Evening star., 1932-05-30
Obstructive Tactics.

Threats by opponents IN the Senate
Of the proposed general manufacturers
excise tax to tie up the revenue bill
for another month II the supporters
of the manufacturers tax dare to write
that provision into the pending bill
sound like "a lot OF noise" In the
first place. only small group OF Sen
ators opposing the manufacturers tax
may be expected to go to the length
of filibuster against the revenue bill
in the event manufacturers tax Is
adopted by a majority OF the Senate.
Not all Of the opponents Of the tax
would undertake to delay the passage
Of bill for which the country is i'm
patiently waiting. In the second place,
a determined front by supporters Of the
manufacturers tax could make 1t ex-
tremely uncomfortable for flibuster-
ing minority II the tax were written
into the bill The Senate Is already
working long hours, meeting at 10 a m.
and sitting until pm. An extern
sion of the daily sessions into the night
would give the finbusters plenty to do.
If the manufacturers tax cannot
command a majority in the Senate
when the test comes, perhaps today or
tomorrow, obviously it will not become
part Of the bill. But If there is
majority of the Senators who prefer
this fair and reasonable and effective
form of taxation to the special excise
taxes and nuisance taxes now carried
in the bill. and to higher normal tax
rates on incomes, these Senators should
not be detected from the course they
desire to pursue by the threats now put
forward by a handful of Senators, be-
longing to the Progressive Republican
group in the main, to hold up the
revenue bill indefinitely. There has
been too much yielding on the part Of
the Senate to organized and belligerent
minorities.
The need for speedy disposition Of
the revenue bill in the interest OF the
people and business improvement is
evident. Any group in Congress which
undertakes by dilatory tactics to pre-
vent final action on the revenue bill
will have to bear the brunt of criticism
from the country. Attempts to lay the
blame for delay Of the revenue bill
upon the shoulders Of the supporters Of
the manufacturers tax. provided they
are willing to vote promptly on the
Walsh amendment, would be entirely
Intellectual That amendment, which
proposes a general manufacturers ex-
else tax Of LIS per cent, with food and
other necessities exempted, is entitled
to its day in court, although supporters
of the Couzens amendment to place
wartime income tax rates on the people,
with normal income taxes running as
high as and II per cent. may deny
this. The debate by the supporters Of
the Couzens amendment ran for many
hours in the Senate.
The rule of unlimited debate in the
Senate is the club which has been used
to defeat good legislation and to force
bad legislation through the Upper
House and through Congress. The
Senate should understand that at the
present juncture what the people de-
mand is action, not talk; that talk, after
all. is not the matter Of highest impor-
tance to the country regardless Of what
it may be to Senator
The Walsh amendment proposing the
tax
should be adopted by the Senate. 1t
should, in the interest Of the country,
be written finally into the revenue
bill with the consent of the House.
ponents to the effect that it is bur-
dent on the poor As matter of fact
1t is a burden on the rich, for it is
the rich who make wide purchases of
all kinds Of commodities. 1t will touch
those persons of great wealth in this
country who spend their money freely.
Many Of these wealthy persons have
their money invested today, millions of
dollars, in tax-free securities of the
Federal, State and municipal govern
ments. If 1t were not for this tax-free
wealth, amounting to more than s20,-
00O,Oo0,000, there would be no need
OF levying additional taxes. But with
this vast wealth entirely free from the
income taxes, the remainder of the
wealth must bear the whole burden of
taxation. If it were possible to wipe
out such freedom from taxation the
country would be the gamer