The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-07-07
PUBLIC GAZE
DIRECTED TO
TAX MEASURE
Progress Not Satisfactory
Lower House Has Done
Nothing-Senate Hearings
Futile.
CONGRESS IS TIMID
BY MARK SULLIVAN


WASHINGTON, D. c., July THE
inquiries that come from the country
to congressman and senators indicate
that the subject in which the people
are most interested is taxation. l
Any inquiry as to how much prog
ress has been made on this subject
must be net with reply which will be
only partially satisfactory to the coun-
try The lower house has done sub
stantially nothing about taxation. The
ways and means committee has been
steadily busy on the tariff. Whether
the committee is to be blamed for this
depends on whether their decision to-
take up the tariff first, rather THAI
taxation, was wise.
Having decided TO consider the tar
III first, the amount of time spent on
it by the ways and means committees
has been reasonable. Considering
that the new bill is a document OF
approximately $4,000 words, consider
ing its complexities, and considering
the new aspects introduced into it by
changed conditions, the amount Of
time devoted to it by the ways and
means committee has not been eXces-
sive.
Members Not Free
From now on the ways and means
committee is expected to devote it.
self to framing a new tax measure.
Unhappily the members of the COM
mittee will not be as free to give all
their time to this subject as they were
10 the tariff bill. Now that the tariff
bill is on the floor of the house much
of the time of the more important
members of the committees will neces-
sarily be consumed in defensive de-
bate. Under these circumstances the
length of time that il will take the
ways and means committee to con-
slider the subject of taxation may turn
out TO be rather extended.
In the senate the finance committee
has given some attention to taxation.
They held some hearings, but these
hearings were devoted chiefly TO min
ute arguments on the part OF special
interests concerned with remote as
poets of the existing law. 1t is no
secret that some important members
of the finance committee felt that the
hearings weren't getting very tar as
regards fundamentals, and that the
termination OF these sessions occurred
in an atmosphere Of some disgust. All
in all, in neither the house nor the
senate has much been done towards
really framing tax measure.
Sales Tax Delays
One fact which accounts for the de-
Inv sc ain of strain he
tween those who believe that We
ought to add sales tax TO the ex-
listing measure and those who oppose
It. The chief advocate of the sales
tax as an addition TO the existing
measure has been Senator Snoot OF
Utah. He and a few others believe in
the theory of the sales tax. Even
more do they believe in the necessity
of it. They think the amount of
money to be raised is so great that it
cannot be raised under the existing
law Burdensome as that is Chang
ed business conditions will make the
returns under the existing law much
smaller, and it is asserted that the
sales tax would be needed as an addi
tion in order to bring in the requisite
revenue.
Those who hold this belief feel that
the passage of time works in their
favor and that in due course it will
be realized, even by those who strong
ly oppose the sales tax on theory anC
principle. That the country mus
have the additional revenue and thai
the sales tax is the best way TO raise
it. Undoubtedly up to the present the
majority opinion in both the house
and the senate has been opposed tc
the sales tax.
Senate Is Tinnd
A good deal of the delay on taxation
is due TO a kind or paralysis of inde
cision, a state of mind easily apt L
fall on men responsible for achieving
the impossible. The country wants
its taxes reduced. Responsible lead
crs of congress know that the amour
of revenue needed TO run the govern
ment in spite of all that can be Gon'
in the way OF economy will make i
substantially impossible to reduce tax
alton materially.
The form of the tax bill can b.
changed Parts of it can be clart
fed and simplifed, but the rates o
taxation cannot be substantially low
cred; the truth is that congress can
do anything about taxation that viii
be widely popular and the hesitanc.
TO do what must necessarily be unpoT
ular is natural No Republican leade
has yet developed in congress wit
the personality to announce an unpoI
ular program and go ahead with
firmly and ruthlessly. - (Copyrigh
1921 by the New York Evening Pos
Inc)