Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1919-05-23

and those loans will, of course, cOnstf-
tute assets not liabilities, and Will not
have to be taken care Of by our tax
payers.
''The main thing we shall have to
care for is that our taxation shall
rest as lightly as possible on the pro-
ductive resources of the country, that
its rates shall be stable, and that it
shall be constant in It's revenue-yield-
ing power.
MANY Of the minor taxes provided
for In the federal legislation of 1917
and 1913, though no doubt made neces-
sary by the pressing necessities of the
war time, can hardly find sufficient
| justification under the easier circum-
stances Of peace. and can now happily
be got rid of. Among these, hope you
will agree. are the excuses upon vari-
Gus manufactures and the taxes upon
retail sales. They are unequal in the
incidence on different industries and
on different individuals. Their colIec-
ton Is difficult and expensive. Those
which are levied upon articles sold at
retail are largely evaded by the read
! justment Of retail prices. On the other,
hand. should assume that 1t is ex-
pedlent to maintain a considerable
range of indirect taxes; and the fact
that alcoholic liquors will presently
no longer afford a source of revenue
| by taxation makes It the more neces-
sary that the field should be carefully
restudied in order that equivalent
sources of revenue may be found
which OF viii be legitimate and not
burdensome to draw upoa.
import Duties Correct.
There IS. fortunately, no occasion
ture, any general revision of our sys-
tenn of import duties. No serious dam
ger of foreign competition now threat
ems American industries. Our country
has emerged from the war less dis
turbed and less weakened than any of
the European countries which are our
competitors in manufacture. So far
from there being any danger or need
of aceentuated foreign competition, Ii
is likely that the conditions of the
next few years will greatly facilitate
the marketing of American manufac-
lures abroad. Least Of all should we
depart from the policy adopted in the
tariff act of 1913. of permitting the
free entry into the United States of
the raw materials needed to supple
ment and enrich our own abundant
supplies.
Asks Woman Suffrage.
"Will you not permit me. turning
from these matters. to speak once
more, and very earnestly of the pro-
posed amendment to the Constitution
which would extend the suffrage TO
women and which passed the house
of representatives at the last session
of the congress? 1t seems to me that
every consideration of justice and of
public advantage calls for the imme
date adoption of that amendment and
its submission forthwith to the Iegie-
latures of the several states. Through
out all the world this long-delayed ex-
tension IF the suffrage is looked for
THE telegraph and telephone lines
will, OF course, be returned to their
owners so soon as the retransfer can
be effected without administrative
confusion; so soon that is. as the
change can be made with least pos
| sible Inconvenience to the public and
To the owners themselves. The rail
roads viii be handed over to their
owners at tine end of the calendar
year; if / were in immediate contact
with the administrative questions
which must govern the retransfer Of
the telegraph and telephone lines, l
could name he exact date for their re
turn also. Until | am in direct con
tact with the practical questions in
volyed | can only suggest in the case
of the telegraphs and telephones, as
in the case of their railways. II is
clearly desirable in the public inter-
est that some legislation should be
considered which may tend to make
of these Indispensable Instrumental
tiles of our modern life a uniform and
co-orlinated system which viii afford
those who use them complete and
certain means of communication.
The rehabilitation of the military
forces of the country has progresse,
to such point that ii seems to me en-.
tirely safe now to remove the ban up
on the manufacture and sale of wine
and beers but | am advised that with
out further legislation | have not the
legal authority TO remove the present
restrictions. | therefore recommend
that the act approved November q
,l9ls, entitled An act to entitle tho.
secretary of agriculture TO carry out
: during the fiscal year ending June 30
: 1919, the purposes of the act entitled
! "an act TO provide further for the ma
tional security and defense b. Fiimu
/ lating and facilitating the distribution
of agricultural products" and for
other purposes he amended or re-
pealed in so far as II applies to wines
i and beers