Arizona republican., 1921-07-15
UNCLE SAM NOT GETTING
 INCOME TAX RETURNS ON PROFITS OF BOOTLEGGERS
By HERBERT COREY

WASHINGTON. July H. Query addressed to MT. Will Hays, postmas- ter general: Why don't you give the bootleggers chance:
 Not very long ago Mir. Hays told the people about the postal savings plan. He showed that a benevolent but very cagy Uncle Sam had short ings banks. He thought that if proper inducements could be offered people would deposit their money in the nearest postoffices. He intimated that there is whole lot of money out of circulationr and that ought to be in circulation His belief is that most of it is buried under the fourth tree from the left or is banked in the old woollen stocking.
 That isn't the case at all," said a friend of mine. The bootleggers have got it."
 He went on to tell the story. Every community has it's favorite bootleg ger. Here in Washington I know of half dozen men who are making a nice if hazardous living by purvey- ing booze to the thirsty. There never was a law which has been so per sistently flouted, srieered at and evaded as that Of volstead. If one breaks any other law some one is
 
 other one knows that such a law is in existence and is being broken. But no one worries about little friendly bootlegging or sociable drinking Everyone seems to be doing it. At almost every restaurant which offers string music and pink candles you will see some one pouring something out of a bottle under cover of the tablecloth. Every one I know. it &< wants a bottle or knows where a bottle may be bought.
 But the bootlegger.' said my friend, cannot account for his profits when he pays his income tax"
 Come to think of it, of course he cannot. The government-and the as- soeiated states which have taken ad- vantage of the opportunity to rip through the bank accounts of their citizenry-have pretty will closed up all avenues of financial escape. A man died and owed me $500. but be- cause I was not sitting on the bed rail to watch him die and did not put down that debt as bad one until I heard that he was dead the state of New York tells me that I cannot de- duct the five hundred from my in- come tax return It is cheaper to pay than to fight. And the inquisi- ton into business affairs is so close that unless one can show clean bill of health for every dollar he had best never have that dollar.
 Uses Safe Deposit Vault
 Therefore the bootleggers are not making any returns to the govern ment. My friend tells me he knows of one of the gentry who cleaned up a clean million dollars last year. One million dollars. every nickel of it bright and clean, thanks to the op- portunities for trade under the Vol stead act. But if he reported that million dollar profit the government would first of all take most of 1t away from him. and second would begin to ask where he got it. How come? No bootlegger can answer that query. None would even want to try. So the million dollar man has hived his million away in various safe de- posit vaults. When he wants a little money he opens his little safe and takes off the top layer of bank notes and goes away happy. He may not get any interest on his million. but he avoids getting lot of other things he doesn't want.
 This million dollar bootlegger. with his pirate chest of gold buried under the old bank. isn't an isolated case. ! IcS nil uO IL lliii way HI my O"i poor way I know a bootlegger or two. and they tell me they find it safer to do business in such a way. that a prying income tax collector can never dig anything out of the records. All their legitimate busi- ness, and some of the illegitimate, IS done through the bank, but surpris | ing lot is done on a strictly cash basis. When the money is paid in the bootlegger keeps it until he can hide it somewhere. Presumably most of them are patriotic enough to pay | taxes if they could do so with safety. but when safety isn't possible along with tax-paying, they do not pay.
 Up to Postmaster General Hence the query to Postmaster General Will Hays: Why not give the bootlegger chance? Let him deposit his millions in postal saw (Continued on page 2.)