The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-09-02
PAYING THE BILL

the country's taxation basis to stand
ards of fairness and equality, should
read the statement of Congressman
Claude Kitchin, addressed to the act
ing leader of the minority of the
House, just prior to the passage OF
the revenue law. With the precision
of chilled steel, the North Carolina
Democrat unmasks tie Republican
program designed to lift the burdens
from the rich and powerful and in
crease the taxes of the poor man, the
man of moderate income and the
small corporations. The statement of
Mr.. Kitchin should be preserved by
every Democratic friend, wro desires
to remind his Republican neighbors of
the utter collapse of the Republican
plan to reduce the taxes of the av-
erage man.
What did tbs Republican bill pro-
vide for, in the way Of tax reductions?
First, to repeal the excess profits tax,
and substitute therefor tax of IL 1-2
per cent on all incomes of all corpor-
ations--an increase over 10 per cent,
the existing tax. According to the
latest available figures, there are 317,-
$50 corporations in the United States;
1925 of these corporations have been
paying two-thirds of the total excess
profits tax. As Mr.. Kitchin points
out, these big profteering corpora
tons will thereby be relieved of at
least $500,000,000 in taxes, and this
amount will have to he made up by
the increased corporation income tax
from the 316,500 small corporations.
How is this for tax reduction?
Governor Cox charged during the
campaign of 1920 that the Republicans
were raising campaign fund of $780,
100000. Don't you suppose that the
managers of these corporations re-
ferred to could afford to pay sixteen
millions to secure legislation that
would save them five hundred mil
lion? Let that sink in, Mr.. and Mrs.
Voter.
Then they repeal the surtaxes rang
ing from 80 to 65 per cent. These
surtaxes are only levied upon the
great incomes. Those affected by
this reduction" number about eigh-
teen thousand in the entire United
States, while the same taxes ere to
be collected from the others, number
ing approximately 5,150,000. True
the exemption for tie taxpayer with
wife or dependents is increased $500,
but the total reduction in income tax
es because Of this small increase in
exemptions, taken in the aggregate
throughout the United States, will
not amount to as much as the surtax
lifted from TIE income of John D.
Rockefeller. Let that, too, sink in,
Mr.. and Mrs. Voter.
Republican craftsmanship is true to
form in this legislation. 1t is the
party of the rich. Hypocritically pre-
tending to be the friend of American
labor, it has fostered through all the
years of its history. the growth of |
oppressive instrumen1alities used by |
"big business" to crush tie life out of |
labor; pharasaically claiming to be
the party of the average man, it al
ways has catered to the demands of |
the selfish few. The American people |
have been it's dupes more than once.
campaigns are always won
on cheap, petty issues, fought out on
narrow lines, with collateral appeals
to sectional, racial and class preju-
dices. They never stand in campaigns
for the measures they enact when in
power and for all-sufficient reasons,
they dare not!
Mr.. Kitchin appealed to Democrats
to refuse to join with the Republicans
in supporting any part of this unjust
tax measure, designed and intended
to discharge the campaign obligations
Of the Republican p"rty, and make the
poor man foot the bill. His appeal
was successful. The party stood vir-
tually united against it in all its de-
tails.
The campaign of 1922 will be vastly
frorl that of 1920 in all es-
sential particulars. The lies they
told of Democratic chieftains and
Democratic measures cannot safely be
repeated, for the poverty of Republi-
can administration has demonstrated
their falsity. They cannot again de-
ude the people into thinking that the
Republican party has any fair con-
,cption of equity in taxation, or any
notion of lifting the burdens of the
poor. They have been weighed in the
and the turn Of the scales is
against them.
Remember the words of William L.
Wilson. the great West VIRGINIA Dam