The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-10-25
Ccontinued from EIrst Pagel

Lefty" orders from the Treasury
Department.
Not only Secretary Mellon, but
Commissioner Of Internal Revenue
Blair and Collector Galen il. TAFT
Of the Baltimore office, have hlmed
against the publication and the hut
labRloo II has raised.
plutOcrats, movie stars, Govern
ment officials. society leaders. pub
lie service corporations their REQ.
ords all stand open to the public
gaze.
Returns Through States
Coming to the washington SEQ.
ton We find that the great majority
Of Government heads. including
members OF the House and Senate,
are making their returns through
their home States.
AZ Tar as can be deternA ned the
return Of n. b. Mclean IS the
largest from Washington, the total
amounting to more than the 1898
figures for the washington Railway
and Electric Company and the Cap
ital Traction Company combined
The Mclean rekurn-an It IL
hoped this statement win not send
the writer to Jail lacks about $780,.
900 OG b half-milllon dollars The
two street car companies are In the
eix figures with the washington
Railway end Electric Company a..
most 100000 ahead Of the green
lire.
Confusion Greets Reporters.
When newspaper men hreezed
into the Baltimore customs house
ahortIy before noon yesterday they
found the same unsettled condition
prevailing which has marked the
Internal Revenue Bureau since the
assessment lists were thrown open
70 public inspection.
Each OF the reporters Awas re.
quired to Sign an application to look
at the returns. the blank bearing
this cheerful information:
''The attention Of the applicant Is
hereby specifically called to section
3i67 Of the Revised Statutes Of the
United States, particularly that pro-
vision making It unlawful to print
or publish any income tax return,
or part thereof, under penalty Of a
fine Of $1,000 or Imprisonment tor
one year, or both"
The remainder Of the form merely
asked permission to zee the Lists.
Did the reporters finch at the
idea Of throwing away $1,000 or eat.
ing out their hearts In = dungeon
cell-or, as aforesaid, 10th? Not q
BIT. They cheerfully signed up and
went into the room where the lists
were ready for them.
The cusoms house employees
couldn't do enough for the re-
porters. They showed them how to
use the card index, ami indicated
the ledgers In which the required
numbers would be found. In less
than half an hour the room was q
maelstrom Of flying pencils, books.
wads Of paper, and EXPLANATIONS.
The office workers lowered aDout to
assist the reporters In going TO jail.
Through the bright autumn after
noon, the reporters toiled IN the
office on the second floor Of the
customs building.
Then they went back to Wash
irgton, tired but happy, with the
erstwhile INSIDE dope" on the
Capitals wealthy and supposedly
wealthy scrubbed illegibly on their
paper pads.
Editors Are Warned.
But Collector TAFT. although not
interfering with the reporters in
Baltimore, sent q. letter to the
managing editor Of each newspaper
who had honored his office by send
Ing over q reporter.
Collector Tait's billet doux an.
nounced that he had received In.
structions from Commissioner Blair
that the tax information Twill be
- ~ ~ 49, - g. -
that the, law IL mandatory and re-
quires the same"
But he fastened to point out
that ''the law does not authorize
the preparation Of copies Of the
income tax lists by the public. !"
TO permit persons to prepare
duplicate lists OF income tax payers
would seriously affect the official
management Of the office"
The funny thing about Collector
Tait's gentle scolding IL that the
employees in that second-floor office
were constantly cognizant OF the
fact that the reporters were max
ing lists and mary q word,s was
said about 1t. Certainly the eKn-
ployes of tie office did not imagine
that the reporters were taking home
the information to put under their
pillows and dream about.
One gets quite q cross-sectiOn ol
washington life by looking through
the tax lists. All who knew that
Alexander g. McKenna, listed II
the city directory as vice president
of the Federal Tungsten Company
with residence in CIaremont, Calf =
all who knew this and also knew
that he pays q tax, from an ad
dress on Alabama avenue south
east, in excess Of 10000, please raist
their hands.
Real Estate Surprise.
Strange TO say, the real estate
men, who are commonly attributed
with the possession Of vast stores
Of gold wrlng from the universally
naltreated common people, did not
file returns for any considerable
amount. True, Morton J. LuchB and
II. 4. shannon were up In tens Of
thousands, and several others huns
around the $4,000 mark. but III. X.
Boss, Robert L. McKeever. Major
III. G. Maddux, Harry "A. Kite, l.
w. Linkins, Thomas p. FARRELL and
III. Glen Phelps had no returns that
would indicate they used solid good
toothplcks exclusively.
6ylvanus Stokes, Jr., the younl
and genial host Of the 'sMauvl
Mansion" ON Massachusetts ave
nue., one Of the merriest young
social monarchs Of the Capital, fileC
q return Of less than $2,OO0--try
that out on your sewing circlel
The bankers, az q rule, wer'
down In the single thousands, be
low ten. This class included WI
liam ]. Father, Robert N. Harper