The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1948-11-25
America Is Tuleing Wrong And Dangerous
Tux Road

The "Tax the Poor and Spare the Rich Lobby took
beating in this election The voters dealt the Lobby nara
blows by defeating such Congressman knutson (ep
Mimi father of this years iniqutous tax amendments
and by blocking the c. O. p platform pledge to abolish IN
Nevertheless the American people cannot afford to be
compacent about taxes 1t going to take hard ght TO
stop movement which has already shifted far too much
the burden from the strong shoulders of the rich to the
backs and bellies of the poor.
Remember this Uncle Sam has to get his money some
where What the rich don't pay, the poor must.
How started on the right tax road but then turned
back and took the shown by some te-known
history.
Back in the Civil War, when Lincoln President this
country for the first time had income tax 1t lasted until
about 1870 when Rich Mems Lobby abolished it.
In the Democratic Administration of President Grover
Cleveland before the turn of the century Congress put
through tariff bill which included income The bill
passed without much controversy but its consutionaty
challenged in the courts.
The Supreme Court split in tie vote to 4, with
justice absent The eheard" when he returned
and he voted for the income tax law.
Nevertheless, it defeated by a vote of to A. OBJ
vousy one of the other justices who had previously voted
for the BILL had switched" and voted against it. 1t be-
leived that someone paid him lot of money
Early in the Wilson Administration, Congress put
through Federal income tax bill based principle
ability to pay 1t wasn't possible to knock that out be-
cause it backed by amendment to the Constitution
Ever since then, unfortunately, powerful and wealthy
interests have been chiseng that liability to pay prin
cple They have destroyed it to far greater extent than
most people understand.
Take for example "saIes taxes" which are the exact
opposite of taxes based ability to pay" The poor
has to spend his entire income necessities he is sales
taxed every dollar he The rich spends small
part of his income and invests the rest free of sales tax
Although sales taxes are comparatively new, they al
ready provide 33 cent OF the of 27 states In
other words this kind of has shifted
of the burden from the ability to pay" principle.
In addition over 100 municipalities have adopted sales
taxes the past four years and wealthy real estate inter-
ests pushing city sales tax legislation elsewhere partcu
arly in the nations Capital, Washington.
Shrewd lobbes have way OF sneaking sales tax bills
through emergency propositions-to finance schools
veteran bonuses and other attractive things Once
sales tax is fastened state community it is mighty
hard to get rid of it.
Another tax which violates the liability to pay"
principle is the payroll tax adopted by Philadelphia and
St Louis, and spreading to other cities.
That tax is levied on earned incomes" only Rich
pay tax their 'unearned" incomes, matter how
large.
The "Tax the Poor and Spare the Rich Lobby has been
trying to put through Federal sales tax bill Its chances
not bright right now, view of the election results
Congressman Gearhar (ep, Caf) sponsor of the bill,
defeated.
The American people should knock out all sales taxes
and others which violate the ability to pay principle. All
such taxes raise the cost of living reduce purchasing
help bring depressons favor the rch and threaten dem
Ocracy.