The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-20
MOSES ATTACKS
FARM BLOC PLAN
OF SOAKING RICH
New Hampshire Senator
Thinks They May Reach
Saturafior,. -. /.

with Senator Moses, of New
Hampshire, assailing the agricul-
tural bloc for debating Legislation
to soak the rich" and challenging
Senators favoring the Smoot manu-
facturers' sales tax ito vote as they
think" the Senate yesterday fe-
sumed consideration of the Federal
tax revision bill.
Chairman Penrose of the Finance
Committee now thinks that the bill
can be passed by the Senate next
week, but unless the conference
committee which will reconcile the
Senate and House measures acts
with unusual dispatch the bill is
not likely. to become law much be-
fore the middle Of November.
Senator Moses professed to dis
cover in the agricultural bloc a
new invisible empire" which he
dubbed the Ken-Cap-Klan in honor
Of Senators Kenyon and Capper.
leaders of the farm group.
Quotes Platform Promises.
After quoting from the Repub-
lican and Democratic platforms of
1920, now archaic documents, '
which promised the people relief
from war taxes, simpler tax laws
and laws Mt for peace. so that
wealth would not be withdrawn
from productive enterprise, he
said:
The reaction to these declara-
tiens, these demands, these
promises, is now before US in a
multiplex FORM First, that of the
revenue bill as 1t came from the
House; second, that of the bill as
it came from the Finance Commit
tee here, and third, that of the
amendments forced upon committee
recognitiNn by that division of the
invisiblSempire which now seems
to be ruling us and which may be
styled, 1 hope without irreverence,
as the Ken-Cap-Klan. And in this
latter connection wish to record
myself as standing with the SEN
ator from Indiana as a member of
the Republican bloc which meets
so seldom and whose opinions are
apparently of little consequence.
A Capital strike.
This measure is plainly drawn
under the inspiration of the in
spring slogan, soak the rich.' ]
hold no brief for the rich: neither
I or any OF my kin have ever stood
within their circle. But I cannot
help thinking that the rich may
learn from much buffeting, even as
Peter the Great learned from the
repeated assaults of Charles XII
how to fight. Indeed, sir. they have
already begun. Capital has gone
on strike. -.-'[
There is a point at which taxa
ton of the rich reaches its satura-
ton point. This point is variously
estimated by expert and by general
Intelligent opinion to stand some-
where between 25 and IS per cent,
II II Is increased the rich-that is to
say, those possessing capital-oe-
take themselves and their aecumu.
Istions from the field of active en-
terprise and enter into cloistered re-
tIrement, where tax-exempt, securi-
ties AFFORD more ample income and
complete surcease from the impor-
tunities of the tax gatherer."
strong for smoot Tax.
Senator Moses observed that the
agricultural bloc had taken care to
reduce surtaxes on that class OF in
conaes in which Congressional sal
aries fall. He strongly advocated
the smoot amendment providing a
8 per cent tax on manufacturers'
sales.
Action on the question of tax ex-
emption for foreign traders was de-
ferred until today after Senator La
Toilette. of Wisconsin. and q num-
ber Of Democrats, had severely as
sailed the proposal.