Milford chronicle., 1938-05-06

their toll. Business cannot flourish
with the strangling hand of the tax
collector around its neck. Already
one of the major troubles in the
present situation is that the busi-
ness of the country is bowed down
by taxation. The Chamber of Com
merce of the United States in a re-
Gently completed study on taxation
determined that in the decade from
1926 to 1885 active corporations. as
| a group paid taxes amounting to
more than 20 billion dollars or A
per cent more than their earnings
after deducting taxes. In other
words, the tax collectors took near
ly 60 cents out Of every dollar of
business earnings.
How can business stand any more
taxation in view of that picture? I?
Part of.the Presidents spending pro
gram cOntemplates that the states
and local governments shall go fur
ther into debt. In recent report to
the Senate Committee on Relief and
Unemployment, a group of the ma
tion's outstanding municipal re-
search directors pointed out that al
ready large number of our cities
are on the verge of insolvency. New
er forget that whatever sums the
state and the municipal govern
ments borrow from the Federal Gov
ernment must be paid back out of
taxes levied on your home and farm
and. in many instances. by taxes on
your daily purchases.
II appears tragic that when SO
much could be done in a construc-
tive way that our efforts should be
directed solely to illusory and dan
gerous undertakings. !
In his message to Congress on
Thursday Mr. Roosevelt declared
that in fairness to him it should be
noted that since January /, 1887, a
period of fifteen months, he had
recommended to Congress only four
measures of major Importance to
the business of the country. The
President added the record speaks
for itself. No other measures affect
ing business have been proposed"
The Presidents statement is not
quite correct since certainly his pro-
posal as to the Supreme Court and
the reorganization of the Govern
ment were measures affecting busi-
ness-but adversely. l am willing.
however, to accept the Presidents
statement and [ would like to ask, in
view of the economic recession
which started last summer. why in
his words mo other measures af-
fecting business have been propOs-
ed?' As one example of his failure
to act, may l ask. why has Mr..
Roosevelt neglected to take the
leadership in formulating solution
for the railroad problem, one of the
most serious spots in our economic
life and one of the sickeSt indus
tries? He long has known about the
critical condition of the railroad, but
he has done nothing other than talk
about the problem. As far back as
his 1882 campaign, the President
said at Salt Lake City, II shall con-
tinue the policy of trying to pre-
vent receiverships." And he added,
but Il do not believe that is more
than a stop gap" Unfortunately, un-
der the New Deal it has not even
been a stop gap, for since Mr.. /,
Roosevelt took. Office 80 railroads
have gone into bankruptcy. In his
Salt Lake City speech Mr.. Roose- {
gelt promised to rehabilitate the
systems of this country, but
ike so many Roosevelt promises,
has been done to assist that !
Important industry toward recovery.
We find that in June. 1885, Mr..
Roosevelt commenced a message to
Congress by asserting "It is high
ime to deal. with the nations trans !
as a single unified prob |
en-" And again he went on to prom ,
Sc what he would do to rehabilitate
'ailroads. Three years later we |
ind the railroads of this country in ,
he most critical condition of their |
existence. This time Mr.. Roosevelt /
lropped the problem into the lap of
congress with the suggestion Of !
more loans for carriers already
In debt.