Evening star., 1925-11-25
Politics at Large
By G.. Gould Lincoln

The big battle over the tax bill is
coming in the Senate, in the opinion
Of Democratic leaders who are now re-
turning to Washington preparatory
to the opening of the new Congress
December Z. They take 1t for granted
that the bill will go through the House
practically as it has been framed by
the ways and means committee. There
will be some preliminary skirmishes in
the House in all likelihood. but the
ways and means committee has acted
with a considerable degree Of harmony
in framing the bill.
Democratic Senators, however, are
whetting their knives for the bill when
it reaches that body. Senator Sim
mons of North Carolina, ranking Dem
ocratic member of the Senate finance
committee; Senator Pat Harrison of
Mississippi, past master in the art of
sticking verbal darts in the Repub-
lican opposition; Senator Swanson of
Virginia and others, will take the po-
sition that in limiting the tax reduc-
ion to 1897 100000, as the House COM
mittee bill provides. full justice has
not been done the American taxpay-
ers. They will urge that the reduc-
tions be increased until some $780,
100000 of taxes have been Topped off
the Federal tax burden. Their con-
tention is that it is unfair to the
American people to tax them so as to
pay off the public debt, due to the
war, in about to 20 to % years, while
the foreign debtors of the United
States are permitted, under the terms
Of the debt settlements SO far made,
to take 62 years to pay. Why not
spread the public debt-which must be
paid by the American taxpayers
over a similar long period of years,
and permit the taxpayers Of today to
shift some of the tax burden from
their shoulders to the shoulders of
the taxpayers Of tomorrow?
y X
The Democrats are planning to
neutralize, as far as possible, the
credit which the Republicans are ex-
pecting to obtain from tax reductions
by telling the people that the Repub-
licans are remiss since they do not
lift the burden still further.
Some Of the members of the pro
gressive bloc" found on the Republic
an side of the Senate chamber, are
also ready to attack the tax bill when
It from a different angle, however.
They will seek to increase the exemp-
tions so that incomes less than $1,000
a year will net be taxed. and seek to
retain some of the higher rates on the
bigger incomes. Their argument will
be that the burden should rest on the
shoulders better able to bear il. Some
of them are not inclined to join with
the Democrats in increasing the total
amount of the tax reduction, believing
that it is better to pay off the public
debt as rapidly as possible, and fear
ing, too, that If the reductions are
made too abruptly there may come
Treasury deficit and the necessity of
again increasing taxes. The effort to
repeal the publicity clause of the in
come tax also will meet with strong
opposition.
Take it altogether, the Senate
leaders will have their hands full to
get the tax bill "out of the trenches"
in time for the new tax returns. which
must be filed by March Is next.
Particularly is this true. when it is
remembered that the World Court
protocol, proposing adhesion of the
United States to that tribunal, is
slated to come up for consideration in
the Senate December II, and no date
has vet been fixed for a vote on it.
The Democrats are prepared to sup
port the World Court proposal, they
say, provided the administration does
not agree to compromise proposals
which may be advanced to satisfy the
"irreconcilables." Under such circum-
stances the Democrats are prepared
to take to the woods. The required
two.thirdS vote to agree to the pro-
tocol without Democratic support is
an impossibility.
Republican leaders are occupying
the few remaining days before the
opening of the Senate with studies of
several knotty problems, among them
exact degree of Republicanism of
Senator.elect Robert NJ. La Toilette,
jr., and also the authority or lack of
authority of Gov. Sorlie of North Da-
kota to appoint Gerald P. Nye to the
Senate in place of the late Senator
Ladd of that State. Senator Watson of
Indiana. chairman Of the Republican
committee on committees, is going
over the speeches made by Mr.. La
Toilette during his campaign last
September. He has ascertained that
Mr.. La Toilette ran on the 1922 plat
form of the late Senator La Toilette
ard not the 1924 presidential platform
OF the senior La Toilette. In the
meantime Mr.. La Toilette is maintain
ing a complete silence regarding pos
sible committee assignments. 1t is
probable that he feels that If the
regular organization turns him down
as a Republican, it will help rather
than hurt him with the progressive
Republicans of Wisconsin.
Should the Senate finally decide to
seat Mr.. Nye, it will be up to the
organization to decide in his case, too,
whether he Is to be regarded as a
Republican in the matter of commit
tee assignments or to be thrust into
the outer limbo along with Senators
Frazier of North Dakota and Brook
hart. Nye was a supporter of the
La Follette-Wheeler ticket in 1924
and is Non-Partisan Leaguer.
In their studies of the Nye case, Re
publican leaders have turned frequent
ly to the case of Frank P. Glass, the
Alabama editor, who was appointed
by the governor of his State in 1913
to fill vacancy caused by the death
of Senator Johnston, and who was not
seated by a vote of "a to 80, on the
ground that the State Legislature
had not authorized the governor to fill
vacancies in the Senate as provided
by the constitutional amendment for
the direct election of Senators. 1t is
said to be on all fours with the Nye
case. OF the Senators who voted on
the Glass appointment only II are
now in the Senate. OF these 8 voted
against seating Mr.. Glass and voted
to seat him. The Senators who op-
posed seating Mr.. Glass are Senators
Borah Of Idaho, Cummins Of Iowa,
Jones Of Washington, Mclean of Con-
necticut, Norris of Nebraska. Smoot
of Utah, Walsh OF Montana and Over
man Of North Carolina. The Senators
who voted to seat him are Senators