Evening star., 1934-10-18
hePOlitical Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.


OMAHA, Nebr., October 1s-rt was
less than two years ego that Franklin
d. Roosevelt, then president-elect, de-
clared himself mortified at q proposal
brought to him In New York by some
of the congressional leaders Of his own
party that q manufacturers sales tax
be included In Federal revenue bill.
Today the Republicans In several Of
the States which have Democratic ad-
ministrations are aiming their shafts
at State sales tax laws which have
been enacted since the President
turned his back on the sales tax pro-
posal. These Democratic State admin
istrations, as in Illinois, Wisconsin
and Iowa. turned TO the sales tax as a
sure means of raising revenue needed
not only to carry on the State gov
ernments but also to meet the added
demands, for relief Of the destitute
and unemployed.
The State sales tax has been made
prime issue in Iowa by the Repub-
licans, who are seeking to defeat for
reelection Gov. Clyde Herring. They
assert that the pennies from the poor
are used to cut the taxes of the rich. :"
A Republican campaign pamphlet
shows a picture Of the home Of Gov.
Herring. Under 1t Is printed SALES
tax money is being diverted to bring
about reduction Of $67.20 a year in
the taxes on this mansion. But, what
are you getting, look at your own tax
receipts The pamphlet urges. the
voters TO figure what their families
pay in sales taxes, and then, If they
are paying property taxes, compare
what they are getting back in prop
erty tax rebates. The difference, it Is
said, represents the tax increase un-
der the Herring sales tax. And if the
voters rent homes and pay no prop
erty taxes, then the whole sales taxes
paid by them represent their increased
taxes.
Now the sales tax in Iowa Is ex-
pected to bring In about $4,000, 900
year, a tidy sum. The Democrats
argue that all of this sum is to be
saved the property owners, who have
| lldo W DCdI OllC 0u10Gi VI tltC bdACOs
For the plan is to reduce property
| taxes and substitute the revenue de-
rived from the per cent sales tax.
Undoubtedly this makes hit with
many Of the owners Of property. This
applies to Republicans as well as to
Democrats. But despite the fact that
some of the Republican newspapers
have taken a sharp crack at the Re
publican platform, which pledges the
repeal Of the sales tax, the G. o. P.
leaders believe they have the popular
end of the issue, and perhaps they
have. The Democrats are using edi-
torial comment from Republican
newspapers of the State to bolster
their side of the argument. For ex-
ample, the Cedar Rapids Gazette had
this to say when the Republicans
made the sales tax an issue:
"The Republican big wigs, who have
just sounded their Iowa campaign
battle cry, in no instance made them
selves more ridiculous than by their
planks on State taxes, perennial is
sues. They yelp for the repeal of the
sales tax and imposition of an in
come tax differing from the one now
imposed. In this appeal for votes
they fail to explain where they would
derive the funds needed at Des
Moines. Federal income taxes on cor
poratlons in Iowa produce less Than
s4,500,000 for the national Treasury
Multiply that sum by three and you
will have less than our Q per cent
sales tax produces. Why not talk
sense?" ~
| President Rooseyelt's personal popu-
larity seems to be standing up here
in the Middle West, even though parts
of his program are denounced and
also many of the advisers who sur
round him. In none of the five States
which the writer has visited in the
last 10 days is there a claim by the
Republicans that Roosevelt, if he were
running for reelection today, would
fail to win the electoral votes of these
States. They are Illinois, Wisconsin
Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. These
States furnish a pretty good cross
section of the entire country West OF
the Alleghanies. Here and there you
hear it said that the President has
lost some of his former followers.
But, generally speaking, it is admit
ted that the people, while bewildered
by the New Deal and not sure that il
is working out successfully, are still
clinging to the President upon whom
they gambled for better times in the
elections of 1882. This is in spite Of
the arguments advanced by the Re-
publican speakers in the campaign
tending to show that there are more
people on the relief rolls now thar
year ago, that there are more people
out of employment than there were 6
year ago, that the public debt has in.
creased by billions of dollars, and thai
living costs have increased materially
Robert G. Simmons, Republican
candidate for the Senate in Nebraska
speaking before the Rotary Club II
Omaha yesterday, pointed out that. il
spite of the N. r. A. set-up, according
to American Federation of Labor fig
ures 1,277,000 more men are walking
the streets of America unemployed
than there were year ago. He added
that more people are on strike ant
more people are dissatisfied as result
Of the Code Administration thar
there ever have been in the history
of the country.
Bringing 1t home" continued Mr.
Simmons, "I am reliably informed
that in the city of Omaha In August
1888, there were 5000 families on re.
lief and that today there are ovel
II, 900 families on relief, and franl
admission ON the part Of the Govern.
ment that the number on relief vii
continue to increase" 81
Nevertheless, business has been bet.
ter and cash seems to be more plenti.
full Republicans contend that this i.
probably due to the large expenditure.
of many kinds by the Federal Govern.
ment. What they fear isAa slump Il
the Government spending slackens
Incidentally some of the business mer
appear to like the codes of the N. R. A
Republicans are making capital Out
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