The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-08-16
FRIDAY. AUG. Is. 1885.
BIGNESSIV

II HAT question Of bigness, and whether
bigness should be penalized. as such, is
raised again by the re-insertion in the tax bill,
as passed by the Senate and sent to confer
ence. Of a rather broadly graduated corpora
ton scale ranging from 1921 per cent in the
smallest bracket 70 1871 in the largest
So once more there is renewed an argu-
ment about one Of the most complicated of is
sues in time when complexities are the rule
rather than the exception.
The complication is inherent in the fact
that bigness doesn't lend itself to accurate
definition. BIgness is always relative. So we
need an Einstein And then he won't be any
too clear.
To a flea a spitz dog is big as an elephant,
and 10 an elephant a circus tent is mon
strous thing But even a circus tent isn't so
much compared with the sky. Mark Twains
Capn Stormfeld found out when he landed
at the wrong gate in Heaven that they had
never heard Of San Francisco. Nor of Cali
fornia for that matter or the United States
and l. took a celestial clerk working for days
on a map of the universe to find the world
which. among all the trillions of stars and
planets, had been incorrectly labeled the
war"
DIGNESS Is like speed. What is fast? De
II Quincy, writing less than a century ago,
chose as the ultimate in terrifying experiences
& ride on a three decked English mail coach.
From that came his immortal and neurotic
"Dream-Fugue" with its passion Of sudden
death" its rapture OF panic" its vision too
fearful" all aroused by going at what he
called velocity uaprecedented-which was 10
miles an hour.
It is only left to our imagination to deal
with what sort Of padded cell would be neces-
sary to hold Mr.. De Quincy if he were to
come to life today and ride taxi to the
railroad station.
TINE tallest building this writer ever saw
a was three stories high. Since then. every
skyscraper from the gold-donled World Build
ing to the Empire State has shrunk in the
memory of the impression that first monster
made; just as Chicago, New York, Paris and
Berlin all now seem small by comparison to
the stupendous city of Saginaw, Mich, to that
country boy who never before had seen city.
When you are dealing with bgness you just
can't get your proportions on straight.
GO with government expense:
~ "A million year will beggar US said the
patriots of 1910 CMacaulay. writing in 1890.
Two millions a year will grind the country
to powder" was the cry in 1860. Six millions
year and debt of so minionsl" exclaimed
Swift-"the high allies have been the ruin of
Us" Two hundred and forty millions of
debit" cried all the statesmen of 1888 in
chorus. What abilities. or what economy on
the part of a minister. can save country so
burdened?"
And back in our own history 130-odd years
ago we find the annual cost of Federal gov
eminent being cut from s750O,OOO to 100000.
in an economy wave in Jefferson's administra-
ton The latter figure would run our govern
ment today about five hours. Or to be more
recent, national debt just 20 years ago OF
slightly over one billion. as contrasted with the
80 billions which have been accumulated since.
WHAT you may we'll be asking, has all
w this TO do with the graduated corpora
ton income tax? Simply that the inevitable
tendency is toward bigneSs. in economics. as
the inevitable tendency is toward speed and
more speed in transportation; that the big
thing today is the little thing tomorrow; and
that from the fiscal point of view. you can't
have big national debts to pay. and only
smallneSs TO collect from.
To establish a taxation principle which
works against bigness Just because of bigness
Is TO run counter to an irresistible trend. The
government may try, but it can not stop eco
nomic evolution.