The Ordway new era., 1920-10-15
TAN OF A BILLION DOLLARS.

IaA Ot "A BlLIloN DOLLhhS.
A pernicious scheme is being pro-
noted in this country. II 1t succeeds
it will make the homecoming Ameri-
can ADMINISTRATIONS of the Ma
tion"-about as extinct as the dodo.
A half-million fund is said to be help
ing it along and great effort will be
made to push 1t through the next
Congress, says Arthur Capper.
The best thought of America is
busying itself these days working
out all practicable means for check
ing tho rapid increase in farm ten
antry and absentee landlordism
which make it impossible for men to
farm right, and which unless sup
planted by thousands of more home
owning farmers, will soon bankrupt
our biggest bank-the Soil.
Now along comes this vicious. sell
fish, shortsightcd scheme to put the
! farm home-owner out of business.
This is, of course, not the avowed
purpose of the Ralston-Nolan bill
now before Congress, but this will be
the inevitable consequence of its pas
sage.
Suppose we look into the justice of
this proposition as well as consider
its effect. The latest income tax
| 900 millionaires in this country. That
makes 1 millionaire for every 2,100
Inhabitants. In 1917 there were a
few more than 5000 millionaires in
the Unitcd States. The war with the
war and peace profits. created "a 900
new men of millions in little more
than two years.
| 1t is the country's wealth that the
Ralston-Nolan bill seeks to relieve
from paying its just share of the
great debt incurred by the Great
War, war that doubled this enor-
nous mountain of wealth more than
| two times.
| We now compel a corporation to
pay a tax on excess profits. The tax
amounts to 40 per cent on all profits
in excess of 20 per cent on its invest
ment. A business which does not
make q profit of more than 20 per
| cent ON its Investment hasn't a cent
of excess profit taxes to pay.
And business which makes more
than 20 per cent is required to pay
only two-fifths of the ''over" profits
to the Government to help get this
country out of the financial hole
which the great war placed it.
Notwithstanding our Government s
two-fifths of excess profits more than
more than billion dollars, altho in
| most cases there were padded pay
rolls, padded expenses and large ex,
tensions purposely made by the prof
it-takers with the intent to absorb, or
use up as much as possible OF these
over" profits. The more expenses"
that could be piled up, the less 1t was
necessary to give to Uncle Sam to
help him pay on his war mortgage.
keep the United State OF America
functioning and keep Uncle Sam off
the road to ruin in the bond business.
For nearly year the industrial in
terests, which have to pay this form
of war tax. have conducted a cease
less agitation for its repeal. Altho
there are facts to show the tax has
not been injurious to business, nu-
merous substitutes have been offered
to shift it from those best able to
pay. to those much less able. A
sales tax placing this added burden
on the consumer, was one of these
propositions.
What the Ralston-Nolan bill now
proposes is to reduce Federal taxation
on big business to the extent of 1 bill
lion dollars year by substituting a
direct tax of l per cent on all land
values in excess of $4,000. Average
agricultural states is worth SIPS an
acre. The best IL held at from 5000
to $3.50 an acre. A 160-acre farm,
where land is $125 an acre. would be
worth $4,000. Deducting the s1O,-
900 exemption. the owner of this
farm would have 500 added to his
costs
Tho members of the Committee
of Manufacturers and Merchants"
pushing this propaganda, say $500
firms and 130 commercial oIganiZa-
tons are supporting 1t. 1t is rolling
up big fund and extreme pressure
is going to be brought to bear on
Congress.
There is one point in this connec-
tion worthy Of consideration and that
is this: These so-called big inter-
cts" do get things through for their
own benefit. but they do not do IT
through direct, political affiliation.
They work their WIRES" so to speak,
but not in q political way, nor in a
nonpartisan way. The National
Grange a few days ago denounced the
entrance of farm organizations into
politics.. ointed out the best methods
for procedure. As soon as an organi-
zation enters politics there are the
leaders whs. for personal gain, work
their "rabbits-foot" to the detriment