The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-04-10
BEN FRANKLIN KNEW IT
BY J. E. Jones


keeps ON discussing proposals for a
Federal sales tax, but doesn't pass
law to that effect because a number
of states already have their own
statutes that bring home the money
to local treasures. The states object
to this additional invasion of their
Estates rights. The states have the
Jump" on the sales tax machinery,
and that's where the matter is lik-
ely to end.
Very little attention has been
paid to the fact that il the auto
sales tax should be boosted to 20
per cent, as it is often suggested,
that it would amount to more than
double the proportion of the pro-
posed Federal sales tax.
In recent years there has been
automobile ownership in the major
ity of homes throughout the United
States, and special taxes including
sales taxes are almost numerous
enough to cover the body of car.
AS matters now stand there seem to
be taxes that begin at the bottom
of the rubber tires, reach up to the
gasoline tank, and cover all the rest
of the machine until the car comes
up for inspection, registration, driv-
ers permit, etc. In the District of
Columbia, special tax must be
paid with the cost of the license
plate. Even Ben Franklin in his day,
discovered that Sin this world moth
ing is certain but death and taxes.
Thou Must Not
The Weekly Bulletin of "Vic-
tory issued by the Federal Govern
ment has lot of new ideas, such as
price ceilings and new quotas for
refrigerators: the ban on new rub
Der heels; and restraint ON tin, cop
per, iron, brass, bronze and raw silk.
Rayon is to be blended with wool;
the prices of drugs, chemicals, as
pirin and Vitamin c are not to be
monkeyed with. If your soap isn't
as slippery as it used to be it's be-
cause glycerine is absent, and being
put into explosives. Inks, fabrics,
dyes, paints and stains will be more
reddish than blue in the future, be-
cause cobalt comes from Africa.
WPB suggest that you take inch
wide strips from old bed sheets and
homemade paste to make shade
windows against bombs.
%
There'Jl Come Time
According to a lot of estimates
being made in Washington it begins
to look as though most of the
automobiles driven by civilians will
gradually disappear from the high
ways before the war is over. If your
rubber tires don't last through the
coming good old summertime" you
likely won't be able to get new ones.
The reaction to this condition is
acknowledgements seems to &C
cept the situation, and say that ''if
that is the way to win the war we'll
get along somehow"
Time will have to tell how long
it will be before the wars are over.
Time will have to tell when the
nation will be able to suspend
production of war materials and get
back to business as usual
But when the time comes for pub
lie opinion to shout for the return
OF automobiles the cars, after the
necessary make ready" interval,
will automatically and peacefully
ride off the assembly lines, and the
manufacture of automobiles will re-
sumo its position as the greatest
industry in the country.
Food For Thought
One familiar description worthy
of Thought concerns the struggle for
efficiency in Washington, and on this
subject famous writer says lit is
not a struggle between isoationists
and interventionists, radicals, and
conservatives, old dealers and new
dealers, capital and labor, the Ad-
ministration or the public. But he
finds the struggle actually is be-
tween energetic men" and passive
men"--the struggle between live
wires and the dead-wood. That's a |!
very good analysis of the situation
In Washington, and undoubtedly it
may be extended to include all parts
of the United States.
National Sales Tax
If we had a national sales tax of |