Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-30
THE OLD CONGRESS WILL
PREPARE FOR THE NEW
Tax Legislation viii Be Postponed
Until Harding Takes His Place
In the White House

In the White House
| NOTHING has happened to convince the
| ~ majority leaders Of Congress. which
meets next Monday. that II would be wise
to chang" the Legislative plans they agreed
| upon more than year ago.
It was decided then that it would be n
waste of time to pass constructive tax laws.
so long as n Democratic President was in
the White House. II the bills passed did
not conform to the taxation theories of the
! Democratic President he would veto thrU.
| So the plan was agreed upon ~ wait until
there was IL kepubliCan President before
| pushing any new tax legislation TO its final
| passage.
The election has not only made it certain
that there will be a Republican in the White
| House after March 4. but it has settled that
the Republican majority in both branches of
Congress will be large enough to enable the
| Republicans to pmbody in law those taxa
| ton theories which after long experience
| with revenue legislation commend themselves
to the best minds in the Narty.
So the Congress which meets next week
| will doubtless Conhne its Legislative activities
to the passage of the necessary a1prorria
| tion bills. But its committees are likely
| to busy themselves with the preliminary
| work necessary to III" drafting OF new
revenue laws. The ways and means com
mttcc of the House has already colIatcd a
vast mass of information about the tariff
which is now available to every one inter
estcd in the subject Before the winter is
over it is likely to have another mass of in
formation about the income tax and excess
| profits tax laws for its guidance.
While the tax on income, and on excess
bny y,I thnrp il prOhlbl\
| no informed person who is willing To defend
| the system by which these taxes are appor-
| toned The laws nrr full of ineQuitcs.
They have diverted into the Golfers OF the
government vast sums of money which ought
to have hccn allowed to flow in the ordinary
| channels Of business. The money needed by
the government should be raised in ways
which will not dry up the sources of revenue.
II on. thing is moro certain than another
it is that the new Congress will modify. 1t 1t
| does not repeal altogether, the excess pronts
| tax. II is expected to reappOrtion the bur
den of the income tax in such way aS TO
make il rest more evenly on the shoulders
of the whole people. The present law was
framed on the theory that the httlc man
could br protected by making the big man
| that is the man with big income or big
profts-givc up n large part of his profits or
MS lEtOH' W Nii' S'''
| not seem to be aware OF the tact 'hat tne
big man is an expert in making money and
that whenever he has to bear new expense
in the conduct OF his business whether that
expense is due to increased taxes or T." IN
creased cost of raw materials Il" aiWaES
adds it TO the cost OF production ana handS
it on to the ultimate consumer
There must be ingenuity enough in Com
grrss to devise n better way than this for
roi.i,, rovonue a way which will free bus
mess from hamprring restrictions and nt the
same time protect the consumer Of small
means from tho high prices which have fol-
InycI os n natural result the working out
of thc nrcsept system.
A. ~ rho thrift. Senator Lodge remarked
.. tho 1'rior Icoguo the other night that
',oro royrrrr must be producod BY the Gus
tnm houses This is desirable. and it is