Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-22

Is President Roosevelt's new tax pro-
gram, designed to decentralize wealth,
to become a major issue in the national
campaign of 1896? Is it intended to be
such an issue? Judging from the ex-
preston Of opinion on the part Of
administration leaders on Capitol Hill,
there is to be no action on his tax pro-
posals at the present session Of Con-
gress, although twenty-five Senators,
Democrats, Republicans and Progress
sives have signed a round robin"
expressing the belief that the mat
ter should be disposed Of before
the session is adjourned. That Is,
there is to be no action unless
the President cracks down" and
places his tax-reform program In the
must" list Of legislation before an adj
journment is taken. In any event, If the
President sticks to his guns in this
matter, the program may take a promi-
nent place in the coming campaign. 1t
may be that the program in part viii
have been enacted into law by year
from now, or that it will be merely pro-
jected. At all events, the people Will
have a chance to vote upon it.
Many of the Democrats, particularly
the New Dealers, regard the Presidents
tax message as q great state document.
They believe that it will be an asset,
too, from political point of view. The
decentralization Of wealth is coming to
the fore as an issue, those who SYM
pathize with the Presidents suggested
plan are now declaring. The tmphca-
tons in the Presidents message to Con-
greSS are far reaching. 1t had the ring
of a campaign document. His warning
that social unrest In this country was
increased because of great concentration
of wealth in the hands Of a few; his
declaration that such condition Is
un-American and that something must
be done about it, sound very much like
texts for q real campaign at the polls.
The proposal Of the President has all
the signs of a crusade to share the
wealth" Yet the President remains in
a position to go forward along q major
front or to content himself with the
enactment of an inheritance tax and
increases in corporation and income
taxes on a comparatively moderate
scale. The reaction of the public toward
the proposal may have powerful infiu-
ence. As though afraid that the new
tax plan may have a bad effect on bust
ness at this time, some Of the Presi-
dents supporters are endeavoring to
make it appear that what he now recon-
mends is not at all revolutionary, but
is in line with sound policy that has
been in vogue for some time to levy
taxes on those best able to pay them.
While the President said in his mes
sage that the purpose of levying taxes
was to raise revenue to enable the
Government to meet its expenditures,
he clearly implied that the program he
suggested is for reform and is intended
to break down a condition of central
lied wealth and economic power in this
country.
The program outlined by the Presi-
dent is not one that can or should be
rushed through Congress without care
full consideration. The President, it is
now said, has been giving the matter
consideration for a long time-indeed,
that this tax program is regarded as one
Of the main features of the New Deal
and has merely been awaiting an
opportune time for proposal. 1t is not
strange that Democratic leaders in Con-
gress should desire to let the matter
simmer for time before actually writ
ing the plan into law. Tax legislation
on the eve of political campaign is
usually avoided by the politicians if
possible. Some of them are doubtful
now of the ACCESSIBILITY Of stirring up
the matter. They fear that it may have
n bad reaction on business. What hurts
business hurts the workers. And the
workers are a power at the polls.