Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1949-02-25

he provided definite
and factual Informal
ton as to the amount
and the percentage
Of the price the con-
sumner paid for more
than 100 generally
u d commodities.
PATTERSON Those were the "hid-
den" taxes W h c h
the American consumer paid then,
as he does now.
PARTY LEADERS and members
Of congress consireded it politically
inadvisable for either party to i'm
part to American consumers the
fact that they were paying the tax
congress authorized be collected
from the producing corporations,
producing business concerns, big or
little, and from the distributors Of
such commodities as were offered
for consumer purchase.
As long as the consumers
were not aware Of the fact that
they were paying these tax
bills, both parties could make
political capital out Of soaking
all corporations and all bust
nesses involved in the produce
ton and distribution Of COM
modities the consumer pur-
chased.
Congress expected and received
consumer-applause for the principal
of making business, both large and
small, the scrapegoat of the ever
growing tax load. There were COM
paratively few votes to be had from
producers for either party, but
there were millions Of consumer
votes.
SHOULD THE consumer-voters
ever fully realize the fact that they
are actually paying the taxes col
lected from the corporations prod
uct and the distributors, the men,
bers Of congress would have to ac-
count to their constituents for every
vote they cast in favor of increasing
longer be able to fool the consumer
voters.
Practically no use was made
Of the factual information that
capable tax experts provided
for use In that 1896 campaign.
Members of congress and party
leaders deemed 1t inadvisable.
They preferred to let "sleep-
ing dogs lie."
Under such conditions, and after
so many years, doing which both
parties have attempted successfully
to fool the consumer-voter into be-
lieving the corporations, the pro-
ducers and distributors were being
forced to pay the cost of govern
ment, it was surprising, but also
encouraging, to read the statement
made by Senator Bridges of New
Hampshire before the Senate. He
was speaking of the proposed in
crease of four billion or more dol
lars in federal taxes. In effect, he
said:
It is proposed that such in
crease be collected from the
wealthy, from corporations,
from commodity producers,
from distributors, from bust
ness. The President knows,
and members of congress know
that while such increased taxes
may be collected from such
sources they do not pay it.
They pass it on to the consumer
as an increase in the price of
their commodities. All bust
nesses do that, from the pro-
Queer to the distributor. 1t is
legitimate part of the cost of
doing business. II they did not
pass it on, it would close the
doors Of production and distri-
button and cause the loss Of
jobs to millions of workers.
1t is the consumer who pays
the tax dollar the federal gov
eminent collects, regardless of
whom the government directly
assesses.
To meet the Presidents budget
that covers the ever-increasing
cost of the ever-increasing size and
amount of government, there will
be more taxes. All of the increase
will be paid by the consumer in the
form of an increase in what the
consumer buys. Such are the "hid-
den" taxes the members Of con-
gress would prefer the consumer
voters did not know about
I know of nothing in the Consti-
tuition of the United States that
would empower the federal con-
gress to tell anyone what he must
pay his office boy, or any other
employee as wages. l do know
that Article 10 of the Bill of Rights,
a definite part of the Constitution,
provides: 1.-THE powers not delegated
to the United States by the Consti-
tuition, nor prohibited to it by the
States, are reserved to the States
A.