Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-04-21
Legislators
Shy at Telling
Tax Boosts
All Anxious TO S fte r
JoIt Of Increase
By PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON, April 21.-
Any one who wants credit for
this coming one-third increase
in taxes can have il.
Usually when more taxes be-
come necessary. the President
sends a message to Congress or
the treasury goes up TO the hill
with a fanfare. Not so this time.
Legislative tax leaders, Sena-
tor George and Representative
Doughton. started trying TO see
Mr.. Roosevelt a bout it two
weeks ago. Doughton kept tell
ing the press each day he eX-
pected to see the President the
next. but after 10 days the
leaders were told to go to see
Morgenthau. Dough ton an
nounced they would on Tuesday,
but it was Thursday before they
got in. And the invitation list
was swelled TO include Republic
cans, like Senator Vandenberg.
who had never been inside the
treasury since 1893.
THE Republicans were fairly
L cute themselves. They kept
insisting in the conference that
the way this bad news should be
broken to the people was to
have Mr.. Roosevelt go on the
air in a fireside chat. Their
support was necessary. so they
not only got into a Democratic
conference for one of the few
times in New Deal history, but
they won their point.
This tone of compulsory
friendlineSS will surround the
passing of the bill and probably
guarantee a straight revenue
raising law rather than further
reform of the social order. There
is little chance of a fight.
Even senator Nandenberg
conceded behind his hand the
one-thlrd increase would prevent
initiation by monetary deficien-
cies. This still leaves open the
prospect of economic initiation
by price-wage Spiraling, credits,
etc, but these are not tax
matters.
The bitter political business
will. however, be attended APP
parently by an extraordinary
amount of deceptive low grade
publicity, picturing how easy the
boost is going to be for all.
For an initial instance. the
original news was accompanied
by such stuff as "the increase
will amount to only $3.50 for
every man. woman and child in
the United States although
no children. few women. and not
nearly all men, pay taxes. The
blow will actually fall 10 times
heavier on those who do.
THIS country is pictured as
L being further away from a
declaration of war today than
60 days ago, in the private eX-
preSSions of all the adminiStra-
tons congressional leaders.
Their late advices from the
White House have been designed
TO allay congressional fears of
what F. d. r. might do The
President has been portrayed as
strongly determined to avoid in
volvement now. The result has
been to keep Congress quiet.
Although Navy Secretary Knox
told Congress the government
ought not to take over a plant,
he and War Secretary SumSon
had plan worked out to take
over AlliS-Chalmers two weeks
ago.
Their plan did not get out but
was presented to MIR Roosevelt.
II called for Knox TO send an adj
miral into the plant, but for
StimSon 10 summon a number
of troops from a nearby WiScon-
sin camp. Mr.. Roosevelt joshed
Knox about the discrepancy in
responsibility, asking in effect:
whats the matter with the
navy that you let Stimson do
the dirty work? ,"
Turning serious. the President
thumbed down the plan, claim
ing it would only magnify the
trouble TO have the government
undertake the responsibility for
breaking the strike. He said he
thought it better to have labor
striking against management
than against government.
Diatuhuted by King Features Synd, Inc
Reproduction in whole or in part