Pueblo chieftain., 1921-08-10
BY Frederic ]. Haskln.


Washington, b. e., Aug s-The
members OF the Ways and Means
Committee of the House. struggling
with the formation Of new tax bill.
are being subjected To pressure from
almost every industry in the country.
designed to influence the committee
10 reduce or eliminate taxes which
would bear upon this or that business.
The most pitiful pleas are poured into
the ears OF the committeeman. and
propa Sanda work is a. the high water
mark
When the committe. finishes It's
work and the bill is before the house
for amendment and tinal approval. the
scope OF this artificial. pressure will be
increased to take in t,.- whole House
member r. nip. Veterans in Congress
forosaw all of this. and wearily resign
accurately just how much OF the ap-
parent ientiment against imposing
this or that tax Is manufactured. amt
discount II accordingly. Those NOT
members of the ways and means COM
mittec. rre content to let that hody
work out the details OF the bill. and
cast their votes along party lines fo-
OF against the measure. without deiv-
inS too deeply into the intricacies OF
its many provisions.
But in the present House Of Rep-
reseutatiNes there are abou. a hundr,
- ~ r
many more than that whose servic.
does not extend back TO the formation
Of the late revenue act or any OF the
important measures which called int /,
play all the machinery OF influence 4"
exert procure on congress
Because this sort of thing IL new TO
big element OF the House II is ex-
pected that the lower branch of Con.
-ress Will be more than usually re
sponsive Tina. an element in ConErcss
is prone to permit influencing OF it,
Judgment by propaganda and 9th r
some ~ the important iegislatit =
which preceded Americas par,icipa-
ton IN the war.
Just now there are in Washington
the representatives Of scores possibl.'
hundreds, Of industries and Interests
whose cole duty is the effort to pro
vent tax legislation which would at
feet those industries in what they con
tend would be an adveFee manner
These representative generally open
hureaus'. headed by men will sup
Piled with money and loquacity. wl,p
are not niEsardly u. the expenditure ~
either
Last Tax Inv M Esnmrl-
The enactreont Into law Of the
hitchin Tax bin brought TO washing
ton tremendous number Of th.s,
re preventative. They all had their
innings before tho ways and means
committee, 1nI later before the fin
ance committee OF the senate Had
their pleas h1en c,ccd the Kitchtn
law vou,i have boon n Joke instead OF
the means OF rro-idinE billions OF doi-
lars annually with which TO nav Amer
ta's expenses incident 10 the wa.
With the Fordney measure In the
formative STAG. tho same thing ia
happening again.
II ar - sarFAtrs h., ~.
of thosc SPECIAL representatives viii
accomplish little. 80 far rs the action
OF the ways md means committee Ia
concerned hat committee mus.
frame measure TO case the tax bur
den as 1t present Imposed but al, tho
famc time raise a great deal of money.
which means that a great many poop o
md industries must have thc-r poe
textbooks Iightencd some what whether
they like II or not
But tho task OF che persuasive
bureau foes not cnI with thiU COM
niittec. The members OF the hors.
generally will hecome the targets whcn
tho measure Il before that body. These
q gents VIII follow tn. tax bill on its
legislative journey thru the senate
finance committee. IN the senate H.
self. and in tie meetings of the con.
ference committee. composed Of hotr
senators and rcpresentntivor which
will iron cut tho differences bound TO
arise in the views of the two bodies
or courte. II there should he written
into tho measure some item of taxa
tion which should prove extremely
unpopular. the members of congress
who supported that part OF the bill or
failed to. register a protest against II
would lind Themselves In hot water
when next they sourh, the votes Of
their constituents. The roposed con
sumption taxes might fall into this
class. The Democratic members ot
the house were quite willing to sec This
written into tho law. hut the wary
Republican leaders rousht shy Of 1t