Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1924-02-09
Will Stand SoIidIy for the rs
Per Cent. Maximum
Surtax Rate
HAS BEEN REPORTED
This Action Decided Upon at
Meeting Held by New. Jer-
sey Representatives
BY GEORGE FL. MANNING
washington Correspondent OF the
Perth Amboy Evening Newsl


Perth Amboy Evening Ncws)
WASHINGTON, Feb. 9.-The six
Republican members Of the House
of Representa- ives from New Jer-
lsey will stand solidly for the 25 per
cent. maximum surtax rate on in
comes as provided by the Mellon
tax reduction bill which has been re-
ported to the House by the ways
and means committee.
This action was decided on at a
meeting of the Jersey Republicans
held today at .he instance of Con-
! gressmas Isaac Bacharach of ATTAIN
tic City, member of the ways and
imeans COMMITTEES who, with Con-
lgressnan John @. TiIson, of Connec-
litieut Is leading the fight for the
retention of the 25 per cent. rate as
proposed bv Secretary Mellon, and
opposing any compromise on a
! higher rate, as proposed by the DEM
ocrats and favored by some Repub-
licans. New Jerseys is the first
state delegation to go on record on
this point. and this action Is ex-
pected to be highly encouraging to
the administration cohorts. and per-
haps Will lead other delegations to
take similar stands.
Six Democratic congressman from
New Jersey will. it is generally un-
derstood. stand by the Democratic
plan. presented by John Garner, the
ranking Democrat on the ways and
means committee. and vote for
the a. per cent. rate.
The light which has been brewing
for weeks on the tax program, and
which will center on this maximum
surtax item, was irrevocably started
when the Republican members Of
the committee, having failed to
reach any agreement with the Demo-
Gratis who led by Congressman
Garner, propose a A per cent sur
tax, voted out their bill almost
ldentically in the form in which it
was presented by Secretary Mellon
Several of the Republican members
of the committee, including Repre-
sentative Green, the chairman, were
In favor of agreeing on a compro-
mise between the two rates: but due
to the insistence of the administra-
ton leaders on the twenty-five per
cert rate and the threat that Presi-
dent Coolidge would veto the bill IL
the rate were raised at all, the Re-
! publican majority on the committee
went ahead and wrote their own
bill. the Democrats taking no part in
1t, and voting present when the COM
mittee took its final vote on report
ing out the bill.
No one now has the remotest idea
what will be done when the bill is
1 considered by the full House. The
most regular Republicans. will, like
al I.
the administration program and re-
] fuse any compromise; but they are
too few to pass the bill. The great
mass of the Democrats, including all
six of the New Jersey congressman
on the minority side, will be equally
as staunch in their support of the
| Garner rate of A per cent, but
| these will also lack several votes of
the number necessary to put their
| program into effect. The remaining
members of the House, who will in
effect hold the balance of power. are
split up in several ways. Some, led
by Representative F'rear, of Wiscon-
sin, are opposed to any lowering OF
the present surtax rate of fifty per
| cent. Others among the Republic
cans favor a higher rate than the
25 per cent. proposed by Mellon. but
do not want to raise the rate so high
as A per cent. While few Demo-
Gratis are willing to accept lower
rate than "A per cent, there is prob
ably an equal number who would
prefer a higher one.
| The Democrats. it is believed,
will be more solidly united on their
proposal than any segment of the
Republicans, but If they find it im-
possible to muster enough votes from
the independent or progressive ranks
to pass their program. and begin to
drop away from their party ranks.
chaos will result which will end no
one knows where.