Evening star., 1935-08-01
THE POLITICAL
MILL
By G.. Could Lincoln.

OF the fr6SlQeuLS
Senator Pat Harrison has rushed to the
defense of the Presidents tax plan as is.
1t sounds as though the President not
the Congress, is elected to put through
tax legislation.
The Ways and Means Committee Of
the House, however, has shown some
signs of independence-not a great
many, but some. 1t has been tradition
that the taxes are to originate in the
house, not the White House. So the Ways
and Means Committee has abandoned
the Presidents idea that the individual
income surtaxes shall be raised only
on incomes above 81 ,0000 900 and has
brought the higher surtaXes down to in
comes of $4,000 and more.
1t has also discarded in the main the
Presidents plan for levying corporation
taxes according to the size Of the corpo-
ration and has substituted an excess
profits tax in these organizations of
capital and industry.
1t has been charged from the start
that the Roosevelt tax'bill was merely a
political gesture. Certainly no one will
contend that the tax bill as reported
to the House from the Ways and Means
Committee Is in any way adequate to
meet the needs of the Federal Govern
ment for money to balance the budget.
II the Presidents plan had been fol-
lowed to the letter it would be even less
budget balancing bill. for it would have
raised much less than the $275,000 900
additional revenue that the experts now
estimate will flow from the new bill
There is group Of ProgreSSiveS in the
Senate, however, who do not care par
ticularly whether Mr.. Roosevelt scores a
political gesture or not. This group, with
Senator Robert M. La Toilette Of Wis
conSin as leader, is intent upon having
passed a bill that will raise something
like 81 900 900 900 more revenue.
1t is true that this group is not par
ticularly concerned with balancing the
Government budget. La Toilette is one
of those who believes in even larger
appropriations for public works than the
Roosevelt administration has advocated.
The group, however, really believes in
raising more taxes on the ground that
they are needed.
To raise more taxes will mean to tax
more people-to make the burden fall
on millions where the Presidents bill
will affect only thousands or less.
-
Senator Harrison. chairman Of the
Senate Finance Committee. and there
fore in charge of the tax bill when it
shall have reached the Senate, is likely
to find it tough job to cut the tax bill
of the House back to the dimensions of
the Presidents plan. The Progressives
are out to do just the other thing. They
want tax bill much more extended
The tax bill, it looks now, is going to
get itself into the coming national cam
paign. one way or another. Democrats
do not like the idea of imposing heavy
taxes on lot Of people in the face of
an election. 1t is not playing the game
according to accepted rules.
The party that imposes taxation on
the people has to bear the burden of
criticism. If the Republicans in Con-
greSS vote for it, still the blame will
attach itself to the party in power. So
the Republicans can, if they wish. go
right to it and support the increased
taxes with comparative political i'm
punity. Whether they will or not is an
other thing. Anyway, the needed rev.
enue is apparent to every one.
The sooner the people generally un-
derstand that they have to pay for all
the expenditures which the Roosevelt
administration is making the better. The
Republicans, however, still do not seem
to be able to get together in their attack
on the Roosevelt New Dealers. Chair
man Henry P. Fletcher of the G. O. P.
National Committee issued blast over
the radio the other night.
Instead of striking responsive chord
in the breasts of some of the Repub-
licanS in Congress, it evoked some criti-
ciSm from them. For example, Senator
McNary of Oregon, the Republican
leader of the Upper House, does not
agree that Chairman Fletcher should
deal with questions of legislation.
McNary, however, has never been sat-
isfied with the selection of Fletcher to
be chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee. He is disinclined to
oppose some of the New Deal measures,
for which he and other Republicans
voted in Congress. Yet the New Deal
is to be the issue in the next campaign.
How it can be straddled by some of
these Republicans presents a serious
question. Perhaps the election in the
first congressional district of Rhode
Island next Tuesday, to fill vacancy
in the House, may result in putting
little courage into the Republican heart
as a whole-if the G. o. p nominee
should win or run very close to his
Democratic opponent.
Last Monday there was an election in
Stonington for borough officers. The
Republicans won IA out of 18 offices con-
tested for. The only Democrats to win
were those Endorsed by the Republicans.
This is the first Republican victory in
the borough in 40 years, the Democrats
having dominated the borough during
all that time. Whether the Stonington
election is an indication of Statewide
disaffection with the Democratic party
is a question. 1t may, however be
straw.
X X
A good deal may hang on the result
in the Rhode Island district next Tues
day. If the Republicans should win,
and send Republican to Congress in
place of Democrat, certain gentlemen
who are having doubts as to whether to
get into the presidential race may
perk up and show more courage. All
they need to know is that the tide is
turning against Roosevelt and their hats
will go into the ring fast enough. 1t
is the early candidate who gets the
delegates, nine times out of ten. On
the other hand, if the Democrats win
handily in this district, the President
and his followers will interpret the elec-
tion as vindication of the New Deal.
They will be more, ready than ever to
go forward with their demands for New