The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18
Follow in Wake
of American Demands
for Exemption on Taxes

tions which operate according to the
rule OF reason although In restraint
or trade. Yet this statute, which
merely embodies the experience Of
ancient common law regulation Of
trade, ls loaded down with enacted
exceptions to Justify and protect I'M
reasonable restraint Of trade by
combinations including millions of
men. such exceptions mock both
law and reason, but the exceptions
were made into law by lawmakers
pandering to the proictariat, so far
as VIC have any p~roletariat. or prop
ertyless class, among the greatest
diffusion of property owners the
earth ever saw. Those who seek
these statutory privileges for their
class mean no harm; they think
themselves beneficicnt as well as
benevolent. They do not appreciate
the quality of heir act In degrading
law. a rule OF universal conduct, into
"A class privilege.
Another and better example is af-
fordad hy cur tax and tariff laws.
Those who support them profess to
seek general advantage through
them. But 1t Is the easiest and elm
plest OF demonstrations that they
are mistaken reformers. The tariff
"AlhI Nho oAAAfh w Nilf ''I'llNl''llN
when we were an agricultural ma
tion, dependent on imports which
our infant Industries could not pro-
duce, In not suited to the present
time when we are a manufacturing
giant, and the world owcs Us as
much or more than we owed th5
world. Yet our representatives nave
just passed a tariff so high and dis
eliminating that the country has
risen against II IN ap 1reciatiJn II
its defects.
Very Rich Evadc Taxes.
That affords hope, If lot prom
iee. that the country will rise also
against our tax laws, and the ok-
emptions and privileges under therl,
when they are seen for what they
are. The excess profits taxes and In
come s%urtaXes were avowed meas
ures TO punish the too rich. The OBJ
tect was the better distribution OF
property, rather than the support of
the treasury. The attempt has
failed. The rich are richer. and
also the poor are richer, despite the
hard times through which we are
passing, through no intentional fault
OF rich or poor. That has come
about because the exemptions and
privileges have defeated tlahselveo,
as they always have and always will.
The taxes levied on the rich for
their punishment have been evad-
ed in lawful manner, and the sup
port Of the treasury has fallen on
the poor by the shifting Of tdXes
Worse yet, the taxes which ths poor
must pay come out of a wage fund
depleted by the exchange Of ;HxIbIe
property into tax-eXcmpt securities
floated for non-productive purposes.
The shifting OF taxes from one elias ~
TO another is fragrant, but less
harmful economically than the star
walton of industry by the with
drawal from 1t of taxable funds be-
cause denied profit in industrial en-
ployment.
The very classes who think that
rich mems taxes are for the benefit
Of the poor are the greatest suf-
ferers from the exemptions and
privileges which they approve. In
"A leading organ of wage
there is republished with much
function extra cts from a speech OF
Representative Huddleston in Il .
house. The rich are dissatisfied
with their income and Lrofi: taxes.
80 All the classes Of wealth and
privilege will battle with all their
to place the bu.den Of
pdSllb lOr tnlS war on inc DtcNS OF
the poor, of the multitudsS who
toll, of the plain people Of tho
try. That Is to he the great issue
of the next qua ter of q. century"
Contrast with that sentiment the
recital of facts ny Senator SmO5t in
connection VITA Ms proposal Il
abolish the exemptions and rtivi-
leges which enable ths .ich to be
dissatisfied with the tax Jaw taxable
forms. The purchase Of securities
which are exempt from federal
taxes by the wealthy oG the country
has been practiced to such an eX-
tent already that the governments
revenue from annual incomes above
500, 600 is almost disappearing. My
information is that the taxes from
this our have fallen from S9l7,-
100000 a ear TO an estimated
Of less than 5000. 900 for
the year 1920. l am quite sure that
when the men of small means, the
laboring men, the farmers, and the
average business men OF the country
understand the situation there will