
are not necessities but luxuries. we
wonder whether this commissioner
was ever young. Did he never sit with
some young lady at some little marble
top table and discover that at least
one il not more of the multifarlous
combinations of distilled water anu
colored syrups was an absolute neces-
sity under the circumstances! what
healthy and right-minded girl is there
who does not, regard the products OF
the soda fountain in that light. IN
obedience to the natural promptlngs,
not of cupidity, but Of Cupid? Ana
what commissioner Of internal or any
other kind of revenue will ever con-
vince her that in certain situations
they are merely flimsy luxury,
and not a bedrock necessity?
But, beginning with the first OF May,
all these little delicate expressions OF
sentiments too ETHEREAL for war Office
officials to understand or appreciate,
will be relegated to the category OF
Tightly and nonsensical luxuries, Tor
which you must settle with the tax
if you are self-indulgent
enough to enjoy them!
One ray of sunlight penetrates the
otherwise opaque gloom OF this pro-
Toward the end OF his
the commissioner
makes one reluctant admission. II Is
q the effect that there are certain
which the department mas
o far not had the heart to label as "lu
ries." but which still remain under
he classification of happier days as
necessities. and which are there
ore exempt from the war tax. we VIII
ot give the entire list. Any druggist
yill furnish the same upon application.
We only note that prominent mention
, given to Rochelle salts and castor
il as being among the beverages not
axable." The young man with COM
anion who has cultivated a liking for
mis- particular class of "soft drinks"
, fortunate. He will lay the founda-
ons of a future fortune by saving his
ennieS