Evening star., 1924-10-26
TAX SNARL REVIEWS
DRIVE ON ExEMPTS
Move to Curtail Issues of
Non-TaxabIe Bonds Aided
by Publicity.
BY \. o. MESSENGER.
Staff Carresnnndant

NEW YORK. October 25.-Surpass-
Ing in interest to New Workers, over
shadowine for the moment even the
presidential campaign and the coming
elections is the publication of the
figures of the income taxes paid by
numerous wealthy New Workers. The
publication was. entirely unexpected,
and to most of those concerned doubt
less seemed impossible of belief that
II could have happened to them.
No doubt, it was gross invasion
of the rights of the individual, deem
cd protected by the safeguards of the
law. Most people had probably for
gotten that the last revenue act had
opened the lists to inspection oTfelt
that the right of inspection would
not mean publication.
Record Many Surprises.
But another element greeted the
publication with delight, superim-
posed upon curiosity over the affairs
of their more we'll to do neighbors
in the community. They have that
little trait of human nature which
causes people to wonder if the other
fellow is as rich a. he is thought to
be. The gossip of the financial dis
trict is that there were many sur
prises in the returns of prominent
capitalists, some of them exhibit
ing figures far below what the dis
Srict thought they would show. This
led to the thought that possibly there
were cases in which the taxpayer
had held out" on Uncle Sam. The
disclosures were deemed significant
IN one sense, in that they showed
the existence of an immense volume
of tax-exempt securities. based on the
supposed wealth of the taxpayers.
This is expected to lead to another
drive in the next session of Congress
Tor the curtailment of the issuance
OF tax-exempt securities and stiffen
resistance against the curtailment.
In political circles there is gossip
as to what political effect, il any, the
published disclosures will have. 1t
is difficult to see what political pur-
pose the administration could ac-
complish If it went out of its way
to open the lists on the eve of the
election. and Secretary Mellon vigor-
ously disclaims any such purpose.
according to him, it was in the or
diuary run of the days business.
Light on Campaign Gifts.
Taken in connection with the con-
tributions of the rich to the Re
publican campaign fund. as shown in
committee, it is quite evident that the
extremely rich individuals and big
corporations are not "whacking up"
with the Republican campaign fund.
Indeed, there will be ground for COM
plant that many of those who might
be expected to contribute generously
are in the tight wad' class and
justly subject to reproach, on the
basis of their indicated means and
their actual contributions. You
haven't any claims on u.s." the COM
mittee can say, Nobody can charge
that the big rich control the Republican
organization"
1t is expected, however, that Sen
ator La Toilette will seize the occa-
sion as an opportunity to charge that
the exhibited existence of immense
fortunes must mean that some part
of them are being used for the pur-
pose he has charged-Wall yStreet's
alleged attempted domination of the
politics of the country-and he will
probably hound the subject to a
frazzle in his addresses this week. It
looks like water over La Follette's S
wheel.
Hard-HittinE Stage.
This week is to witness some rough
and-tumble campaigning in this Sec
tion of the country. La Toilette has
already entered Northern New York
with a characteristic speech arraign-
ing class against class and at the
same time Charles G. Dawes came
into New Jersey and opened direct
attack on the Senator's Socialistic
policies in a big meeting in Newark
Saturday night. 1t was a 100 per
cent American speech, delivered with
the Generals usual vigor and frank
ness of expression. La Toilette will
come down on his way to Baltimore
and speak in New Jersey also.
The fight between Roosevelt and
Gov. Smith gets hotter with the op-
posing candidates now at clinches.
Gov. Smith had a great demonstra-
tion at Albany Saturday night and