The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-07
RALSTON REPLIES
TO LETTER ON
MELLON TAXPLAN
Fl. Wayne Man Receives
SCathing Answer From
Indiana Senator.
BY JOHN CARSON
Times Staff Correspondent

Times Stan Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Jan. 7.-Senator
Samuel NJ. Ralston of Indiana will
not be frightened by propaganda fav-
oring the Mellon tax program.
Ralston today made that point en-
phauc in a letter to F. II. Beebe of
Fit. Wayne. Ralston has been flooded
with form letters, signed in many
cases by persons who evidently knew
little about the subject. And, like
other Senators. he has been irritated
because he has Just obtained copy
Of the Mellon bill and has not had
time to study it.
Beebe wrote urging Ralston to sup
port the bill. Ralston replied that he
would give II consideration and that,
of course. he favored any possible tax
reduction. Beebe then replied that
Ralston was not specific on the SOL
der bonus and that he would find a
majority of the people in Indiana
were opposed to the bonus and d.
manded adoption of Melons program.
A Form Letter
Unfortunately for the Beebe letter.
It carried evidences of having been
copied after a form, or at least Raj
stor so Interpreted it. The letter even
had notations to send copies to other
Senators and the names Of the Sena-
tors were incorrect. Ralston said 1t
seemed Beebe had been handed form
letter with rotations to whom it was
to be sent after it was copied. But
in copying it Beebe retained all the
notations.
The Ralston reply was so emphatic
and so pertinent he made 1t public
IN full. It was as follows:
"In your communication OF Dec. 81
you indicate that my answer to your
letter of Dec. II was not as specific
as you would like it to be.
Il meant to give you what thought
would be a reasonable answer to
man who understood the grave i'm
portance of legislating on the subject
of taxation or on subject like that
of the bonus to the boys who wtslt-
into the trenches while tar tao many
people in this country Rvailed thenfs
selves Of the opportunity the war al
forded TO hoard additional millions
Your letter of the 18th was
mimeograph signed by you and the
fact that you signed 1t, when on its
face it bore directions for you to copy
1t and to send a copy thereof to the
chairman of the finance committee, to
Hon. James r. Watson. TO Hon. Sam
uel L. Ralston and Hon. Louis w.
Fairfield. indicated very conclusively
TO me that you personaligs 1less E2t
prepared this communicating aI11 tslat
in sending It to me you were allowing
yourself to be used by some propa-
gandist who was hiding in the back
ground and using innocent people like
yourself, to further what he con-
ceived to be his own selfish interests.
at want my constituents to feel
perfectly free to write me upon any
subject in which they are personally
interested or are. interested IN COM
mon with their fellow men. I shall
always welcome such communications
and give them most respectful con-
sideration. but I confess that 1 have
but little patience in the consideration
Of communications that are in the
most offensive sense, propaganda
81 have not condemned the Mellon
plan. I have had but very little op-
portunity up to date to know what
ell 1t proposes. I was not able to get
possession of the Mellon bill until two
days ago. 1t embraces 344 closely
printed pages, and to understand it.
It viii be necessary to read hundreds
of pages Of additional matter on the
subject of taxation.
Not Well Informed
Naturally 1 wondered how you
could be sufficiently advised OF this
proposed legislation to assume to tell
roe in a most emphatic manner how
I should vote thereon. I necessarily
knew that you had not personally
had any opportunity to study Mr..
MELONS plan. For all I know, you
nay be the best informed man on
the subject of taxation in Indiana,
but my experience has been that the
mere widely a man is advised on this
all important question, the slower he
is in reaching a conclusion on a pro-
posal that will make radical changes
IN the financial and tax legislation II
this country.
Under the circumstances. there
fore, I felt that I answered your
letter of Dec. IL. very properly when
1 said TO you, When such legislation
comes before the Senate for action
I shall be glad to give n due con
s1deration as believe that all of the
people are agreed that the taxes of
the country should be lowered
"In your letter Of Dec. 81, however,
you remind me that my letter of Dec.
IA does not show exactly where you
stand OF the subject of tax reduction
and a bonus Let me be more spe-
cif1c. I have shown you as definitely
as I propose to show you or any other
man, where stand on the Mellon pro
posal until I am afforded an oppor-
turity to study the same. AS to the
bonus-I said in my speeches that If
7 were to sign d tax bill on one day
to give the special interests of this
country four billion of dollars an.
nGally through tariff taxes, that +
would not hesitate on the next day to
favor legislation giving like sum Of
money to be paid in a series of years
TO the boys who broke their bodies on
battlefelds to make liberty worldwide
and world peace secure"