Evening star., 1924-10-26
SENATORS T0SEEK
FURTHER PUBLICITY
Members Who Sought Spot
light on Returns Prepare to
Make 1t Stronger.
BY Consolidated Press.

By Consolidated Press.
Instead of being alarmed at what
| they have accomplished in the way
of publishing income tax returns, the
Senators who stood most prominently
behind the publicity provision in the
last tax law have sent word to Wash
ington that they intend to strengthen
and clarity the law so that the doubt
which exists today in the minds of
the Government legal officers may be
completely swept away.
These Senators believe great good
has been accomplished even in the
partial printing of income tax returns.
| They say the lists have shown what
! rich men really are supporting the
Government, and have also disclosed
those who are contributing fairly lit
tie to the upkeep OF the Nation. They
nope to write new provision in the
law which will permit the publica-
ton by newspapers Of all amounts
paid to the Government
The law as it stands today repre-
sents an attempt to provide complete
publicity. with a Joker" which all
but nullifes that purpose. The Sena-
| tors who threw the Mellon tax plan
out or the window and adopted their
own stood behind the Norris amend
ment, which provided that the list of
| taxpayers. their addresses and the
amount paid by them should be avail
able for public inspection.
| Old Guard Fought,
The old guard Senators fought this
| provision tooth and nail, but they dis
covered in the end they could not de-
ieat II: Well, the old guard may
| die, but it never surrenders What
did it do next? 1t continued in the
law the old and conflicting provi-
| sion that no part of any tax return
should be 'printed' or published"
IN. any way not provided BY law.
This was the paragraph Of the law
which applied in the old days when
no publicity at all was contemplated.
| Unquestionably the trainers of the
new statute intended to leave it out
or to modify 1t, for it seems ridic-
! ulous that the returns should be open
| TO all sorts of public inspection and
| yet the printing of them be made
Il Federal penal 'offense
If he is reelected, President Cool
idge unquestionably will recommend
| 10 Congress in his annual message
| the adoption of the Mellon plan Of
taxation. This will throw the whole
| night once more onto the floor of
! Congress, and It is needless to say
| the publicity provision in the law will
| he the storm center of discussion.
| Senator Norris will fight to make the
| pupilclty clause effective and the old
| guard VIII renew it's attack upon it
lt the fight becomes bitter there
| is prospect that the insurgent bloc
| in the Senate may write a provision
| into the bill providing for compIet e
publicity of all tax returns, showing
the source from which incomes are
derived. the amount of taxable
| securities held by an individual, the
| exemptions claimed and all OF the
| other intimate details that go to
make up the history of each indi-
| ViduaPs transactions with the Gov
ernment.
Publicity StiIl Limited.
At present the law permits the in
spectlon only of the list of taxpayers
and the amount paid by them. Tn
der direction of the President, how
ever. certain members of Congress-
and certain Senator's may see all Of
| the tax returns and get whatever in
formation they desire from them.
Also the tax officials of the States
| may likewise examine the Federal
| returns. But the general public as
yet is limited TO the knowledge only
of the net sum paid by each individ-
ual and corporation.
Those who recall the contention
that big surtaxes do not make for
! large tax returns. but instead drive
| men to invest their money in idle
nom taxable securities, are especially
interested in the published list
! Clearly some of the richer men who
have turned in comparatively small
/ amounts to the Government must de-
rive good part of their incomes
from non-taXable sources. 1t is pos
txs;h III ,t.--s
year lost considerable money in the
shrinkage in value of securities held
by them. One of ]. P. Morgan's part
ners paid to the Government, for in
stance. sum eight times in excess
of that paid by Mr.. Morgan himself.
| Everybody connected with the Gov
! ernment, from President Coolidge
| down, was denying today that there
was any political motive back of
making the tax returns available to
the public at this time. 1t was point
! ed out that most OF the men affected
| by the publicity provided by certain
| of the New York newspapers were
|those who have contributed quite largely
[ to the Republican campaign fund.
stirs Great Excitement.
| has stirred up a hornets nest and
| excitement of it all.
| Many demands have come to the
| city to find out what sums have been
paid by Senators and Representatives
] in Congress. These returns were made
| in their own revenue districts, however,
and were not available here.
| All income tax returns made by
Washington residents go to Ba1ti-
more. 1t was reported from there to-
day that same Washingtonians had
| visited the offices of the collector and
had taken very nearly a complete list
of all the sums paid from this city.
| 1t is perfectly apparent that even
| where the newspapers refrain from
| publishing the lists, pretty full in
| formation is to be passed from mouth
to mouth concerning the rich resi-
| dents of every community in the
United States. That is why it is con-
tended that public inspection virtual
ly is the same as printing" and
publishing"