Evening star., 1943-02-11

From ErroI
To RumI
And He Wakes Up
Screaming at
Moreenthou
BY J. p. McEVOY.

BY J. P. McEvOY.
Hon Sir:
First of all, can't we get on little
more friendly footing than this
honorable business? After all.
there is something peculiarly inti-
mate In the relationship between q
taxpayer and the Secretary Of the
Treasury. It was all right to carry
on the fiction OF formanty. Henry.
when you had only one hand In my
pocket, but now that you are PLAN
ming to turn me upside down and
shake me, let's try to understand
each other.
Secondly-and most respectfully
I would like to call your attention
to the fact that I, as Z taxpayer.
will be around for a long time,
whereas you, as Secretary OF the
Treasury, are anything but immor-
tai. I don't want you to interpret
this as a threat. After all, we've got
to have Secretary OF the Treasury
and 1t might as we'll be you--but It.
doesn't have to be.
can speak with a certain amount
Of firmneSs. I wasn't elected or Ap-
pointed taxpayer-I can't be re-
called, impeached or fired. Doggone
it, can't even quit! But how did
you get your office? Don't answer
If you don't care to, just think about
it. And just remember that without
Treasury to run, you can't be .
Secretary. But me, I'm a taxpayer
for life. Yes, I've seen a dozen guys
sitting behind your desk. and after
you're gone I'll 90 on seeing them.
Sometimes wake up screaming.
Business Of the Day.
But now for the business Of the
day. I've been following this Ruml
plan story in the newspapers-And
now that the Enrol Flynn matter
is settled I can give 1t all Of my
attention. AS I understand 1t, Ruml
wants to forgive my 1912 taxes, but
you don't want to forgive them. You
don't even want to forget them.
I've never met Ruml, but I've
grown mighty fond OF the man.
There is something warm and ap-
pealing about complete stranger
with such a generous and gentle
heart. Now I don't mean to say
that you haven't got a heart, Henry
that you couldn't be generous and
gentle. too, if you wanted to be
I am only saying that now is tho
time for all good men to come to
the aid Of the party-and vice versa.
So far your henchmen seem to
favor double taxation, which is hard
enough to bear. and double talk
which is worse. Our representatives
in Washington who know no moro
about the theories of taxation than
we do-which makes them truly rep
resentative, favor any plan that will
put us on a pay-as-you-go basis, and
this Is Jake with US. We are con-
ditioned to buying things on the in
stallment plan. We all agree that
victory Is more to be desired than
sewing machines, or vacuum clean
ers. And more lasting-we hope.
But where would installment COM
panies get of trying to collect out
Of last years income?
We're Not Laughing.
Henry. whether you admit 1t or
not, you are now in the installment
collection business. You have mil
lions Of new taxpayers who have
never bought anything by any other
method and they are used to paying
for everything as they go-from q
new electric iron to a new baby.
Anything you and your fiscal ex-
perts may say to the contrary Is
just another Abbott and Costello
routine like Who's on first? What's
on second?' Only we're not laugh
ing.
Now some people say you don't
like the Ruml plan because you
didn't think Of 1t first. I would
rather not believe that-but don't
push me- After all. We don't care
who thought OF it nrst-if you
think OF it last-and hold that
thought. Me. I'm no dumber than
my Congressman-and certainly no
brighter-and he can't make up his
mind whether you lose money by
forgiving us our 1912 taxes or not.
But what Of 1t? Whose money is
it? If It's our debt and we owe
it to ourselves, 1t seems to me We
have the right to do pretty much
what we want about 1t. And who
said we owed it in the first place?
We did. Not you. Henry. If we all
said we didn't owe it and wouldn't
pay 1t, how would you collect It?
OF course, you might say that isn't
sound, scientific economics, and.
then you would have to prove that
economics is q science, which. Of
course, 1t isn't, as you know.
Fact is, yodr economics. Henry, Is
a cult, and as long as you are
Secretary of the Treasury, you are
its high priest. Which is okay.
Henry, but economics-yours or
Ruml's, is also q philosophy and
Santayana had some words for It:
"A system OF philosophy is a per-
sonal work of art, which gives a
specious unity to q chance vista In
the cosmic labyrinth" Chew on that.
Henry.
Respectfully yours,
J. P. McEVOY.
Distributed BY McNausht Syndicate Incl