Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-05
uo,m.,buro prison "lnsuIt" to v. 8

HolmeSbur0 prison '"su''
TO the Editor Of the EVentno Public Led0er:
Sir--In today's paper ! saw an ar.
t;cje about the Holmesburg Prison or
"he,, :" as it Is termed by its inmates.
Why do we keep this prison! 1t Is an
insult TO the United States to nave
prisons that look as II the BolsheViK'
controlled them. Aha. .;,,
food to the starving IN other couhtrrss. r.,' ).
but this prison needs 1t also. nc
Grand Jury should como at any time
and should also inspect the pr'so" III
side and out. ,,~..s s.,..,
great, but how can this be II TINS prison sIi
exists? The punishments lot s''sn'
offenses are terrible. ,-.
PHILADELPHIA, December 2. 1O22.
U. 9. Taxation Methods impartial
TO the Editor Of the Evening Public Led0er:
Sir-In an Associated Press dispatch
from Washington. appearing on the
Hrst mage Of Saturdays EVENING PUB.
LIC LEDGER, John r. Blaine, Progress
siye Governor Of Wisconsin,, accuses
Secretary Of the Treasury Mellon Ot
favoring the rich in matters OF taxa
tion. That the chief executive OF one
Of our sovereign States should be 80
swayed by partisanship as to give ut
tcrancc to such n palpable slander. Is
dcplorable. 1t Is little wonder that
many patriotic and successful Ameri'
cans hesitate to sacrifice their reputa =
tions on the altar Of public service.
Some red eyed Russian plug. ugly. might
derive entertainment through forcina
n royal prince to blacken his boots: but
this was not the progressivism OF Iheo
dore Roosevelt.
Secretary Mellon uncomplainingly as
suined the most difficult national fnan
cial tosk since the days Of Alexander
Hamilton, and 1t Is questionable 10 il any
other financial genius could have 81
successfully extricatcd US from our per
ilous situation. The Government ex'
pcrinented with an "undistributc'
protits tax" during 1917. ind the pro
ccels barely paid for the cost Of print
inc the forms. Corporations imme
ditcly discovered imaginary or neces
sary uses for their undivided profits.
stock dividends are the most con
seryatiyc form of surplus distribution
and same have been ruled az non
taxable BY tho United States Suprem
Court. During periods of prOsperit,
unusual surpiuses are accumulated ant
unthinkine minority stockholders dc
mand extra cash dividends. Then fol
low the inevitable years of depression
the depleted surpluscs are .quickl
changed into deficits. credit tightens
dividends are passed, judgments re
corded and many basically sound an
useful concerns nre thrown into bank
fruptcy through the shortsightedncss 0
their directOrates.
On the other hand, when business |
in the doldrun,s, corporations that dis
tributed their surpluses IN stock, set II
adequate reserves for all contingencie,
but left their quick assets undisturbet
and are in a position to pay normal div
idends on the increased capitalization
and to take advantage Of cash discount
and the lower costs OF cOmmoditie
,, which then prevail. This latter type q
business Is the one Governor Blaine no,
seeks to tax and penalize.
|; Rich corporations are shown abso
lutely no favoritism in Washington;
fact, only the most experienced ex
amining officers are invariably assigne
to the inspection Of their tax, return
! On appeal the comparatively small tax
y payer will fare better than his great
. competitor. The latter employs note
y counsel and the departments repre-
sentatives are naturally wary Of a,