Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1925-12-11
Capital Comment
By FRED s. WALKER

WASHINGTON, D: c.. Dec. TO-
Congress put one over on itself last
winter when it enacted a compulsory
school attendance law. More than
half the pages Of the senate are under
the legal limit Of Il years and win
have to be dropped, unless Congress
passes a resolution exempting itself
from the operation Of the law.
Government employees are given 30
days. leave each year with pay, but
fewer than 7 per cent Of the $4,000
employees of the Department Of Conn
mrce took the full time off.
A congressman from Indiana de-
clares % per cent Of the government
clerks could be dispensed with, and
he has laid his proposals before Pres
ident Coolidge. There probably are
some federal workers who manage to
get by without keeping their nose to
the grihdstone all day long, but if
Mr.. Wood wants to save real money
for the government he will find way
to get along without the horde Of
political appointees, whose only use
fitness is corralling votes for poli-
ticians back in the states.
DO you understand just what this
20 per cent surtax is that Secretary
Mellon is SO anxious to have cut in
two? Probably you do, but there is
no harm in taking fresh look at It.
The 40 per cent surtax is assessed
against incomes in excess Of $500, 900
year. That is to sayy any man, like
Mr.. Mellon, for instance, whose wages
or other earnings or profits exceed
half million dollars each year, pays
this 40 per cent surtax. But he does
mt pay It on the 100000; he pays it
on all of his income above that figure.
That is to say. If he earns $4,000
year he pays that surtax on $4,000
of it. If he earns 100000 year, he
pays it on 100000, and so on.
when this fact is kept in mind,
the 40 per cent surtax doesn't seem
so serious, does IT.? You probably
would be willing to pay it yourself on
all you earned above half million q
year.
"As a matter of record only 213
persons in the United States are so
fortunate as to be able to pay the 40
per cent tax. The reason offered for
urging that it be cut in two is that
it would stimulate business. In other
words, it would stimulate these 213
citizens to even further efforts in the
way Of making money. And that,
those Of the Mellon school argue,
would increase the prosperity Of eli
of US.
Maybe SO. Think it over some
more. The bin isn't through Congress
yet and won't be for several months. .
Washington Daily News.
This town is full Of burglars. OF
course, we have policemen, but every
days papers print accounts Of just
how four or five yeggs accomplished
their coups. This method keeps
crooks informed Of the activities and
impotence Of our police Force and
teaches amateur cracksmen how to
'suceessfully get the money without
working
In the midst Of this we have anti
pistol propaganda from crusaders who
wish to put firearms beyond the reach
Of everyone. A law Of this kind would
| probably be as effective as IA eanti-
narcotic act or the VoIstead act and
would merely disarnA the law-abiding
citizens and assure the crook there IS
nothing between him and the cash
box but the win to get It. An anti
pistol law would shift this branch Of
the hardware business to the juris-
diction Of the BootIeggers' Union.
The civil service retirement law
may be changed to pay annuities Of
81 200 instead Of S720 q year This