River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-10-27
Our Weekly Letter
From Washington
(By James A. Frear, M. Co

A financial statement recently pub
lished claimed that gold had drifteo
toward the United States so rapidly
that this government had a.sumulat-
ed aL.ut 43et of the worlds supply
If gold. This nay explain why Peru
Germany, Belgium and other coun-
tries are knocking at our gates seek
ing to negotiate loans Of many mil
lions from our financiers. 1t is an
interesting spectacle to find many
financiers in sympathy with plans to
cancel our foreign debts particularly
when these same financiers and other
holding foreign securities aggregating
over $4,000 100000 would find their
securities greatly enhanced in price
and prospects if the $1,000, 000,0 900 in
government foreign debts is cancelled.
A well informed exchange and one
that is without prejudice on the sub
ject asks why Senator Lenroot and
the writer are against the sales tax.
In answer, both Senators and the en-
tire Wisconsin delegation are opposed
to turn over sales tax and believe
on record vote 800 Of the House
membership would be against any
sales tax on the ground that It is
passed directly on to the consumer, It
relieves the ones best able to ray and
increases the price Of the article pur-
chased far out of proposition to the
tax collected. It has been asked why
the Chamber of Commerce OF the
United States advocates the sales tax.
1t is hard to say excepting on the
same theory that men have signed pc
titions to hang themselves before
reading the petition in advance. The
u. S. Chamber Of Commerce appointed
4 committee of tax experts to inves-
tigate the turn over sales tax. At
first in favor Of the tax the committee
rejected it unanimously after investi-
cation. notwithstanding q strous
propaganda for the tax referendum
to boards also reported against It
with majority vote. Another drive
after 4 renewed propaganda recorded
. majosity Of the boards in favor Of
the tax. The tax experts of the chans-
Der with full understanding Of the tax
were unanimously against such tax as
are tax authorities quite generally.
Ceremonies in honor Of the un-
known dead have been held in differ
ent countries with the body of some
unknown soldier in the casket TO rep
resent those who died and whose
names are unknown. In this country
the services will be held at Arlington
on November nth, the date of the an
niversary Of tue signing Of the arms
tice and appropriate services will be
held at the National Cemetery at Ar
1ington. In token of the soler.nity of
the occasion it Is announced that
President Harding will march on foot
from the Capitol to the White House
grounds, q distance Of over mile,
accompanied by members of his Cabi-
net. Secretary of War Weeks in q
formal invitation read in the Senate
invites q suitable delegation from the
Senate to accompany the President
and the Cabinet on that occasion,
The invitation as read in the Senate
failed to include members of the
House, but it is certain that the oc-
casion will be observed by every one
from the highest citizen to the lowest
if there be any recognized difference
in ratings with our democratic form
Of government. As was stated by
Miss Robertson, woman Congressman
from Oklahoma, at small meeting
recently, every mother in this country
who lost boy in service whose re-
mains were never located may fee
that her boy is the one who received
the signal honor at the hands of the
government. Arlington cemetery has
a most significant monument near the
residence formerly occupied by tbs
Lee family. 1t is dedicated to the un
known dead Of the Civil War and rep
resents the remains of thousands Of
soldiers of that war whose names were
unknown and who were buried III the
great cemetery across the river.
The revenue bill is still before the
Senate and efforts are being made tt
bring back absent Senators to ,te or
the various amendments which have
been proposed to the bill as it was
voted out of the Senate Committee
substantially in the form that it pass
ed the House. A tentative agreement
was had to raise the surtaxes of 81
per cent the figure at which it pass.
ed the Houses $3.50 ne1s sent, which j:
% rer cent below the amount now
fixed by law. Eugene Meyer, leading
official Of the government recent,
wrote letter to our committee which