The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-12-29
Cut Yourself Piece of Cake
(From The Saturday Evening Post)

1OIl pldll W CuG CdAdCiOii III otSh q WeJ
that the burdens of everyone in the country
will be lightened.
All through the long vacation politicians
have been shifting the deilclous Udors COM
ing from the Treasury department. They
have watched the SLOW baking OF that
spicy, fruity surplus and have Oeen glad
dened with glimpses OF its tooInSOme frost
ing. The candles were llgnted and We're
shedding a golden radiance over this mas
terpiece of the Treasurer's ART In antici-
patton the knife was already in the hands
of the politician and the cake apportioned
among a select list of guests
guests who, it was believed, would vote for
the hand that fed them--when Mellon
spoiled the party by inviting everyone, re-
CARELESS of his voting strength, to cut him
self piece of cake. What promised to be
a rather exclusive political function shows
signs of degenerating into block party
with everybody in on it, including the help.
Mr.. Mellon is proceeding on the theory,
almost unique in politics, that everyone is
emitted to share Of surplus to which
everyone has contributed. And it shows
how far and how INCREASINGLY we have
slipped down the road to confiscation
when almost everybody is astounded and
incredulous over a proposal to reduce
taxes. Yet taxation is increasingly the
great city problem, the great state prob
EN-, the great Federal problem, and finally
the great individual problem. 1t infuen-
ces politics, dominates politics and cor
rupts politics. 1t would hardly be too much
to say that it is politics. Any man who
does not understand the far-reaching con-
sequences of every tax levied, who lightly
consents to the imposition of new taxes, or
who neglects any opportunity to tighten
existing ones, is unfit for public office.
AS result of the war and the loose
thinking and spending that grew out of it
politicians the world over have been so
busily engaged in increasing taxes that
proposal to lower them comes as an almost
revolutionary idea. Secretary Mellon does
not happen to be politician-he is only
just about the best Secretary of the Treas
ury that the United States has ever had.
Coming into office unknown and under the
awful suspicion of being rich man, he
has steadily been overcoming his handicap
and gaining in popular esteem. Some
holder spirits are even beginning to say
that perhaps a man experienced in hand
ling large financial matters is good one
to trust with the handling of large financial
matters After all, the possession of quail
ties that have made for success in banking
would seem to indicate certain fitness for
the position of Secretary of the Treasury
though not to that paradoxical political
mind which regards success in ones pri-
vate affairs as disqualification for public
office. The selection for Secretary of the
Treasury of an experienced man, with the
ability to make and conserve a fortune,
caused much misgiving and headshaking
The casual observer will note other curl
Gus political paradoxes. To handle private
trust funds carelessly and wastefully is a |
serious matter and one is promptly fired |
for it; to handle public trust funds care
lessly and wastefully may make one so
popular that he will be returned by an in |
creased majority. To get votes with five
dollar bills is bribery and one goes to i
prison for it; to get votes with legislation
voting tax money to favored classes and
ocalities is craftsmanship and one goes to
Congress for it. Vote getting is sometimes
lard to distinguish from vote buying, I'M
ess one is trained to nice political distinc-
ions.
Some of the comments on Secretary
fellon's plan were incredibly naive, even
mr. the no1iticianS who made them Thavl
ad decided on a course of action that
'ould have resulted in an increase, not
ecrease. of taxation. Their first reaction |