Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-18
The Political Mill
Senator Byrd Exhibits
Courage Of Convictions
But Others in His Party See
Votes in Reducing Taxes
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
It's no news that Senator Harry
Flood Byrd of Virginia has the courage
of his convictions. His latest statement
on proposed immediate reductions Of
Federal taxes is still another proof Of
that courage. The fact it is election
year and his Democratic colleagues are
in full tongue and cry for increased ex-
emptions for individual income tax
payers means nothing to the Virginia
Senator.
He is firmly convinced that tax re-
auctions. until balanced budget is in
sight. can only be harmful in the long
run to the American people. In conse-
quence. Senator Byrd will vote against
tax-reduction proposals, whether they
come from Democrats or Republicans.
How many Of his Democratic colleagues
will go along with him remains to be
seen. If none Of them do, then increased
tax exemptions will be voted into the
tax bill when it reaches the Senate
no matter what the House does in the
matter. There are 48 Democrats. At
Republicans and Senator Morse Of
Oregon, independent, in the Senate.
And Mr.. Morse is favorable to the
Democratic demand for increased ex-
emptions.
Presidential Veto.
The man with the final say in the
matter-if it must be determined by
him-is President Eisenhower. He can
exercise his right under the Constitu-
ton to veto the tax bill. He has indi-
Gated he would veto a tax bill which
he considered dangerous to the country
And should he veto the bill, it is not
likely it could be passed notwithstand-
ing his diSapproval. It would take
two-thirds vote of both houses of Con-
gress to override the veto. Gen. Eisen-
hover has shown again and again he
does not retreat on matter Of prin-
ciple. He has been firm ever since the
day he took Office In his demand that
the Federal budget be brought into
balance-principally through reduction
Of expenditures. He has been greatly
successful in having the Government
expenditures curtailed. 1t has been a
difficult maneuver (a) because of the
financial mess he inherited from the
Democrats and (b) because of the need
of continuing expenditures on a large
scale for national defense. But daylight
is ahead. if the advocates of lower taxes
can be turned back and if the American
people back up the Chief Executive.
Taxes and Votes.
A cynical member of a bygone Con-
gress remarked that: I'm an election
year, never vote against an appropria-
ton and never vote for tax increase"
Which means in plain English that
voters are for easy money and against
high taxes. The Democrats supporting
increased tax exemptions insist that
they do so in order to assure greater
purchasing power in the hands of the
people as means of warding off de-
preston. They say. too, that the Eisen-
hover tax program, submitted by the
President earlier this year. is calculated
to aid big business and the rich AS
AGAINST the little fellow. 1t all looks,
however. as though the Democratic tax
exemption proposals, which would take
millions of taxpayers off the rolls. is a
carefully designed play to win votes in
the coming congressional elections-a
political play to which Senator Byrd
is unwilling to subscribe. AS a matter
of fact, the Democrats are taking a
leaf out of the Republican book. for
many Republicans promised tax reduc-
tons in the campaign of 1882 The
President lined himself up in favor of
tax reduction, too. but only when reduc-
tons could be wisely made-when the
budget was in balance or virtually So
The Republicans made another promise
which the Democrats have not yet
gotten around to making-drastic re-
auctions in Government expenditures
That promise the Republicans have
kept.
Byrd Fears Loss.
Senator Byrd. in his statement.
pointed out that each increase of 500
in tax exemptions would lose the Gov
eminent SIS billion of revenue each
year. Yet some of the Democrats are
proposing that the exemptions should
be increased by $500 for each individual
taxpayer.
One line in the Byrd statement
stands out particularly: Il especially
urge that these proposals, vital to our
future security, be not decided on the
basis of partisan political advantage"
Senator Byrd is as strongly opposed to
the Republican proposal (Which did not
come from the President) to cut excise
taxes drastically.
The Virginian argues that "the cor
nerstone of our future security lies in
solvent Government. There is nothing
before the country today more i'm
portant than balancing the Federal
budget by reducing expenditures to the
minimum"
The public debt is around S275 bill
lion-the authorized limit of national
debt. Drastic cuts in taxes now mean
only one thing-money to pay for Gov
eminent and its obligations must be
borrowed and the national debt in
creased. You can't get away from it
increased debt and a still further de-
valued dollar.