Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
Democrats Criticized
AS Tax Demogogues
Writer Praises Byrd's PIeo
For Balanced Budget

BY Fronk R. Kent
That the tax bill, vital to us all, has
gotten heavily into partisan politics
is too clear to dispute. The ideal
thing. with a Government as deeply
and dangerously in debt as this Gov
eminent and people as heavily taxed
as our people, would be nonpartisan
measure wholly free from politics and
demagoguery.
But that, perhaps is too much to
expect Of the Democratic Party as now
constituted. itching to get back into
power and with its hopes completely
based on the old political formula
which enabled it to dominate for
twenty years-to wit, the solidified
support of the labor union bosses, the
Negro leaders in the Northern States
and the farmers. 1t is an undeniable
fact that this support was obtained
and maintained by. lavish subsidies,
outright gifts, unprecedented patron
age and outrageous legislative favors,
plus demagoguery of a high order
and in the highest places.
During those days, the Treasury
spigots were kept wide open and the
obvious undermining of the fiscal sta
bility Of the Nation was justified by
such silly slogans as that "the size of
the debt does not matter because we
owe it to ourselves" With shoddy
catchwords Of this character the utterly
reckless conduct of the Federal f.
nanceS was excused. When in 1852
disillusioned people repudiated these
slogans along with those Who invented
and used them. they put into power
a President pledged to restore national
solvency and reduce taxes Few will
dispute that this Is the basic need of
the country. Even fewer will contend
that this is not the primary purpose
OF the administration tax bill which
passed the House last week by the
slender majority of six and is now
facing a terrific tight in the Senate
where the Democrats actually have a
majority Of one.
Now what is the position of the
Democratic Party In this situation? It
Is one of complete election-year dema-
gogic eXpediency. And it is not origi-
nal at that. On the contrary. 1t is
copied and adopted from the CIO
propaganda as reflected in the speeches
OF Walter Reuther and subordinate
Go leaders. This propaganda and
these speeches have been widely dis
semnated for weeks This strategy is
dlVloed into two parts. The first Is
a deliberate misrepresentation of the
administration bill in which some tax
reductions are made. The CIO and
democratic claims are also being
echoed by the AFL and the ADA.
The second is a completely unfounded
put typical CIO accusation that the
administration bill is designed to
nehten the burdens of the rich while
adding to those of the poor This is as
unscrupulous as it is demagogic. In
the flrSt place. the Democrats know it
is not true. Many of them privately
and some publicly-admit it is raised
IN order to have an appealing issue in
the coming campaign. To buttress this
false issue they have presented a bill Of
their own proposing many exemptions
to those in the lower brackets which.
II enacted, would push us close to ma
tional bankruptcy This bill will not
90 through and. for the reasons given
above, the Democrats do not really
want it to go through. 1t. however. is
distressing to see great party line up
almost solldly in favor of a proposition
1t knows to be unsound
This solidity makes the single DEM
ocratic exception stand out like a light
house in fog. The exception. OF
course, is Senator Harry F. Byrd OF
NlTU1nl1 Whnco
diluted by partisanship and who knows
more about our fiscal illness than any
other member of Congress. In a state
ment few days ago Senator Byrd
made 1t clear that while he prefers the
Republican bill to the Democratic one.
ne Is unhappy about both because both
propose to finance tax reduction by
borrowing more money.
All Of u.s." said Senator Byrd.
should give consideration to the perils
imminent in such a procedure. There
IS notllng before the country TODAY
more important than balancing the
Feoeral budget by reducing eXpendi-
lures to the minimum. Tax reduction
then could be financed through re-
tfenchment in nom essential expendi-
lures. Any other course would be fool
Marcy. leading to ultimate disaster"
This makes it worth noting that two
men AS widely apart as Herbert
Hoover, Republican. and Senator Byrd,
Democrat, making separate and indie
pendent researches, have come to ex-
actly the same conclusion-to wit. that
from SIS billion to 81 billion can be
saved by the Government without
lmpalring any vital function. With
President anxious to cooperate
along these lines. why the Congress.
knowing the facts. will not make it
possible is question to which there
IS no answer complimentary either to