The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-30
A Balanced Budget

The federal budget will be balanced That is the
hopeful significance of the revenue bill amendments
submitted by the ways and means committee Tues
day and promptly taxed up by the house.
This IS not surprising news. But it will have
lifting effect business just the same because it
will kill the propaganda myth prevalent during the
last month that defeat of the sales tax would mean
unbalanced budget.
The scrpps-Howard newspapers have pointed out
daily that there plenty of ways to balance the
budget effectively for the government and less
harmfully for che country than the un-Amercan
sales tex.
We deserve no credit for seeing that. It had been
demonstrated several months ago by submission by
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon of a revenue plan
which would balance the budget without sales tax,
and has been demonstrated since by numerous other
expert plans.
Just as we supported in principle the original
Mellon plan to make Up part of the deficit by NUS
ance taxes and just we have continued ever since
to support that plan we support the principle
of the ways and means committee amendments Tor
nuisance taxes
AS 70 the detals-whether one particular nuisance
tax in the Hoovcr-Mellon plan or in the new Demo-
cratic plan is preferable-a Of that, of course is
subject to discussion as each item is taken up.
But. relatively, that is unimportant compared
with the main fact--that the budget can and will be
balanced.
We accept the nuisance taxes as a lesser evil than
a continuing federal deficit. But we accept them
under protest
We accept them only because one group Of poll
ticians and propagandsts has gun at the heart OF
the government and refuses to let the government
take the revenue which rightfuly belongs to it and
which could balance the budget without the nuisance
taxes. We mean beer tax.
al fOro ne1ta all
the evil moral results of prohibton-the increased
crime and awessness the racketeering, the increase
in hard liquor drinking, the fact that it acts as a
great barrier blocking political action on most OF
the vital national issues-there remains the addition
al fact that it denies the government essential rev.
in a time of crisis.
No one-no matter how fatal-can deny that
beer tax quickly easily and surely could raise the
revenue which now must be raised by these nuisance
taxes.
Every time you buy postage stamp, box of
matches package of cigarets, automobile, tire,
a radio a theater ticket, industrial stock, pack
age of gum you will be paying more than you should
pay more than is returned to the capital and labor
which produced it,
You will be paying to perpetuate the bootegger
and racketeer You will be paying indirectly the beer
tax which the government refuses to make the liquor
industry pay.
We say, which the government refuses to make
the liquor industry pay The citizens of the country
do not refuse The country is at least 2to1 in favor
of a beer tax as revealed by all recent polls
But representative government in this matter can
not be blocked much longer. Today congress
fuse to balance the budget with beer tax In June,
however, both political parties at their conventions,
will be put the spot of public opinion.
In the campaign and election which follow, every
party and every candidate will be made to face this
issue.
And when the congress meets next winter
II not before-there good chance that the nuisance
taxes will go out and the beer tax in Until then,
they must be paid.
The nuisance taxes are here to stay-just so long
the people of the country permit the dry politicians
to defy representative government.
In the midst of the relief and the cheering over
prospects of a balanced federal budget let
forget for moment that the plan depends not only
increased taxes, but also cuts in expenditures
of quarter billion dollars more.
Congress is to be congratulated on its apparent
willingness make those cuts Congress should be sup
ported by public opinion when the inevitable lobby
pressure begins against cuts
Equally important is the point made by President
Hoover Tuesday in his courageous statement regard
ing the bonus There is patting ourselves on
the back for adding few hundred million in new
taxes and cutting few hundred million from govern
ment expenses if we are going to turn around and
spend two billions on cash bonus.
This newspaper favors adequate of veterans
who need the 1t is particularly solcitous for
two classes of veterans the disabled and the unem-
ployed.
But we believe those special needs can be met
without two billion dollar blanket bonus given
CARELESS of individual need. And we believe those
special needs be met without endangerng feder-
al finances in this emergency.
If congress will carry out its plan of cutting a
quarter billion or from the budget and refrains
from such additional OUTLAWS the cash bonus it will
be holding fast to the economy line which is essen
tial.