Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-10-13
$4,000 Law
Levels Off
All Salaries
And That's The Intention
Of First Lady S Bill
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
MRS. + NOR ROOSE-
A WELT has PASSED a law.

49, 'iN1 lN'nSNd q Jaw
II was a law which was first
proposed last winter by the
United Auto Workers of the
Go.
1t is the law which Congress
repeatedly refused 10 pass, limit
ing income earned by personal
services 10 S25, 900 a year, with
certain reservations. and adopt
ing the communistic principle Of
economic equality.
After the JAW proposed this
law and Mrs. Roosevelt advo-
Gated the idea, the President
took IT up and presented IL TO
Congress.
Congress turned il down.
The President then threatened
TO Supersede Congress unless
certain things were done and
Congress. in hurry TO avoid
such showdown, increased his
already great executive power.
Then, a week ago, among
many other provisions contained
in his executive order creating
the office Of economic stabiliza-
ton, President Roosevelt gave
Mrs. Roosevelt her law.
IN PRACTICAL financial ef-
L fest, Mrs. Roosevelt's law will
make very little difference 10
the treasury or 10 those affected
because income tax rates achieve
about the same figures.
In fact it is not even repre-
sented 10 be a law 10 raise
money, which is the purpose OF
taxation.
It's purpose is plainly declared
10 be TO correct gross inequities
and TO provide for greater equal
ity in contributing TO the war
effort"
That Is where the communism
comes in. for. under the Ameri-
can system. the government has
no mission TO eQualiZe the eff
cient and talented individual
with the rest, and. once eauali-
cation is recognized as a concern
and a power of the central gov
eminent. there is no reason why
the ceiling on individual incomes
may not be set al some figure
which would permit neither
peaks nor dips.
\ SIDE from the principle of
"A Mrs. Rooseveit's law. passed
over the head of Congress. il il
unfair TO those who earn their ,
incomes by personal services and
to individuals who have kept out
OF debt.
And. Of course, any one who
has inherited a fortune yielding
a large income need not be
troubled by the innovation.
Aside from the inequality OF
a law whose stated purpose is
to promote inequality. fault
which could be corrected by
straight taxation, the principle
and the intent remain 10 chal-
lenge the American concept.
THE communism is seen in the
i plain assertion that no per-
sons services in private enter
prise. even outside the war
effort, can legally be worth more
than a certain amount OF money
per year.
II is said that the Presidents
own salary will be equalized by
voluntary action. which has
nothing 10 do with the case ex-
cept 10 affirm the offensive
principle in the highest quarter.
But the President is a rich
man in his own right, whose
mother left fortune of more
than 81 100000 last year. and
that million but the remainder
of a greater fortune which has
been handed down. and Mrs.
Roosevelt herself has received
one of the greatest personal in
comes in the entire country in
the years since 1882 which has
been all hers 10 do with as she
pleased-to spend. give away or
keep. subject 10 the usual taxes.
None of this income. neither
from the estate nor from accu-
INFLATED riches. is affected.
But the stated purpose OF
Mrs. Roosevelt'S law is the KEY
10 its real intent. The laws
purpose is not 10 raise money
with which TO fight the war or
to prevent initiation but ito pro-
vide greater equality in contrib
uting 10 the war effort"
That phrase. lin contributing
TO the war effort is dressing.
The real purpose is ito pro-
vide for greater equality" by
establishing the principle that
Americans may receive Just so
much and no more for their
services with the unspoken pro-
viso that the maximum NAV be
scaled down TO a subsistence
rate.