Evening star., 1952-01-06

! Ao" OA n L0 y AMI ON 1AI
the status, by States, of the prt
/ Tuxes
/ Continued From First Page.)
and submitting it to various States
for ratification.
This is one of the two methods
OF amendment provided for in ar
ticle V Of the Constitution. But
the misunderstanding with the
States-has not been used before.
In the % amendments that have
been adopted, Congress passed the
necessary legislation and submitted
lit to the States for ratification.
The only variation from that
long followed procedure was in
the amendment repeating the 18th
amendment-the Prohibition law.
In that case Congress authorized,
flor the sake of expedition, to have
conventions pass on the issue.
Some Attention in Congress.
Despite the little attention paid
to the controversial proposal, it
has received a measure of atten-
ton from some members of Con-
greSs.
One Of its most outspoken op-
Iponents is Representative Patman,
Democrat Of Texas. In an August
8 speech on the House floor he
charged that advocates of this
Inefarious scheme are still employ
ing the same undercover tactics
they have always used in slipping
this proposal through the unsus-
pecting legislatures"
He charged that the proposal
has been placed before legislatures
toward the end of sessions at a
time where there was little or no
publicity given to it and passed
on without the benefit of public
hearings" with many of the legis-
latures not realizing exactly what
the petitions imply"
This is vigorously disputed by
ID. E. Casey. vice president and
secretary of the American Tax
payers Association.
1--WE want the fullest open de-
bate" Mr.. Casey said.
Says Hearings Conducted.
He insisted that open hearings
were conducted before the mat
ter was passed on by legislatures
and added:
This is not a political issue"
Mr.. Patman, il. a May 81, 1851,
speech to the House, charged that
the tax limitation resolution was
sponsored by "a Fascist group
headed by Edward A. Rumely of
the Committee for Constitutional
Government; Frank E. Ganett,
newspaper publisher and others.
Mr.. Casey disputes this also and
points out that the American Tax
payers Association began the fight
for the amendment in 1888. He
said the Gannett group became
interested in the proposal in 1914
and put out considerable litera-
ture about it during a period
when the Taxpayers Association
was less active than it is at the
present time.
Backed by Tax Council.
Still another group pushing the
proposal is the Western Tax Coun-
Gil with headquarters in Chicago.
Mrs. Casey said the council has
no connection with the associa-
ton.
The council was formed in
1910 by j. A. Arnold, who was
formerly with the Taxpayers As
sociation. He retired at the as
sociation's request. according to
Mr.. Casey, and later formed the
council. He died in 1948 and the
present head of the council is
Frank E. Packard. one-time at
torney for the Standard Oil Co.
of New Jersey.
Even more disputed than the
hackers of the proposal is the ef-
| feet it would have if ever adopted
The Treasury's division of tax
research. in a report placed in
the Congressional Record last sum-
mer, said that under the tax
limitation proposal 49.2 million
persons whose net incomes ar,
now $1,000 or less-persons who
pay Is per cent of their income IL
taxes now-would receive no bene-
fits whatsoever. They would be
; required to pay their present ta1
and probably more" the report
said.
i For the $4,000 persons whose
incomes are in excess of $50, ,00(
a year, the report said. they woule
save one-third of their present ta1
! bills-or an average of $50. 200.
Aids High Income Group.
According to the Treasury, tn,
49.2 million income taxpayer
who now pay 54.14 per cent of tn,
present income levy would hav'
: to assume. if the proposal becam
the law, a total of 65.8 per cent
: Those in the high bracket, &C
cording to the Treasury, are nov
:, :. liable for % per cent and unde
: the tax limitation plan would pa,
Konly 9 per cent.
4 Small wonder" said Mr.. Pat
Imar in submitting the report h
Z the House. that this scheme /
r characterized by some as the mil
: llionaires amendment. :"
The total reduction in the Fed