The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-01-08
"GONE WITH THE WIND"

The TimeS-NewS has seen this statement
in number of leading newspapers and,
therefore, takes it for granted that 1t IS
based on facts and is correct:
1t is the statement that Margaret Mitch
ell Mrs. j. R. Marsh of Atlanta) author
of one of the most popular books of fiction
published last year, has received, or will
receive, 100000 in payment OF royalties
or profits on the sale of Gone With the
Wind" which sold up to a million copies
in 1886. ..
OF this half million dollars, realized in
one year by Mrs. Marsh, although she de-
voted several years to the writing OF the
book, it is said that the federal government
will take 100000, or 60 per cent, for in
come tax; and that Mrs. Marsh will pay
to the State of Georgia an additional $780,
900 of State income tax.
r. That is total tax amounting to ~ per
cent of Mrs Marsh's income from the sale
of her book.
p. of course, the income of other citizens,
if they mounted to the same proportions,
are taxed in the same ratio by the federal
government and are also taxed in nearly
all the States for the State income tax.
The newspapers for the past few days
have been exploiting the story of the sala-
ries paid the so-called "big business men"
of the country. These salaries are made
public under federal law, cooked up by
the 1hx2& politicians in Congress for the
purpose of trying to embarrass business
men and bulldoze them into subserviency
to the federal government.
As matter of fact no worthy purpose
is served by this salary publicity. The In
formation relates to the private affairs OF
corporations and individuals, and few right
thinking people believe that the federal
government has a moral or constitutional
right to make public this information OBJ
tanned through the taxing power in the in
come tax department; but nowadays, what
is little matter of right or wrong between
friends who belong to the great gang OF
political radicals who are bent on putting
mere underprivileged, Woodworking, pro-
ducing citizens of the country in their
places and keeping them there?
One thing, however, which the great
majority of citizens might remember to
their own personal profit (if they under
stood how to profit by the information) Is
that men who measure their salaries or
earnings in hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars are taxed to the point where they
have left, after paying federal and State
income taxes, only one-fourth to one-halt
of their incomes. In addition to this con-
fscation of incomes by federal and State
governments, these citizens pay every
other form of tax levied by federal, State
county and municipal governments, SC
that the citizen with large income IS ex'
tremely lucky if he retains one-fourth OF II
after being MIXED by the tax gatherers.
We are not calling attention to THESE
facts in order to shed any tears over the
plight of The country $ wealthy people, but
merely to direct attention to the fact tina,
on the whole the great middle classes and
the poorer people bear, directly or indi
rectly, total tax burdens which are to them
real burdens and in some cases business
wrecking and character-wrecking extor
tons.
The point above all others, however, thi:
newspaper desires to emphasize is that any
government, State, national or of lesser
degree, that gets into the position in whic