Evening star., 1938-03-04

in the next ,.,
breath, says the
principle" is sound and should be
retained"
Here the Nation has for several
months cried out for tax relief in order
that breadlines may be eliminated and
human misery ended
All the important and sensible
economists in the country and many
of the leaders in the Democratic as
we'll as the Republican party have
agreed that the present recession cam
not be Semedied unless tax relief
comes, and yet committee of the
House boldly ignores public sentiment
and seeks to save somebody's face.
Politics With Misery.
1t seems to be more important not
to offend the President, who made
blunder and now is ordering his
henchmen not to blame him, than it
is to end the privations of the people
who are suffering from the depression.
Somebody once accused Congress of
playing politics with human misery"
but the statement was never more ap-
plicable than in the present situation
The report which accompanies the
new tax bill does give some measure
of relief, but it is of the derflagogic
kind 1t hypocritically points out that
there has been exemption for a large
number of small businesses as if the
principle of penalizing thrift is any
better when applied to one kind of
business than another
Then there is the new atrocity in
tax revision known as the tax on
closely held corporations, which rises
as new Torture and damage to the
economic system. Father and son may
build up business. but Just because
they don't want to issue a lot of
securities and give the Wall Street
bankers chance to edge in on their
management and profits. they must
pay high penalty to the Treasury
of the United States. In these days
of money grabbing, the Roosevelt
administration has managed to build
UP the impression that it is against
the economic royalists." but, behind
the scenes, some strange things are
done which look as if certain
ffnanciers had considerable in
fuence over the administration after
all
May Hit Senate Snag.
Il may well be that the Senate
vi not swallow the "face-saving"
repa- OF the Ways and Means Com
nil,tee and Will absolutely repeal the
C-G.S--ibuted surplus tax. but it would
give the economic world a great deal
more encouragement if the House
Of Representatives itself killed the
present face-saving' bill and substi-
tu-ed for il an honest measure in
conformity with the wishes of the
Nation today,
There are no friends for the un-
distributed surplus tax except a few
brain trusters and a few timid poll
ticians who do what the administra-
tion tells them to do. The principle
as we'll as the details of the tax
have been roundly condemned by
experts who have furnished evidence
of the ravages of the levy. For many
months it has been patiently as
sumed by the country that the Ways
and Means Committee of the House
would somehow rise to level of
true craftsmanship and rid the coun-
try of pernicious taxes that do not
collect much revenue anyhow. but
merely manage to keep employment
from being restored
Now the work of the Ways and
Means Committee is finished and the
American people have chance to
survey what has been done The re-
suit is shameful example of the in
sincerities of politics and Of the COM
plete indifference of rubber stamp
congressman to the demands of pub
lie opinion
People Can Do Much.
What can the people do about it?
They can do plenty. They can tell
their Representatives and Senators in
their own language, ITO HI with saw
ing anybody's pride or face. let's have
recovery by tax system that encour-
ages rather than discourages thrift
and prudence"
They can also make note now of
every Democratic Congressman who
votes for the new tax bill and make up
their minds next autumn to vote
against him and to get everybody in
the neighborhood to do the same thing.
For if ever there was a palpable ex-
ample of disregard for the peoples
interest by preserving somebody's
political pride, it is contained in the
new tax bill.
Maybe the House itself will show its
independence by repeating outright
the undistributed surplus tax as we'll
as the penalty on talented individuals
who build up their own business with
out the help of the bank brokers and
money changers.
Do the people really want the de-
preston ended? If they do they have
the remedy in their own hands-to
tell Congress what to do and to punish
the members of the Democratic party
at the polls If they fail to do what they
are asked to do-namely, to give
America at last sensible system of
revenue collection without punitive
taxes and Detty politics