New-York tribune., 1922-11-12
Enough Friendly Senator'S
Elected to Pass Bill Over
Veto; Harding May Not
Repeat His Opposition
Means of Payment
Still Are Lacking
- e.
New Congress Expected to
Restore Excess Profits
and Boost Income Rates
By Carter Field

when Congress convenes, with all pos
slbility of it running OFF on the side
track of Presidential veto removed.
President Harding may again veto a
bonus measure, though this is extreme
~ doubtful, but there is no doubt now
that ample maiorities in both houses
will be provided to put it through over
the veto.
That is one thing which Tuesdays
election leaves clearer than almost any
thing else. 1t is the one thing which
was apparent from New Hampshire to
California, without any counter cur
rents in particular states blurrine the
picture.
HOW to pay for the bonus, the rock
on which Harding and Congress split.
may not be very much clearer to the
treasury Department than it was be-
tore election, but politics is going TO
result In some moves Of doubtful eco
nomic value, though OF apparently
great Importance to the voters.
Greater Tax Burdens Seen
he-enactment Of the excess profits
taxes, with probable higher rates than
were imposed even in war time, and re-
enactment with upward revision of the
higher rates of income taxes on the
very rich both seem inevitable. From
ehe uhlo K,ver westward, one of the
points of the political orators which
seemed TO m the biggest hits and
TO get the most enthusiastic reactions
ing the rich man of his burdens, while
Cne poor man was taxed heavier and
heavier" 'io
The real truth is that several Re-
publican Senator's who went down to
defeat were hurt much more hv the
charge that they had voted to shift
the taxes from the rich to the moor
than because they had voted against
unseating Newberry Where the tariff
hurt hurt most was in communities where
tne democratic orators convinced the
people that the tariff made the man
buylng shoes and gloves and clothing
pay the taxes while the men who had
pied up millions of war profits had
their burdens isoftened by the repeal
OF the excess profits tax and by the
scaling down Of the income taxes on
larger incomes
Answers to these arguments, it was
very apparent, sound though they might
De economically, did not seem to make
much impression on the voters. The
voter out in the Middle West, particu-
larly, likes to believe that he IS being
looted by Wall Street and big prof.
teers generally. He has been reading
in various magazines for years that
there is great conspiracy which
might be called the Money Trust, the
chief function of which is to arrange
taxes, railroad rates and the profits Of
the middle man so that the farmer will
get nothing for his crops, while the
consumer has to pay all that he can
earn in order to live
Voter Laughs at Reasons
So that when Senators and members
of the House who had voted for the
repeal of these excess profits and
higher income taxes told their con-
stituents why they had done so--be-
cause the excess profits tax was mere
ly passed along to the consumer, and
because the high income taxes were
driving capital into tax exempt Sc
curities, Mr.. Average Voter gave
loud horse laugh. Then he went into
the polling place and voted for some
one who promised low taxes for the
poor, high taxes for the rich, big
continued high wages for the railroad
worker.
Beveridge, in Indiana, opposed the
soldier bonus and declared that rail-
road wages must be reduced SO that
railroad rates could be lowered. Those
are the two issues that beat him, be-
yond any question. Labor union lead
ers in the past have made poor job
of delivering votes, but it was easy to
get men worked up when candidate
promised to reduce their wages.
Howell, in Nebraska, said the pro.
posed bonus, which failed because of
Hardings veto, was absurdly made
quate Even Hitchcock's alliance with
Bryan failed to save him from this on
slaught. In every state where the ques-
tion Of local soldier bonus was sub
mitted to the voters as referendum
it was approved by stupendous majori-
ties-generally two or three to one.
Iowa rolled up a tremendous majority
for Smith Brookhart. and went strongly
for the $22.O00,000 state soldier bonus
proposal.
The whole group of radicals just
elected, from Frazier in North Dakota
and Shipstead in Minnesota down to
Howell in Nebraska, are all strong for
the soldier bonus, and all made liberal
promises as to how they were going
TO tax the rich and relieve the honest,
horny-handed farmer of his present
load
Expect Liberals to Hold Party
The point is that all of them must
do something to justify their cam
paign pledges, and to provide them
with issues at the next election. In
cidentally 1t is betraying no conf :
dence to say that many of them
cherish Presidential ambitions. Most
of them agree with Senator Medili
Mccormick, of Illinois, that the ex-
treme liberal group, SO strong in the
Middle West, will control the Repubii-
can party at its next national con-
vention, though they may differ with
him as to who is the logical nominee
to result from that control.
This means that there is going to
be mad scramble to put through any
measures which may look like shift.
ing the tax burdens back to Wall
Straet, and in view of the campaign
speeches which were crowned with
success at the ballot boxes, thereby
proving their political II not their
econornie value, there wll be plenty
If votes for all sorts Of radical