Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-08-12
TAX BILL LOBBYING
Interests Have Representatives In
Washington.
Hundreds Engaged in Circulating
Propasanda-Representatives Have
Hard Time Keeping Clear of it.
BY Frederick ]. Hask


Washington, D.. C.-The members o.
The ways and means committees Of th'
house, struggling with the formatior
Of a new tax bill, are being subjected
to pressure from almost every industry
in the country, designed to influence
the committee to reduce or eliminate
gaxes which would bear upon this ol
chat business. The most pitiful plea:
are poured into the ears of the com
mitteemen, and propaganda work is a
Highly water mark.
When the committee finishes 1t:
work and the bills before the house
for amendment and final approval, the
scope of this artificial pressure will bt
increased to take in the whole house
membership Veterans in congress
foresaw all Of this and wearily resign
ed themselves to 1t. They know quite
accurately just how much Of the ap-
parent sentiment against imposing this
or that tax is manufactured, and dis
count it accordingly. Those not mem
bers Of the ways and means committee
are content to let that body work out
the details of the bill, and cast theil
votes along party lines for or against
the measure without delving too deep
| ~ into the intrcacies Of its many pro-
visions.
But in the present house Of repre-
sentatives there are about a hundred
and twenty-five new members, and
| many more than that whose service
does not extend back to the formation
of the last revenue act or any Of the
important measures which called into
play all the machinery Of influence TO
exert pressure on congress.
Because this sort of thing is new to
a big cement of the house, 1t is eX-
pected that the lower branch Of con-
gress will be more than usually respon-
sive. That an element in congress is
prone to permit influencing of its
judgment by propaganda and other
means was amply demonstrated in
some Of the important legislation
which preceded Americas participa-
ton in the war.
Just now there are in Washington
the representatives Of scores, possibly
hundreds, of industries and interests
whose sole duty is the effort to pre-
vent tax legislation which would af-
feet those industries in what they con-
tend would be- an adverse manner.
These representatives generally open
bureaus" headed by men well sup
piled with money and loquacity, who
are not niggardly in the expenditure of
either.
Last Tax Law an Example.
The enactment into law of. the
Kitchen tax bill brought to Washing
ton a tremendous number Of these rep
resentatives. They all had their in
nings before the ways and means COM
mittee and later before the finance
committee of the senate. Had their
pleas been needed, the Kitchen law
would have been a joke instead Of the
means of providing billions of dollars
annually with which to pay Americas
expenses incident to the war. With
the Fordney measure in the formative
stage, the same thing is happening
again.
1t is safe to predict that the efforts
OF these special representatives viii
accomplish little, so far as the action
of the ways and means committee is
concerned. That committee must
frame measure to ease the tax bur-
den as at present imposed, but at the
same time raises a great deal of money,
which means that great many people
and industries must have their pocket
books lightened somewhat whether
they like it or not.
But the task of the persuasive "bu-
reau" does not end with this COM
mittee. The members Of the house
generally will become the targets when
the measure is before that body. These
agents will follow the tax bill on it's
legislative journey through the senate
finance committee, composed of both
senators and representatives, which
will iron out the differences bound to
arise in the views Of the two bodies.
Of course if there should be written
into the measure some item Of tax
alton which should prove extremely
unpopular, the members of congress
who supported that part of the bill or
failed to register a protest against 1t
would find themselves in hot water
when next they sought the votes Of
their constituents. The proposed con-
sumption taxes might fall into this
class. The Democratic members of
house were quite willing to see this
written into the law, but the wary
Republican leaders fought shy of it
despite a considerable amount Of prop
aganda put forth in its favor.
Cause of'PoIiticaI Defeats:
Belief that manufactured propagan-
da represented the true state of mind
of their constituents can be set down
as the reason for the retirement to pri-
vate life of many former congressman
Even when the pressure exerted could
be recognized as pSrely manufactured
fn.f nr