Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-20
of.
War Taxes
Is Asked
PROSPERITY
IS FORECAST
Refuses to Discuss
Obscure ern1S of
Peace Treaty
By Associated Press.

President Wilson, in his
message to Congress to-
day, recommended repeal of the
wartime prohibition law-so
far as it applies to wine and beer
only; announced definitely that
the rail systems and telegraph
and telephone lines would be
returned to private ownership ;
urged revision of war taxes,
particularly to abolish the mar
rlfacturers and retail sales ex-
cises, and outlined generally d
program respecting labor.
These were the high spots"
of the Presidents message ca
bled from Paris.
Urges Woman Suffrage
Besides that, he again urged enact
ment of the woman suffrage constitu-
tonal amendment; recommended that
the tariff laws be supplied with teeth
to protect American industry against
foreign attack; spoke for legislation to
facilitate American enterprise through
the expansion of shipping and backed
Secretary Lanes program for land for
returning soldiers
or the Paris Peace Conference and the
League of Nations the President merely
said 1t would be premature 20 discuss
them or express a judgment. He also
avoided discussion of domestic legisla-
tion at length because of his long alb
sence from Washington.
Congress heard a unique document;
the only one of its kind ever transmitted
across the ocean from a President On a
foreign shore. For the first time in
six years it heard a presidential mes
sage read by reading clerk instead of
assembling to hear the President deliver
an address in person.
Asks For Beer and Wine
The recommendations for the repeal
of wartime prohibition and for the rail
and wire systems, while not unexpected
by some. contained the greatest element
of surprise and provoked the most wide
spread comment of the many tasks set
before Congress by the President.
In his reference to prohibition, the
President did not enter extensively into
the considerations involved. Demobili-
zation. he said, merely has progressed
to such a point that it seems to me en-
tirely safe now to remove the ban upon
the manufacture and sale of wines and
beers This ban, laid several months
ago to become effective on July 1, could
be removed. the President said, only
| by congressional enactment.
His recommendation regarding return
of the railways and wire lines was the
first authoritative declaration by the
administration of its future policy and
greatly surprised many members who
had interpreted the developments of the
last few months to mean that Mr.. Will
son eventually would propose some form
of permanent government operation. On
the contrary the directness of the Presi-
dents declaration on that point left no
doubt that he was through with, any
possible scheme of permanent reten-
ton.
Railroads Go Back
"The telegraph and telephone lines"
said the message. will OF course be re-
turned to their owners as soon as the
transfer can be effected without admin
istrative confusion The rail-
roads will be handed over to their own
ers at the end of the calendar year"
In the case of each the President
asked for legislation to make easier the
readjustments necessitated by the
change.
In his recommendation for readjust-
ment of taxation the President made
it clear that he did not expect a fund
amental readjustment of the domestic
tariff rates that have been operative for
the last six years. He asked for tariff
changes only to protect special new in
terests like the dye stuffs industry.
Some reductions were advocated in war
time excess profits taxes and the pres
ent taxes on retail sales. the President
thought, could be dispensed with en-
tirely.
Congress Doubtful
What will be the reply of the Repub-
lcan congress to these proposals be-
came at once the topic of discussion
everywhere about the Capitol In re-
turning the railroads. it generally was
conceded the Republican leaders will
readily give the President their coop
Grafton. But as to prohibition and tar
iff and internal revenue taxation the
case was more doubtful Those are
problems on which no weary clear senti-
ment apparently has been formed in
either of the great parties.
His Tariffs Views
On tariff revision the President said
the United States should have the means
of properly protecting itself when there
was danger of discrimination against it
by foreign nations.
Although the United States will glad
ly and unhesitatingly join in the pro-
gram of international disarmament. it
will. nevertheless be policy of obvious
prudence to make certain of the sue
cessful maintenance of many strong and
-.