The New York herald., 1921-07-15
MIR. Hartman to MIR. Fordney.

When ]. w. HARTMAN, president
of the Hartman National Bank, tells
Representative FoRDNEY that the
country is disturbed and wroth over
the tax revision record of Congress,
the banker tells the statesman the
plain truth. When Mr.. HARTMAN
warns Mr.. FoRDNEY that as chairman
of the Ways and Means Committee he
does not get right reports Of the pub
lie feeling in the matter, he says what
is so and what every man in the high
ways and byways knows Is 80.
A group of lumbermen that wants
special legislation in its favor. or of
oil well owners, or whatever the in
terest may be, always has it's organ
ICED committee to go to Washington
and make a noise like a popular ex-
plosion. 1t has its efficient bureau
to write letters by the thousand
and send kilograms by the hundred.
1t has its trained agents to get up
acceleration mass meetings. 1t never
registers on the Congress receiving
board less than 100 per cent. Of its
full strength. Frequently 1t registers
great deal more than 100 per cent.
of it's real strength, because 1t Is
easy enough to find signatures to at
tach to form letters. The cost Of tele-
grams does not count when fortunes
are at stake, and town halls do not
come high when the effect on respon-
sive statesmen is considered.
The public has no promotion COM
mittees and publicity directors and
claques to get its message to Ford
ney by the bale, barrel and ton. The
public has no trained staff Of ready
letter writer's hired by the year. The
public does not invade Washington
and storm the Capitol steps with
delegations that have their liberal
expenses paid by the man or the
interest stage managing the "popu-
lar uprising"
The public just goes about its reg
ular. business in its usual way, ex.
pressing freely and bluntly to neigh
bors, friends and acquaintance it's
honest opinion on things the Gov
ernment is doing but ought not to
be doing, or is not doing but ought
to be doing, on the public represen-
tatives who are responsible for the
putting through of programme the
public does not want or for the
breakdown of a programme the pub
lie does want.
II Representative FoRDNEY will
take his mind off the overwhelming
requests" all neatly check listed,
carefully initialledr and systemati-
cally filed in the limited quarters
where they originated in unlimited
quantities to make IAN overwhelm-
ing request" on Congress-if Mr..
FoRDNEY will go forth among these
plain people of the United States he
will hear something to enlighten him
as to what. the American public wants
Congress to do about taxation. He
will hear it in the street cars, the
restaurants, the baseball fields, the
theatres, even the churches Of the
cities. He will hear it at the rail-
way station, the post Office and the
crossroads country store of the re-
moter districts. He will hear 1t from
the voices Of nation.
And what Mr.. FoRDNEY will know
then, as Mr.. HARTMAN knows now,
and as everybody knows who is in
touch with real public opinion, is that
IL the American people do not get
tax revision, get it right and get 1t
before there is nothing left to tax,
then the Congress leaders behind the
legislative machine are going to get
reckoning from the national hosts
behind the voting machine.
Cz--a-. Deal. >>.&