The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-01
Dir. CAPPER AND THE BONUS

Capper in support Of the soldier bonus
last Tuesday was a fine example of
Fourth of July oratory. 1t was also
notable for being devoid OF SOUND ar
gument regarding the question under
discussion.
Wher. the senator declared that the
bonus is nothing more than square
deal for the boys who did the fighting.
probably he voiced the sentiment OF
large majority of the citizens of this
country. y But in suggesting that the
men who made profit out of the war
be made to pay the bonus he fired
into the air. He offered no workable
plan for making these gentlemen pay.
There are constitutional safeguards
against confiscation.
The senator truly said that, Those
who remained at home made enough
here in the United States to enable
US to pay many times over the debt we
owe to the men WING fought our bat
tles.:' But how does he propose to
take it away from them?
Proceeding with his address, Sena-
tor Capper said regarding the bonus;
w ola 6LACCS waits ~ Pog ~ VAN %
sales tax, which would be paid largely
by the farmers, the laborIng people,
and others in the form of a tax on
food and clothing and other necessi-
ties"
The senator can hardly fail to be
oonversant with the &act that under
every system of taxation so far estab-
lished, except the Inheritance tax, the
farmers and laberers have paid the
tax. No law other than. the inheri
lance tax law ever has succeeded in
making the rich pay. Everybody ex-
cept the farmer and the laborer in
cludes his taxes in his overhead and
collects from those with whom he
does business. The laborer cannot do
this because he has nothing to sell but
his time. The farmer cannot do it be-
what he has to- sell.
I 1t is true that Wall street wants to
pay the bonus with a sales tax, even
tho it is the only form of taxation
which the street could not escape.
Wall street feels that it can better
afford to pay its share of the tax on
sales than to have the business of the
country demoralized as it would be
by the proposed plan Tor paying the
bonus.
The sales tax is misnamed. It
should have been called the purchase
tax, for under its operation every cit
izen in or out of Wall street would be
compelled to pay on what he buys and
none could escape.
When Senator Capper said: 81 would
like to see the government recover the
hundreds of millions Of dollars stolen
from the treasury by the crooks and
grafters who profiteered off the gov
eminent in war contracts and then use
that money to pay the soldier bonus,
he again gave voice to public senti-
ment. Everybody except the prof
iteers themselves would like to see
that done, but how are we to bring
it about?
AS another means of raising the
money for the bonus Senator Capper
proposed: Let us go after the
billions that the foreign govern
ments owe us, collect the inter-
est promptly, and pay it to our
soldiers" But again he does not
provide a way. We might Ego after
these billions with the army and navy
but even then it is doubtful that we
would get them any sooner.
Returning to the attack on Wall
street the senator said: There is no
use Disgusting the fact that our inter-
national bankers want US to wipe out
this foreign debt. 1t will make their
foreign securities that much stronger.
If we decline to cancel this'debt these
governments probably will try to Dor
row more money from us to pay US
what they owe. So far as I am con-
cerned. will never vote to cancel one
dollar of that debt"
Again he fires into the air The
matter of cancellation of foreign debts
has been settled beyond recall. Eng
land has declared that she is ready to
pay us, and she has notified her debt
| ors that they 1Lust pay her. Also
they will pay US when they can be-
cause England stands surety for them.
! Senator Capper's solicitude for the
{ farmers and laborers is commendable
but it never will save them a cent in
taxes. Under the plan for paying the
bonus provided in the bill, the senator
would be called upon to pay a consid-
cradle tax. He Is a wealthy man and
has a large business. But he would
not pay a dollar of tax out of his ac-
cumulated capital or savings. The
persons who subscribe for his papers
ana those who patronize his advertis-
ers would pay his taxes as they al
ways have done.
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