The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-06
TAX COLLECTION
PROTESTS ENGAGE
TIME OF SOLONS
Provision of Funds to Meet
Expenses Already Voted Is
Serious Business Confront
ing Present Congress.
BY cHAs. S, HAYDEN,
Estate CorFespondSnt,)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8. (Spl Twin
the passage of time the protests to
congress over collection OF various kinds
Of war taxes increases rather than
diminishes and yet members Of the
house and senate, responsible for pro-
Viding means to meet appropriations al
ready voted and expenses already in
CURED, say no relief is IN sight, Re-
publican leaders in the house had hoped
to enact high tariff law which, by
the time of the next election at least,
would have permitted the repeal Of the
most Objectionable among these various
taxes Senator Boise Penroe, OF Penn
sylvania, chairman of the finance COM
mittee, stanch tand-patter" and high
tariff advocate, has announced, how
ever, that he does not favor any general
change in existing tariffs until after
the next election and It is therefore
probable that the so-called "pop-gun"
changes, provided for in several bills
recently passed by the house, will die
In the senate committee,
Solons Hear From Home.
Practically every member of congress
is in receipt daily of one or more let
ters from his constituents indicating re-
sentiment of the payment Of some tax
or another and there Is an energetic
lobby in Washington Continually urging
relief from special taxes borne by spe-
cial lines Of industry. The moving pic
ture industry has been pleading its case
recently with various legislators. II has
been pointed out that they are almost
taxed to death" In addition to the ex-
cess profits tax the proprietors Of these
showhouses must pay income taxes !;
they must pay the license or seat tax;
the tax on films, and finally are
/ chargeable with the collection OF the
admission taxes, the only one they can
pass on to the ultimate consumer.
But moving picture concerns are not
the only ones that have been pleading
| their, case. Ice cream dealers have
| pointed out to congressman how the
| tax on that commodity wrings the PEN
| MES from the children Of the poor while
| the automobile manufacturers, although
admitting they can not supply their or
| ders now, insist the tax on these sales
| is unjust. The optical manufacturers
| contend their goods are not luXuries,
| but necessities, and should not be taxed
while insurance men have been plead
| ing for relief on the ground that, for
certain lines, the state and federal
gross premiums
All these things coupled with the
| fact that the congressman themselves
experience considerable distaste in pay
| ing the luxury taxes with which they
| are confronted in making many pur-
| CndSSb, has HAu u dclllCliuOuS SllpS.
on the average member, 1t would not
be difficult to get a majority to vote
for almost anything which would offer
relief and the Republican members OF
| the ways and means committee have
been scratching their heads in a vain
effort to find something, but all to nc
purpose.
"of course the country is not going
| to hold US responsible for these high
taxes" said one of the Republican mem
bers recently in discussing prospects for
the general election next year, but the
| fact that we will have been In power
for two years will take some Of the
edge off this argument, as far as we
| are concerned. l recognize that wher
we try to place the blame on the Dem
ocrats the answer will be that we lei
them stand. Then our reply, l suppose
| will be that the Democrats spent sc
much money on the war that we could
not lower the taxes and the Democrats
probably will retort we voted for the
war as much as they did. All | wisl
is that we had some way to lower these
taxes. believe 1t would have more
to do with lowering the cost Of living
| then all the prosecutions Attorney
General Palmer starts--and doesn't fin
ish.''