Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-03-29
Congress Hears From
The Voters

most brilliant reporters in Amer
lea, writing in the Atlanta Con-
stitution, says information COM
ing to Congress is that the vot-
ers of the country are in rage
over the question of taxing.
These reports coming into the
National Capitol are that income
taxpayers who sent in their
checks on March IS feel they
could have saved one dollar out
of every four if Congress had
been even reasonably diligent.
John Sheffield, speaking to
the Americas Rotary club this
week said almost the same
thing, MIR. Sheffield's statement
coming before the appearance
of Sullivan's story. Mr.. Shelf
field declared that
~ iAco DSCu iilOI lildll SiAIy
years since there was an inter-
nal disruption of serious magni-
tude in this country of ours. but
it doesn't require the wisdom of
a Solomon or the prophetic Wis
ion of a jeremiah to foresee, that
unless our people are awakened
and our lawmakers change their
policies, and that quickly, there
will be an upheaval that will
shake our institutions, political,
industrial and commercial, to
their very foundations, if it
doesn't cause them to topple and
fall to destruction. / am not
able to say just when it will
come or exactly what shape it
will assume, but it will be, in eff
feet, a rebellion against tax
alton"
Mr.. Sheffields rather pro-
phetic statement is fully borne
out by the statement of Mark
Sullivan, commenting on the re-
ports coming into Washington,
when Sullivan says;
In consequence, these scouts
reports, the voters are in a mood
that waits angrily for chance
to vote against every congress-
man now in office, both Repub-
Means and Democrats. They re-
port that there is an almost uni
Versal mood of inquiry as to lust
what the trouble is in Washing
ton.
Secretary Mellon sounded the
first note of cheer to the peo-
pie when he said that taxes
could be reduced. He then
handed to Congress a bill re-
ducing taxes. The Republican
party grabbed the bill, saying
they would make the reductions.
The Democrats could not agree
with the Republican measure
and wrote the Garner bill.
There was a deadlock. Neither
party wanted the other to Sc
cure the prestige to be received
by securing tax reduction. Con-
ferences- followed. Delay aft
er delay was experienced.
The President advised Com
gress to pass something that
would give relief before March
IS. Nothing was done.
The over-burdened taxpayer
cares nothing for party prestige.
He carek less for the excuses
given for the failure to relieve
him when relief is possible.
The taxpayer views the whole
matter from the viewpoint Of
MIR. Sheffield, when he says;
For years the ingenuity of our
lawmakers has been taxed to the
utmost to devise new methods of
taxation. and nearly always the
new tax is an additional tax.
Laws and laws have been passed
that require the employment of
thousands of men who then are
no longer producers, but live
with their mouths in the public
trough, their hands in our pock-
cts, and their noses in our private
affairs.
always there is cry of the
demagogue that the idle rich and
the big corporations pay most of
the taxes, but this is not true.
The idle rich invest their money
in tax-exempt securities and the
corporations must add the cost
of taxes to the price of what
they sell, whether it is steel prod
ucts, insurance or transportation,
or they must face bankruptcy; so
that finally every dollar of tax
alton is paid by the ultimate con-
sumner.
Gentlemen, the old man of
the sea is on our backs, in the
form of taxation, and govern
mental supervision and interefer-
ence; one leg has a strangle-hold
upon our necks, while with the
other be is goading us on to give
up more of our earnings. anc
more of our liberties. If we
wait. for him to become drunI
with power and spells, his griI
will not relax, but it will tight