Evening star., 1932-03-30
Sneaker Gamers Appeal.

A chastened House gave serious at
tention yesterday to the demand OF
Speaker John N. Garner for a balanced
Government budget. Within an hour OF
two after the House had risen In q
great ovation to the Speaker it had
written into the revenue bill tax pro-
visions recommended by the Ways and
Means Committee calculated to raise an
additional $4,000, 900. 1t paused for
breath then only because other amend
ments proposed by the committee as
substitutes for the manufacturers sales
tax. stricken from the bill by an unruly
prepared by the committee clerks for
submission. The prospects for quick
action on bill capable of raising the
revenue required to wipe out the Gov
ernments deficit by the close of the
fiscal year 1888 today appeared to be
far brighter than for many days.
Speaker Gamers patriotic and
courageous demand that the House
perform the functions for which 1t was
elected had 8 marked effect. The
Speaker struck hard at psychological
moment, after the House had been
criticized from one coast to the other
because of its inability TO legislate In
this crisis and because of the chaos
into which it appeared to have fallen.
Nevertheless, MI. Garner Is entitled to
praise and to the hearty thanks OF
the country for his handling OF the
situation. He entered House yester-
day which had on Saturday and the
DAYS preceding shown every inclination
to run wild, casting aside the advice OF
it's chosen leaders. There was no GER
tainty that the spirit Of revolt had been
or would be quelled. Today the chaos
seems to have been succeeded by order
and the crisis, 50 far as revenue legisla-
ton Is concerned in the House, seems
DO have passed.
Whether the Ways and Means Com
snittee substitutes for the manufacturers
sales tax are wiser or more acceptable
to the people Is another question. AS
was essential, the committee was COM
PEELED to turn TO specific taxes and to
particular industries for the tax levies.
Practically all Of the many substitute
taxes proposed by the committee are
.sales" taxes. There Is not the slightest
use in being hypocritical about the
matter. ANY one who runs may read
and understand the fact that the So
called excise taxes on beverages,
matches, radios and monographs,
candy, automobiles, cosmetics and the
Like are sales taxes. Yet the opponents
of the manufacturers sales tax resting
upon all industries alike are falling
over themselves to support the new
taxes. They have been battling, they
say, for principle" against general
sales tax. The only difference, however,
between the original proposal Of the
Ways and Means Committee for a
manufacturers sales tax and the tax
program now in the process Of being
ciple Is that the manufacturers sales
tax was fair distribution Of the burden
of taxation to all industries, while the
the new program singles out specific
industries to bear the whole burden.
That, and the fact that the new sales
taxes are not labeled in the bill as
such, but are termed "excise taxes "
Perhaps there is something In q name
after all
The House has turned, apparently,
from its season of folly to realiza-
ttion that the Government is IN dire
ssneed of a balanced budget and the
recovery of the country Is awaiting
the legislation needed to maintain the
Governments financial stability and
the financial stability Of the entire
country. That is the important thing
II should have been evident to MEM
bers Of the House long ago that such
legislation was essential. Those pro-
crastinators who have urged that II
would be preferable to continue to
borrow money for the running expenses
of the Government, instead of increas-
ing taxes, have been silenced, at least
for the time being.
When Speaker Garner had con.
emded his address to the House yes
terday, the leader of the Republicans
Mr.. Smell, and the self-appointed
leaders of the House insurgents Of
last week. Messrs. La Guardia, Rankin
and Doughton, hastened to align them
selves behind the latest tax proposal.
of the Ways and Means Committee
The insurgent leaders have voiced re.
sentiment of the criticisms that have
been heaped upon them from all sec
tions. But they also appear to have
listened TO the country.
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