South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-03-17

Thomas W. Lamont one OF the group Of Morgan
fnanciers; the one who a expert financial adj
visor Of Prest Wilson at the Paris peace confer
ence It understood that he. and not the pres
dent counseed cancellation OF all war debts as be-
tween the allies also that the president. who has
been accused OF so advising irowned upon HIS sus-
gestion. Mr.. Lamont still maintains that -here was
wisdom In his Judgment. but IN making up 90 the
American people the ten billion due us. he strikes
another angle.
II the aHies do not pay that billion the Amer
lean people will have to pay g. either in tariffs o.
taxes which is where Mr.. Lamont edges IN exactly.
He wants a more even distribution of taxes: wants
moro people to pay them. and few PEOPLE 20 pay
less-.patrotsm, Of course. He says It will create
1ivelier interest in governmental affairs" in which
perhaps that term 'livelier" is advisedy used.
For 1917 incomes Mr. Lamont says only one and
one-half percent OF the population paid taxes The
other 90 IL percent lodged the tax; including the
children. the poor the non-taxabes. and those who
should have. but didn't pay Not evenly distributed
is it? Fact of the matter is that about 90 percent
of this and one-half percent, according to La
mont. Iaid 20 - percent Of the total individual
income taxes while the balance-only two per-
of the and one-half percent-paid 70 IL
percent OF the taxes Three ten-thousandths Of the
population paid almost three-fourths of the income
tax, and yet Mr. Lamont insists there should be a
more even distribution Of the cost Of government
But, on the other hand. student of economies
points out that the fault really in the uneven
distribution of He too. agrees that the few
pay much taxes but he has remedy entirely
different from the one suggested by Lamont He
would up the distribution Of incomes which.
he asserts would up the distribution of income
taxes. It would. of course! But how?
Last fan several small boys came upon the nutting
season. Some of the more enterprising finished the
season with large collections of walnuts others had
fewer: some had This is how happened:
Some of the boys liked out to the woods every
Saturday. staid long worked hard, hauling back
the days returns. Others spent more Saturdays at
football flying kites, and attending movies. Some
didn't work hard climbing trees nor carrying
home filled bags. And some few took advantage Of
their superior trading abilities, to the point Of
SHARP dealing, to acquire walnuts than they
had knocked off the trees But the point is they
got them And the boys who went to football games
and the movies didn't get them. Nor did the boys
who thought it too hard climb trees all day,
and carry heavy loads.
Now then would it have been right to have di-
vided the the close of the season so that
each boy had share? Would that have
encouraged nutting parties next October?
Suppose there had been tax on walnuts, 10
percent for example
The boys who collected the most would have had
have paid the largest tax
And those who got walnuts would have es-
capped taxation Ell?
Would that have encouraged nutting expeditions
in the future?
Still you must admit it is difficult to collect
walnuts from boy who hasn't any; just as hard as
It is to collect money tax from the moneyless.
The solution lies in inspiring each boy with the
same ambition collect walnuts, to work as hard,
to work long and as intellgently, tax or no tax
1t isn't easy problem