New-York tribune., 1920-10-04
Indiana Looks
To Harding for
Big Tax Slash
Issue of Repeal of Excess
Profits Levy Expected to
Aid Senator Watson More
Than the National Ticket
Demand End to Waste
Business Men Especially
Urge Cox's Defeat to Stop
Government Extravaganza
By Carter Field

row Wilson himself, the biggest asset
the Indiana Republicans have in this
campaign is the excess profits tax. This
applies even more strongly in helping
Senator James +. Watson, who is hat
Ting for reelection against Tom Tao
gart, than in aid of the Republican no-
tional ticket, but it is very generally
realized that to get a Republican rev.
enue bill through it will be necessary
to have Republican Senate. 1t is also
realized clearly in Indiana that the
fight for control of the United States
Senate is much closer than the fight for
the Presidency or the House of Repre-
sentatlves.
The people of this state have ccme to
know that the excess profits tax did not
DO at all what practically every one
thought it would, strip rich manufac-
turers and merchants of their profits
and permit tEe middle class and poor
people to escape taxation. On the con
trary, they know that the excess profits
are handed along down, jumping the
cost of nearly everything the people
buy as the article passes successfully
from the producer to the jobber, to the
Wholesaler and then the retailer.
End of Waste Means No Deficit
Incidentally. the people out mere DO
not seem to be worrying much about
Row the government is going 10 fill the
hole in the treasury which the excess
profits tax might be expected to leave.
When asked about this-and | put this
question TO lot of business men and
manufacturers to whom the excess
profits tax seems to be the big issue
they reply that if the waste and ex-
travsngance OF the Wilson Administra-
ton can be eliminated at Washington
there will be no deficit, even If the ex-
cess profits tax is repealed. To one
who had repeatedly watched in Wash
ington the huge new government build
ings packed TO crowding with seem
inly useless employees, or who had
wandered through the departments and
seen the idleness and waste of govern
ment money, there waa no effective
answer to this question, even to pro-
woke further argument.
But Indiana knows great deal
about the extravaganza and waste of
the national government. There are
many manufacturers in the state who
either did war work for the govern
ment or who have bought supplies
from the government since the war,
and every one Of them, almost without
exception. is missionary tc the peo-
pie of the state against Democratic
inefficiency," and in favor of putting
the Republicans in control Gust to
clean the incompetents out"
Says Taxpayers Are Outraged
For instance, take Jake Finklestein,
OF Terre Haute. Finklestein is a
shrewd steel manufacturer, who has
made q considerable fortune. He has
A. cf o11 Of
terial from the government since the
asmistice was signed, and he did war
work for the government before. He
is not unwilling to talk about the
squandering of government money
which he saw with his own eyes, and
he is scornful of the utter recklessness
he encountered when the government
was disposing of its property after the
armistice.
They even bought stuff and shipped
it to France after the armlstice.' is
his crowning point, He did not want
10 go into details for publication, but
ne convinced every man, including
some Democrats, in the group where
the conversation was held, that every
taxpayer in the land had been out
ragged.
Business men of this character, it
might be suspected at rrst blush, es-
t'oN4DAtN 90 many VI lHtiu PEI SOl.ttllN '
prohted by the lack of business sense
displayed at Washington. might be
Wiling to have the kind of administra-
uon which permitted them to profit
90 ahead. On the contrary, their great
desire Is TO have the expenditures of
the government cut to minimum and
taxes reduced Many Democrats of
prominence in the state are quietly
supporting the Republican ticket, and
Jim Watson as we'll because they want
an entire new deal at Washington.
Seeks Relief From High Taxes
There was much interest here in the
announcement that big automobile
manufacturer, one of the pioneers. if
not not the pioneer, in the business, FL
WOOD Haynes, ls going to vote for
Harding and Watson. Mr. Haynes has
oeen prohibtionist until now. He
considers voting that ticket would be
virtually throwing his ballot away His
trends say that the big motive actuat-
ing MIN IS to get some relief from gov
ernmental waste and high taxes to sup
This sentiment is being utilized for
an 1t Is worth by the supporters OF
senator atson. His membership on
'he Finance Committee of the Senate,
nhlch handles all revenue measures, is
stressed, as is the friendship for the
indiana Senator of Boes Penrose,
chairman Of that committee. 1t is gen
erally known here, as in Washington,
mat Watson probably is closer to Pen
rose than any other man in public life,
ana 1t is also believed that Penrsse
would have preferred that Watson
should nave been nominated for Presi-
aent had ne thought it possible for him
to be elected
AS matter of fact, Watson is pretty
we'll down the seniority list of the
finance Committee, McCumber, Smoot,
Ia Toilette, Dillingham;, Mclean and
curtis, in that order. following Pen
rose, and ahead of Watson. However,
the friendship of Penrose for Watson
IS emphasized and one would think to
near the talk going around the state
mat, should anything happen to the
veteran Pennsylvania boss, Watson
would become chairman of the COM
mittee
House Cleaning Demanded
At the same time that a business
nan nan Will say he is going to vote for
watson in the hope Of getting the ex-
cess profits taxes reduced or repealed
ne Will admit that Tom Taggart is a
nighiy successful business man, and he
YOU'D like nothing better than to sec
ION gwen a chance to clean out the
mess Ut Washington. However. he
VIII hasten to point out, the only way
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