Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-05-21

II is easy 10 poke fun at the august
representatives of the people OF the
United States sitting in Congress as
sembled on Capitol Hill. and it is quite
reasonable at times, TO ridicule the
peculiar antics in which both the Sen
ate and the House of Representatives
frequently indulge, especially as cleo
ton time approaches and the boys are
talking for the voters in their home
districts.
But once in a while the Senate of
the United States justihes its proud
boast of being the greatest deliber-
alive body in the world" 1t is showing
signs now of qualities more statesman
like than it has exhibited for a long
time. The House, in effect, threw up its
hands when il came TO consideration OF
the new tax bill and tossed into the
Senate's lap a document upon which
both friends and foes of the Admins
tration for once frd themselves in
agreement. They were unanimous in
declaring the bill providing for taxing
undistributed corporation SURPRISES to
be hastily thrown together mass of in
comprehensive and unavoidable claus
eS.
Senate Goes to Work
The Senate Finance Committee has
gone at the Job in a serious way. 1t
has practically discarded everything
that the House did. More than that, it
has gone down to the bottom of the
whole question, as to whether any
kird of a tax upon corporate SURPRISES
would yield an increase in government
revenues over those obtainable under
present tax laws, as well as whether
such a law, of general application,
would not work to the benefit of the
big corporations and seriously injure
smaller enterprises.
The Senate Committee has listened
with great seriousness to analyses of
the proposed measure, by friends and
foes alike. Ore by one, Senators who
had earlier declared themselves in fla
vor of the plan have announced hat
they had been convinced by the array
Of facts and arguments against it, until
now it seems reasonably certain hat
the Senate will produce a tax measure
which will work, and which will not
result in handicapping business enter
prise.
While the suggestion of this new
method of taxation was originally
made by the President, it is under
stood that he has told the Senators OF
the Finance Committee hat they can
do as they think best, so long as they
bring out a bill that will yield the
$500, 000, 1000 additional revenue the
Government needs. Inside the Admin
istration, as a matter of fact, the orig
inal plan had no friends except among
a very small group of Treasury advis-
ors. More or less openly the Presi-
dents strongest supporters are express
ing their opposition. The best judg-
ment here is that the outcome will be
a moderate increase in general cor
poration taxes and a very moderate
step in the direction of taxing corpor-
ate SURPRISES, instead of relying upon
the latter tax to raise all of the re-
quired additional revenue.
Convention Talk
The political pot boils with increas-
ing vigor as convention time approach
es. Discussion is shifting from the
question as to who will be the Repub-
lican candidate toward his chances OF
election, whoever he may be. Gov.
Landon's friends are claiming hat the
defeat of the Hearst-Merriam effort to
elect Landon-instructed delegates in
California has helped the Kansas Gov
errors chances. Opinions differ sharp
ly on that. The view is held by some
experienced observers that the result
of the California primaries brings Mr..
Hoover more strongly into the conven-
ton picture, not SO much as a candi-
date as an influence, and Mr.. Hoover's
influence will be against Gov. Lam
don's nomination.
Whomever the Republicans may
nominate, he will have to carry Is
doubtful states, if the political observ-
ers are right. The best of these give
Mr.. Roosevelt 248 electoral votes from
the states which are regarded as GER
tain to go Democratic. The Republic
ans are conceded only IL sure electoral
votes. 1t takes 266 electoral votes 10