The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-24
CONGRESS HAS DONE
ALMOST NOTHING IN
THREE MONTHS TIME
REPUBLICAN HOUSE HAS MAN
AGED TO cur SODA WATER
TAN, But SENATE HASN'T

Washington, u. c., Aug. 23...The
Sixty may become famous as the
Soda Water Congress"
The present congress, with rcpubli
cans In the majority In both branches,
has been in session three months and
about an that IL has done is the passage
by the house OF a bill to repeal the
tax on soda water, which would cost
the federal treasury something like
S2l 900 900 per annum. Even the soda
water bin, however has failed thus far
to get out Of the workless senate com
mittec on finance, of which senator
Penrosc Of Pennsylvania is chairman.
For weeks prior To the issuance of
the call for a special session of con
grcss, republicans We're severe in their
criticism of the president for delay
ing the call. one of the reasons they
gave for demanding an early convening
Of congress was the necessity for the
enactment OF Legislation TO meet the
reconstruction problems that followed
the close of the war, and particularly
a need for the readjustment of the
tax and tariff schedules.
In his call FOR the special session, is
sued in May, the president recognized
the need for constructive legislation,
and in his message to congress at its
c1nvcning referred especially to mat
ters of taxation, urging the need or
prompt and helpful legislation, that
credit and enterprise might be quick
cned to help business get back to nor
NAL.
81 hope that the congress will find
il possible to undertake an early re-
consideration of federal taxes" said
the presidents message, lin order to
make our system of taxation more
simple and easy of administration and
the taxes as little burdensome as they
can be made and yet suffice to support
the government and meet all its obli-
cations. The main thing we shall
care for is that our taxation shall rest
as lightly as possible on the productive
sources of the country, that its rates
shall be stable and that Il shall. be
constant in its revenue Li.lding pow
er."
The ways and means committee OF
the house is the committee whence leg
islation relating to taxation emanates.
1t is the most important committee IN
either branch of congress; ordinarily,
it is the ablest in the house. Its pres
ont chairman is Representative Ford
ney of Michigan, j republican, OF
course.
This committee has been in session
most of the time since congress con
vened but it has accomplished prac'
tically nothing To date it has reported
out and the house has passed the bill
repeating the war tax on soda water,
hardly a necessity of life and which
repeal certainly has not contributed TO
a reduction of the cost of necessities
of life. In addition, the house com
mittee has reported out some half do]-
en- pet bills of individual republican
members of the committee, in every in
stance designed to rear a tariff wall
around a pet industry Of the authors
particular district, with no apparent
regard for the national welfare.
1t is in this manner that this most I'm |
portant committee of the house is meet |
ing the situation that confronts the
country. 1t has utterly failed to rise |
to the emergency with any degree OF |
craftsmanship, even with a very mark
ed degree of patriotism. for private ana
personal matters leading to selfish ends
are given attention and questions that
affect the whole country are ignored.
The committee has no policy, the
democrats charge, and they point to
the pages of the Congressional Record
for substantiaton of the truth of the
charge: it has no program and is ut
terlv without grasp of the situation in
the light of the postwar needs of the
country.
Instead of gaining a true grasp OF
the situation, as the emergency re
uuires, and then proceeding to deal
with the inequties, the inequalities and
the harsh features of the present tax
schedules, existing because of the alb
rupt termination of the war, the re-
publican members of the committee
have busted themselves getting through
individual bills to boost the tariff on
in their respective districts
all of which serve to increase the cost
of the articles to the consumer ana
thus add to the cost of living. the
ways and means committee has only
found time during its three months or
work to turn its attention to the gener'
al war tax system once, and that re
suited in the soda water tax repeal by
the house.
comprehensive and intelligent re-
vision of the tax schedules would wipe
ont iniustices and relieve business of
its chief source of irritation, at the
same time preserving the necessary