New-York tribune., 1921-11-16

vsous attempts at disarmament ssranra-
sentatives of military rroup IN rnr.
sros IN one country" defeated all AZ.
Iorts TO achieve a permanent peace. INT
thas this influence no lonrer sifs
among the great powcrs. He said there
was no element at the conference now
working to prevent tho contamination
OF its purpose.
MR.. HAYS shen took up the tax dues-
eion, showing how the present excess
save taSes were hindering initiative
and aampering business.
The government must absta;r frovn
taking an excessive amount of men.s
earnings Ia the shape of taxes" he
sssu. must practice the utmost
cmelency and economy in the suendiur
OF the money which it does take for
taxes, and must lay those taxes in
sucn way as is the minimum inter-
ference with the normal process of
business"
ne time is too short and the gov
ernment's need of money too great to
turn around immediately in this re-
sardr out ! express the hope and ex-
recsasion that in the Immediate future
we snail be able to take up the task of
shahging our system of taxation so as
TO raise smaller proportion OF our
revenue through burdensome income
taxes and raise considerable part of
is snrough some other form of direct
Sax on the production or consumntion
or sale Of goods.
lhere must and will be refundjnr
OF the entire war debt on proner
has's. and i. must be spread over a
great number of years, There is no
reason why the present generation
shouid bear the whole burden of war
foaght tor all posterity, and that must
not be. After the refundinr. which
must come in due season, it will he
oossihic to devise method for the
collection of taxes that will stimulate
faiher than In any way retard business
ana spread the burden in right propor-
sions TO every man and woman in the
country. who are all benefciaries Of
the results for which the money was
spent.
Forms OF taxation which kill ini-
tIative must and will be changed. Per-
sonally, am willing to say most en-
phatically that this country cannot
go on. and must not attempt to go on,
indefinitely during. peace time with
either the form or the degree of taxa
ton which was originally devised to
meet the emergency of war
Il use the term consumption tax
partisan misuse and the occasion for
attempted political advantage. either
by those who have not the knowledge
OF fundamental economic principles to
understand clearly what it means, or
by those who are willing wilfully to
misiead the public. If so, it matters
not When | use the phrase 'consump-
ton tax / couple it, of course, with
the proviso that accumulated wealth
also must continue to contribute in the
form of sanely graduated income tax
to the cost of a government which stifn-
uiates the processes of accumulation
and protects and safeguards the fruits
of it.
"In addition to sane1y moderate in
come tax, | most earnestly favor
sales tax or production tax or q
turnover tax OR whatever you choose
to call system which taxes the con-
sumption Of goods rather than abstin-
ence from consumption OF goods"
hen speak OF how high
sound income tax may go l cannot
pretend to speak in definite terms.
But / can say this: I would cast out
forever any form or any degree of
taxation which causes q business man
to say, as he contemplates An enter
prise, eff this venture turns out we'll
the government will take a fourth or
third or a half OF my gains. / guess
Will turn 1t down would adopt
form OF taxation which encourages
and makes easy the accumulation Of
4 new store of wealth and goods to
replace what has been consumed in
the war
Mr.. Hays here took up the tariff
question.
Conditions throughout the world