The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-04
NOW. LET'S GO AHEAD.

| country to give attention TO many
projects that have been held in abey-
ance during the uncertainties which
always attend a great national con-
/ test. Congress doubtless will be asked
to consider the enactment of various
new laws. With the nationwide re-
adjustment of prices, the unrest of la
Dor, the complications of international
finance, the continuing strain upon
credit, the dislocation of the foreign
exchanges, and the efforts to restore
Europe's crippled industries and to
relieve the social unrest here, the
probability is that the national legis-
lature will be asked TO conduct more
investigations in the effort to correct
abuses and safeguard the country
from radical doctrines. Much will
have been accomplished, however,
thru the election of a new president
and vice president and new congress.
Such events, always important, have
unusual significance in year of re-
construction when the country has
enormous home and foreign engage
ments to meet. With merchandise
prices lower and living costs declining
the American people are making con-
sistent progress toward the restoration
of normal standards of living and do
ing business.
One of the first subjects that should
command the attention of congress
| is that of a reformation in our reVe-
nue. laws,
John Moody, in one of his recent re-
views. says:
| Our government has adopted the
feudal Idea of collecting the taxes
| from the captains of industry, and vir-
| tually compelling these captains to
pass the burden down from one class
of business concerns to another, until
| it finally reaches the whole public in
the shape of higher costs of living.
| The surtaxes and excess profits taxes
fall so heavily upon the leaders of in-
dustry and finance that there is neth-
| ing FOR them to do but to add the bulk
| of these taxes to their costs of pro-
duction or operation, and thus pass
| them on. The great majority of peo-
pie pay practically no taxes to Uncle
Sam directly; but they do pay them
| just the same, either in higher prices
of whatever they buy, OF else in lower
| salaries or wages than they would
| otherwise receive.
The pernicious feature of the sys-
tenn is that the excessively heavy taxes
| fall lust exactly where they will do
the most harm. In many cases 1t pays
| a business man better to squander
money in almost useless advertising.
| OF to invest it in foreign lands than to
put it into an American industry where
| the bulk of the net income will go to
the government as excess profits
taxes The popular idea that the
wealthy men of the land are parasitic
| spendthrifts is Numerically opposed
i to the truth. On the contrary, they
are the very men who do the saving
out of earnings, who provide the ma
tion's industries with working capital,
who advance the funds that pay wages
| before the products OF labor are real
lied upon, and who lay and execute
the plans that make cur industries OPP
crate and cooperate.
Canadas experience with the ex-
cess profits tax is similar to our own.
She has had the courage, however, to
adopt an experimental form of the
sales tax. How successful this is is
shown by Toronto paper, In a late is
sue. 1t says:
premier Meighen, on his recent
visit to Kingston, In company with his
finance minister, whe. represents that
riding, spoke with justifiable pride of
the success OF the sales tax. Seldom.
if ever, has a novel financial measure
SO quickly justified itself. AS the
prime minister said, The sales tax is
path untrodden by any other country
in the world. Canada is the pioneer
in this form of taxation What was
ment has, as the July and August fis-
cal returns show, been an enormous
success as a revenue producer; and
better still. it has provoked no sense
OF grievance or hardship in the gen.
erai public. That success having been
incentestahle even in the brief period
since it was first applied, the question
naturally arises whether it would not
be well to simplify our manifold sys-
TENS Of taxation by making the sales
tax eur basic source of revenue, apart
from that provided by the tariff.
Apart from its power to produce
the indispensable requisite of money,
the excellence on the system is DEM
onstrated by the fact that of all war
taxes it is the one most honestly met
by the general public. In this respect
it differs materially from the excess
profits tax and the income tan. The
spirit and purpose or both the latter
systems have been grotesquely vio-
lated by Canadians at large. The IN
come tax is practically q dead letter
in rural communities by those indi-
viduals whose yearly revenue is no;
easily ascertainable. Almost the only
individual who is paying his full dues
under this branch of taxation is the
fsalaried man with q known income
who would face criminal proceedings
should he attempt concealment."
| -------------------
Among the men to stage a politica,