The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-06-10
TAXATION AND KINDRED MAT.
TIERS MAY PREcEDE GEN.
ERAL TARIFF BILL.
WANT EXEMPTION RAISED
Early Attempt Expected to Raise Ex.
emption Limits for Persons Of Small
ncomes-Finaneia Subjects Always
Mean Long Debates. .s5
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK.


senate, seems to have agreed with the
majority of them that the financial
problems Of government, taxation and
other kindred matters possibly may
have to be given priority at the ex-
ira session over q general tariff bill.
This would mean probably that Gus
toms legislation may not be given
consideration until congress has been
In session for some weeks except, of
course, the so-called farmers emer-
gency tariff. .*#.-... 49,
If one should attempt to write Of
all. the financial problems which con-
front the government he would need
paper enough to threaten the life Of
existing spruce forests. "Their name
Is legion" fails as a bromide proverb
Of comparison in this particular case.
When one uses the word taxes"
however, he puts a labeled blanket
over the whole field. 5@..z.s. -5-' .
Ordinarily finance Is a subject de-
void Of lights. It is gloomy thing,
oppressive to the spirits Of men. and
get there are certain things which give
one feature of the present tax situa-
ton a broad interest and throws
light on the desires of the multitude
Of the people Of the United States.
One has only to enter the office Of q
member of congress and to make the
proper inquiry, to learn that appar-
emily hundreds of thousands of Amer
lean, citizens Of moderate means are
wondering if there is not some way
to remove from the field Of the in
come tax levy the earners of small
salaries and small wages. There
seems to be general belief through
out the United States that the income
tax is a perfectly proper method Of
raising money because 1t hits nearly
all people alike, and yet the appeal
constantly Is that the lower limits Of
exemption shall be raised so that mar
ried men may have more than $1,000
exempted and that single men and
women can have the exemption of
$1,000 raised to what one Of them has
called the sanity point. -, -.
May Raise Exemption. 49,.
From what one hears here 1t seems
possible and perhaps probable that
an attempt will be made in congress
20 raise the exemption limits for per.
sons of small incomes. As, things are
today young man or young woman
making $1,000 year must pay an In.
come tax. s 81, T.
Perhaps it is not fair - Judge from
Washington rentals what rentals are
In other parts Of the country, but In
his town for a well-lighted, decently
appointed apartment Of two rooms, a
so-called kitchenette and a bath. one
must pay $1.5OO year. ~.
Washington legislators know appar-
emily that the high cost Of living,
coupled with taxes, Is decreasing the
size of the American family. They
also know that the high cost Of
houses is driving people into the flats
/ when they can afford to move into
Ilats. There are salaried people in
the city Of Washington today living
in one room who ten years ago with
their present incomes would have
been living in comfortable houses or
in six-room, steam-heated flats.
This is Washington and what OBJ
tains here may not obtain elsewhere,
but the fact that the situation Is as
It is in this city may have its effect
on congress which has to live here
for large part of the year. The in
come tax problem, so far as It affects
small wage earners Is perplexing
one to congress. It Is possible, Just
possible. that congress In the early
days of the extra session will give
consideration to the matter Of raising
the exemption limit on small salaries.
Never Agree on Finance. Il rs.4 il
The minute that congress gets into
q discussion Of finance that minute
hope passes that they will get through
with the subject before the hot wealth
er descends on this town. Finance
is something on which men have dis
agreed ever since the days when the
savages used wampum or crocodile
teeth as mediums Of exchange. @
When the Aldrich-Vreeland curren-
cy reform measure was in the keeping
of the committees Of congress, and
hearings were in progress, bankers
from all over the United States were
brought here to give. their opinions
on the subject in hand. Half Of the
bankers said "black" and the other
half said white" In other words,
they were divided into two camps.
one Of which said that certain legis-
lation would bring ruin, while the
other half said it would bring pros
perity. What were the poor leglsla-
tors to do? AS 1t happened the f1nan-
cial legislation which was passed
seemed to meet with the general ap-
proval of the country. 1t formed later,
in part the basis Of the federal re-
serve system, but, as someone has
said, it possibly was chance that
caused the Legislators to hit on the
right scheme. ~@&s. I'd.
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