Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-04
ONLY WEALTHY AND STRONG
MAKE SENATOR COUZENS SORE
Attacks on U. S. Chamber
of Commerce Reveal His
Usual Attitude.
Michigan Leader Classes
Self as "Independent"
by Stand in Senate.
BY WILLIAM HARD.

What makes Senator James Couzens
of Michigan so sore and so mad?
That has been great question for
long time in Washington. 1t has
grown greater this last week in COM
pany with Senator Couzens' defiances
and denunciations of some of the APP
parent tendencies of the United States
Chamber Of Commerce at its convention
in Atlantic City.
1t is to be noted that Senator
Couzens never gets sore and mad at
anything that is poor and weak. He
gets sore and mad only at something
that is rich and strong.
And 1t keeps him busy enough. He
can see something rich and strong al
most every day.
Warned Newspaper.
This writer went to Detroit to write
years ago when Mr.. CouzenS was Mayor
Couzens. He found Mayor Couzens
helping personally to inforce the citys
traffic regulations, but always looking
for the biggest and most influential
violator of them. A local newspaper
showed this writer a communication
which 1t had just received from the
mayor. 1t was as follows:
Detroit Journal, Detroit Mich.
Gentlemen:
"One of your delivery wagons DELHI
erately parked double, just west of
Wayne on Congress, this morning. The
car was left unattended blocking traf-
flee. This sort of disregard for law
must be discontinued, otherwise there
will be arrests.
Yours truly, James Couzens, Mayor"
This writer would not say that Mayor
CouzenS would have allowed the de-
livery wagon OF an impecunious buck
ster to go unrebuked for the crime of
parking double. He Is convinced,
though, that If both delivery wagons
had been simultaneously parked double,
Mayor CouzenS would have seen the
delivery wagon of the Detroit Journal
first. easily.
He is truculent to those he thinks
arrogant, tender-hearted to those he
thinks unfortunate.
Watches UItra-RIch.
He is one Of the top contributors to
the Community Chest of the District
of Columbia. He is not unaware OF the
relative stinginess to such enterprises
of many of his fellow millionaires
throughout the country. He Is not sur
prised by sensational article in the
current issue of a monthly magazine
proving statistically that our private
charities get no properly proportionate
part Of their revenues from the pockets
of the ultra-rich. Such demonstrations
tend to cause him to watch the ultra
rich more warily and more belligerently
than ever.
He has denuded himself Of all invest
ments which could conceivably affect
his vote as Senator. Some Is millions
and more of his fortune he has given
to philanthropies, preferably for chill
dren. The rest Of his fortune he has
taken wholly out Of private business
and put into public bonds, which bear
a low rate of interest but are tax
exempt. He thereupon gets accused by
his enemies of having bought them
precisely and only because of their
being tax-exempt This makes him
sorer and madden still. except that late
~ as it seems to this writer, he has
learned to laugh more.
He is transferring assorted quantities
of his public bonds to his children.
This makes him sore and mad, too.
why should any man be allowed"
inquiries Senator Couzens, ito give
away his property to his children, tax
less, and thus escape the estate duties
which otherwise they would have to
pay upon inheriting his property at his
death?
Advocates Gift Tax.
There should be tax on gifts" says
Senator CouZens 1T Is outrageous
that rich men can now evade the in
heritance tax by the gift subterfuge."
Senator Couzens does not omit
James Couzens, millionaire, in point
ing out the tricks of millionaireS to
the Federal Government.
He has been examining those tricks
for a long time. There's been ten
times as much graft in the private
ownership CT public utilities as there
could Ia IN tia rnaaklic arSlnirn