Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-16
Member Of the Associated Press.
Resigned Recklessness.

People admire and respect courage,
but most of them deplore recklessness.
No courage was shown by either branch
of Congress in writing or passing the tax
bill. The Finance Committees nearest
approach to courage was its tentative
adoption last Saturday of the La Toilette
surtaxes. But, walking gamely enough
up to the shadow of real taxation for
revenue, the committee turned tail and
scampered like jackrabbit after forty
eight hours of thinking it over.
The House bill was reckleSsly drawn
In confused haste and as recklessly
passed. Yesterday the Senate, some
times referred to as the worlds greatest
deliberative body, gave an exhibition OF
resigned recklessness in rushing the bill
through to passage that has not been
duplicated by a Congress already noted
for its legislative recklessness.
The whole attitude of the Senate yes
terday was to have done with an I'M
welcome business, the sooner the better.
Inc excuse lOT tIlc UIll was tiloS eAiS
President wanted something of the sort.
That was apparently all that was needed.
After the La Toilette amendments had
been formally put to the axe the Sen
ate proceeded to dispose of the bill and
amendments with all the quiet efficiency,
and with about the same amount OF en-
thusiasm, of hired pallbearers.
The Senate's adoption of the Borah
a margin of single vote, making tax
able the interest yield from future issues
of National Government securities, swaS
in keeping with other contradictory ges-
lures For while the President has sug-
sested such a principle-through
constitutional amendment-the Borah
amendment was opposed by administra-
ton leaders and will doubtless be elm
mated from the bill in conference under
pressure from the same source. To do
anything else would be nonsense. For,
despite all the headline making talk
about the rich who escape taxation by
such bonds are made tax-exempt to help
sell them. The National Government
will not make its bonds taxable while
States and municipalities leave their
own non taxable. And it will be long
time before the latter willingly increase
their already substantial difficulties of
borrowing money.
The most discomfiting feature of the
tax legislation does not arise from the
fact that rich are being soaked. Every
sane person knows that before the end
of the current carnival the rich and the
poor alike will be soaked one way or
another, and soaked again. But the
spirit of recklessness is manifested in
the fact that wealth and bigneSS are be-
Ing soaked in accordance with certain
abstract notions that wealth and big
ness must be punished and without any
very careful consideration of the con-
sequences. Congress is putting into ef-
feet new principles of taxation, hereto
fore considered inequitable and viciously
unfair, and adding to already heavy bur-
dens of taxation in manner that yields
the Government little revenue, but
which may seriously threaten the pros
perity of American business. Those
most apt to be damaged are not the
rich at all. but the millions of wage
earners whose livelihood, off the dole. de-
ponds on the prosperity of business. .
A revenue measure is about the most
serious business that confronts legis-
lative body. The destructive power of
taxation is safe only in careful hands.
Congress has displayed in its reckless
haste to pass a tax bill and go home,
little concern either for business re-
covery or for the preservation of the
Nations credit. 1t has probably dam
aged both.