The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-07-25
Mistakes Are Costly

ShingtOn.-Pol1tlcS varies nt-
tie from week to week or from adj
ministration to d m n S ration.
There is much the same reaction to
smart maneuvers and much the
same consequence when a politician
makes bonehead play. Those who
make the mistakes pay the penal
ties and just now one hears an
abundance of discussion in Wash
ington as to whether Mr.. Roosevelt
made a political mistake that may
cost. him dearly later on. .. .
It will be recalled how in 1928
Senator William E. Borah of Idaho
exacted a pledge from candidate
Herbert Hoover that if Mr.. Hoover
were elected he would Immediately
cali a special session of congress to
deal with the agricultural tariff.
Mr.. Hoover carried out his promise
and in so doing brought about his
eyentful downfall. He asked con-
gress for a specific thing, namely,
revision of the tariff affecting agr1-
cultural imports, so that American
agriculture could live. But congress
-as congress does so many times
refused to stay in bounds. 1t got
out of hand so badly that when the
Hawley-Smoot tariff bill finally was
enacted into law it turned out to be
q boomerang of the worst kind. 1t
overwhelmed Mr.. Hoover and all OF
those who attempted to justify it.
Now to bring the parallel to date
Mr.. Roosevelt has asked congress
for a three point tax program. It
is another one of those specific
things. No sooner had his special
message landed at the Capitol than
house and senate members began
ooing around to see how it could
be expanded. Each member had his
own ideas and each member began
insisting and continues to insist on
having those ideas included in the
Roosevelt tax bill. From this tax
program will result good many
observers believe, bareback on
the President and his aspirations
flor reelection next year.
The efforts to expand the tax bill
and good many of them are go
ing to be acknowledgements only
the beginning The thing is like a
SNOWFALL and snowballs have a way
Of; getting too large to manage.
Sometimes they roll down upon the
boy. who started to make them.
When the President first tossed his
tax message into what was pre-
sumed to be the last stage of the
session, he explained that the pur-
pose of the new taxes was ultimate
fly to balance the budget and at the
same time to lay a foundation for
redistribution of wealth. After the
first furry in which the admins
Ttration spokesman at the Capitol
tried to rush through a bill, exam
ination disclosed that the schedules
he had proposed accomplished ne
ither a balanced budget nor the
objective of redistributed wealth.
;, The potential yield of the income
tax ON the greater incomes failed
I in any way to produce wealth re-
distribution. Nor did the proposed
tax on inheritances and gifts yield
g great return because in none of
the instances are there large sources
]. of revenue to tap.
When the President offered his
tax bill he suggested informally that
the probable yield would be about
$341 ,000, 900 annually. Congressional
examination of the schedules de-
.veloped a conviction among leaders
at the Capitol that the yield would
not be in excess of 500, 1000 600 an
nually. Then, along came Secretary
Morgenthau who expressed various
and sundry ideas about TAXATION
but made no recommendations
whatsoever. That, according to the
trained political observers here, was
another mistake. It left the door
wide open and naturally there was
forthcoming perfect deluge of the
tax ideas born among the individ-
: ual members after the Presidents
message was delivered.
Incomes to Be Hit Hard
While it is too early yet to pre-
dict the final form of the tax legis-
lation, 1t appears on the basis oil
present circumstances that the new
bill will tax the incomes of 8
great many hundreds Of thousand,
Of persons at q heavier rate thar
they now are paying. They viii
get the full force and effect of these
tax rates next March Is, when the
first, installment of taxes on in.
comes of 1885 is due
Thereby hang the possible poll.
deal consequences of the Presi.
dents tax message. People never
like to pay taxes, and to pay take.
now, with economic conditions what
they are, is much more distatstfu
than In prosperous days. So, thu
political observers in their discus.
sion around Washington now con.
tend that Mr.. Roosevelt will have
much to answer for If the Republi.
cans and New Deal opposition have
the ability to utilize the materia
made available to them. Previously
In these columns, have referred tt
the possible strategy of the Presi.
dent In seeking reelection through
an appeal to the masses. This course
has been freely charged by those
who contend that the 5000, 0O0, 00l
public works-relief fund which HI
has available to spend as he sees I'll
may be used to advantage in a po-
Itical way. =.
Now that congress has given ever,
indication of it's determination tx
go beyond the Presidents tax pro-
{ posal and assess taxes against mos
b L. L. -