The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-03-07
COUZENS THREAT TO LIFT LID GIVES NEW LIFE TO INQUIRY
Committee viii Continue
Study Of the Revenue
Department.
DEPARTMENT..
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- ASf1lNCION, Marcn t.
M/I When the Sixty Eighth Con.
0 gress passed from the scene,
that element Of the population which
abhors Investigations united In q
great sigh Of relief No Congress In
many years has conducted investi'
cations of such far-reaching effect
AS that which served from 1928 to
1926.
But it is too early to speak OF
the Investigations as being a thing
OF the past. In fact, the most i'm
portant developments Of the Senate's
inquiry into the Bureau of Internal
Revenue are still to come. The
Couzens committee, which is con-
Quoting this inquiry, did not die
when the Sixty Eighth Congress
signed off.
Instead, the Senate authorized the
committee to pursue its embarrass-
ing study Of the methods in which
income tax returns are handled. Up
to and including June /, 1925, the
study may continue. AS a result,
the month OF May promises to be a
lively one, for at that time Senator
Couzens and his colleagues will pre-
sent in regular hearings a great
part of the evidence they have been
gathering during the past year.
Life Is Extended
The Senate granted a new lease OF
life to the Couzens committee with
out apparent hesitancy. But behind
the scenes the most strenuous efforts
were made to kill 1t. The majority
of the members Of the Senate were
against it. Secretary Mellon and
other officials of the Treasury De
partment declared the committee to
be harmful and "demoralizing" in.
fluence. The Senate Committee on
Finance opposed the investigation
by an overwhelming majority.
And yet the authorization for an
extension of time went through with
out hitch. Why?
Simply because Senator Couzens
announced to the Republican leaders
that unless they permitted him to
COMPLETE his study, he would stand
up in the Senate and relate some of
the things his committee has already
uncovered. He was prepared TO cite
case after case in which the
Treasury experts connected with the
Bureau of Internal Revenue had
made mistakes in granting tax re-
auctions and rebates running INTO
many million dollars.
Was Not Bluffing
The Republican leaders to their
distress that Couzens had the
goods" He wasn't bluffing at all.
Under these circumstances it seemed
to them that the least they could
do would be to put off the evil day
as long az possible.
1t is entirely probable that some
of. the more scandalous discoveries
will never be made public. Senator
Couze1s as well as Senators King
Democratic, Utah, and Jones, Demo
cratic, New Mexico, have stated they
are not interested In exposing
scandal for scandals sake. Instead
they wish their investigation to be
OF constructive value and believe
that they can by further research
evolve plans which will prevent a
recurrence Of past errors.
But the only reason they are
having the opportunity to continue
their work is their readiness to tel
few things"
Under the resolution passed by the
Senate, the committee may conduct
hearings UP to June /. after which
date investigators must be with
drawn from the Treasury Depart.
ment and open hearings abandoned.
The work of gathering evidence is
now expected to continue until early
in May, after which there will fol.
low month of testimony.