The Penn's Grove record., 1921-08-05

hat It was up to him as chief execu-
i've and head Of the State Budget Com
mission 70 make the move. During the
summer and fan the heads Of depart
ments charged with the duty Of pre-
Jaring the annual budgets for their re-
,pective departments will be expected
TO look around and to study the situa-
ion with a view TO preparing for the
pruning process.
The Republican State Committee, in
special session during the week, took
up the same vital subject and resolved
10 do something too. That body,
measuring the temper Of the taxpayers,
pledged its best %endeavOrs to thwart
any attempt by the next legislature to
levy an income tax. In the resolutions
adopted it was recited that the federal
government, facing the pressing de-
mand for a reduction Of the tax bur-
den. IS casting about for means to that
end and that it would be inadvisable
for the state to step in where the fed
eral legislation left off.
The report of the special commission
on taxation recently presented suggest
ed that the income tax appeared to be
the only solution Of the problem of
gathering added revenue since the
present system appeared to be made
auate to meet the demand. When New
York state passed its law providing for
such an income tax it attempted to lay
the tax upon residents Of New Jersey
whose business or occupation happened
to lie in that state, but tie courts put
a quietus upon the attempt.
An income tax i'm this state would be
about as popular rs IA NANCY mongrel
i'm a kennel show. but those who rec
commended 1t expressed the belief that,
despite its u~nattractive mien, it might
be force" through the pressing neceNSi-
ties of the situation. They had not
taken into consideration all the posi-
bilities of the pruning knife as sug'
gested by Governor Edwards.
Illicit Booze Trade
Latest returns from the field of ac
ton would seem to indicate that New
Jersey is almost as wet as the Atlantic
ocean" and that ST. per cent of the
100000 population is eysding the law
intended to dry it up. Federal and
state agencies, supplemented with
naval airxlanes end cruisers along the
coast, have been directing their best
efforts to the attempt to stop the tide
of liquor apparently flowing In as con-
traband, while internal raids are the
order of the day.
The new federal prohibition direc-
for Farmer Brown of SwedeSboro, has
proclaimed that the busy bootlegger
must go. that the state will be cleaned
I'D and Vodstead indicated. Prosecu-
tors and judges in the several counties
have declared that the supplemental
law, which beats Volstead by a mile or
more, will have to be observed If every
iail is damned. And it begins to look
as though the iails would be just that,
for the judges, sitting as magistrates
under the 50 called Van Ness law, APP
peal prone to give the offenders the
full measure.
Some of the law breakers have been
open and daring in their dealing with
the thirsty citizens. while others have
been more subtle, moving about under
cover and tranSacting their little AFT
fairs with secrecy and success. The
aroma of the still floats upon the at
mosphere. and the home brewer keeps
steady watch upon the boiling kettle.
In this u|nsavory situation many
thoughtful men and women of New
Jersey are giving careful study to the
grave problem of whether this wide
spread and almost general disregard of
1.-, =, ,o+ rorI11C1v 1pD11rriTa tO a
spirit of anarchy. When the New Jer-
sey legislature last winter was discus
sing the bill, prepared by Speaker Ho-
bart and lawyers in the service Of the
Anti-Saloon League, now semiofficfally
known as the Van Ness act-though
Assemblyman Van Ness had nothing
more to do with it than its introduce
tion-the prediction was made hat
such drastic legislation would do pre-
cisely what it is now doing, creating in
the minds of thousands of orderly.
peace loving and patriotic men and
women a deep seated hatred of the
power of the law making body.
"While it is the law it should be i'm
plicitly obeyed." said one who could
never be accused of friendship for the
liquor interests, but isn't it strange
that the people who appeared to have
been so bitterly hostile to such sum-
mary law should be forced to accept it
from the hands of the men they had
chosen to represent them in the legis-
latlve halls. Those who were really
responsible for the passage of the act
claimed that they had run for the leg
i~slature upon the issue and had been
elected, but there were many in both
branches of the legislature who seemed
to have become panic stricken over the
threats of the radicals and voted with
out respect to the prevalent sentiments
of their communities.
1.-The present situation is one of the
most deplorable New Jersey ever en-
%countered. Placed as it is on the sea
coast, with its hundreds of little iso-
80. - L 4! - d. --I 1--- = q