Evening star., 1947-08-01

COQdy 1OT Ieliur6 TO act, ana Wnat
is his motive? First, the Communist,
because this Is not Communistic
Congress. and because the Com
munists do not believe in Congress
at all. Second, the New Dealers and
the CIO, because this is not q New
Deal or a CIO Congress. and has
concerned itself with reversing the
abuses Of the New Deal rather than
with extending them. Third. those
modern planners who do not really
approve of Congress at all and who
believe In government by the Exec
utive. They would have Congress
delegate all its power, including
taxation. to some Federal bureau
and not bother its head about what
Is done thereafter. Fourth. those
who have some project of their own,
no doubt of importance, but post
poned in the necessity of considering
measures more vital to the public
welfare.
| People Wanted Things Done.
But as far as we can Judge, the
people approve of the things Con-
gress has done. For the first time
in 16 years, those things have been
done because the people themselves
have wanted to have them done,
and not because some must" leg
islation has been transmitted from
the White House.
There are those who criticize our
constitutional system because the
President and the Congress may be
of different parties and who have
feared that this condition would
produce a deadlock in Government.
If any one will examine the list of
laws that have been passed, he viii
conclude broadly that there has
been no legislative deadlock, nor,
so far as can see, has the Pres
ident been hampered in any impor-
tant executive policy. But the much
vaunted talk of cooperation on the
Presidents side has come to nothing.
Apparently, he contemplated that
all the cooperation was to come
from the Republicans. Outside Of
foreign policy, he has never con-
suited the Republicans or discussed
with them any important public
policy. Even in foreign policy. Re-
publicans were hardly called in on
important new proposals like the
Greek Loan and the Marshall plan
until the policy itself had been
formulated and was ready to an
nounce. They were merely asked
to go along.
I cannot here cover the entire
field of legislation enacted. can
only hit the high spots. We were
met at the outset by the presidential
demand for $37, 500, ,0O0, 900 to spend.
five times the prewar budget, and
the maintenance of existing wartime
taxes. We were defied to reduce
the budget one cent or cut the
taxes one cent. The levying of taxes
has always been peculiarly the func-
tion OF Congress and of the House
of Representatives. Congress has
traditionally held the purse
strings" in behalf of the citizens. 1t
was never intended that taxes
should be levied in excess OF the
sum Congress determined to levy.
But, because the existing wartime
taxes had no termination date, the
presidential veto could be used for
the first time in the history of the
United States to force upon the
people the continuation of high
wartime tax system against the
overwhelming opinion of Congress.
Taxes Threaten Economy.
In my opinion, the tax burden to-
day is more than can be long main
tanned without threatening the ex-
istence OF a free economy. We are
taking 80 per cent Of the peoples in
come, three days work in 10 on the
average. The lower income groups
are heavily burdened. The incen-
! tive OF the middle income group to
work harder Is discouraged. In
vestment OF money in new tools and
equipment is made impossible for
middle or upper incomes. The
moment the present activity turns
downward the tax burden will tend
to produce a slide into depression.
Any present estimate of receipts
and expenses shows, q surplus OF
about $1,000, 900, 900 in the current
fical year and at least $4,000, ,000, 900
of this should have been devoted to
reduction in taxes. Surely the
debt should be steadily reduced, but
too big a reduction in single year
greatly reduces purchasing power
and can encourage q serious defia-
ton. The President not only vetoed
the current reduction, but he We
toed q reduction for the year 1913.
When does he think taxes can come
down?
The subject of taxes and expenses
is inevitably tied together. The
Presidents real reason for retain
ing the taxes is obviously to have
more money to spend. The best
reason to reduce taxes is to reduce
our ideas OF the number of dollars
which Government can properly
spend in a year and thereby reduce
the present inflated ideas OF the
proper scope Of bureaucratic activ-
| ity. The time has come when we
should determine the limit Of the
tax burden which can safely be
borne and conform our expenditures
to the taxes, instead OF levying taxes
to cover every expenditure any
crank can think up.
Democrats Fought Cut.
The Democrats have fought just
as bitterly against every effort to
reduce expenses as they have against
tax reduction. They have taunted
us with our inability to reduce this
expense or that, while they enlisted
every selfish and sectional interest to
OPEN SATURDAYS
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