The Washington herald., 1921-08-28


the worst session of Congress in history"
FAILURE, he said was due not to poor Repub-
i lcan leadership. but because the Republican
party did not stand on any fundamental thing. The
Republican majority, he said. divided that it
was unable to get together without making conf
promises. both.a to principle and policy.
There is to expect any improvement
over the record made by the present Congress" he
said "but during the Sixty Congress the people
will have hope because different party will be
in power"
Mondel in reviewing specific legislation passed
by the House, declared the Fordney tariff bill will
take from the statute books the makeshift Underwood
tariff law aud restore and re-establish in America to
the benefit of every section of the country the equt-
able and benefcient principles of Republican pro-
tective tariff.
o.. "The country will welcome" he continued, "a tax
measure which Immediately and for the present calen
dar year lifts $25ooooooo from the shoulders Of
families of small income and from the travelling and
consuming public; measure which eventually will
lift from the shoulders of people OF every class
in of $500 100000
The passage of the revenue bill was the principal
feature of the weeks activities in the House and It
paved the way for the The measure sent
to the Senate where the Finance Committee is
pected give it preference the tariff BILL passed
by the House and referred that committee several
weeks ago.
The revenue bill passed the House after nearly a
weeks debate which was featured by bitter criticism
the part of the Democrats as well a few Re-
pubcans, but was given high praise by the main body
of the Republican membership.
The Democrats, acting in party caucus, placed
their definite opposition against the proposed repeal of
the higher which they charged would tend to
lift the burden of taxation from the shoulders OF the
rich to those of the poor.
A LARGE number of the Democrats individually,
"A however, as we'll as a number of Republicans
strenuousy opposed the proposed repeal of the
profits tax The bill originally drawn provided for
the repeal of these taxes retroactive January I,
1921, but the Republicans in Caucus by a close vote
decided to make the repeal effective January l. 1922
The argument against making the tax retroactive
was based on the position that these companies and
corporations subject to excess profits tax already
have passed the tax to the consumer and have
collected funds with which pay it. By making the
repeal retroactive, charged Representative Frear of
Wisconsin, who led the fight against it, these big
concerns would be enabled pocket money collected
for the government.
The reduction of the surtaxes on incomes above
100000, against which the Democrats were solidy
united, the subject of spirited discussion and
responsible for the Republican votes against the
passage of the BILL
Representative Oldfeld, of Arkansas next to
ranking minority member on the Ways and Means
Committee, presented table to the House which
was read into the record showing that this arrange.
ment would result in reducing the taxation of large
corporations making profit of than IS per
cent while smaller corporations making from to Is
per cent would have their bills increased BY tho
increase from 10 to I2H cent fat corporation tax.
n URING the closing hours of the session the
- House passed the Ball bill extending the life
of the Rent Commission of the District of Columbia
seven months beyond October "a, 1921, which was