Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-11-21 | Page 8 | Smoot has Praise for Nation's Chief

SPiOQT HAS PRAISE FORIATWS CHIEF Says It Was Providential' That Wilson Was Chosen Head of Government. i ! "I think it wan providential that Wilson Wil-son was elected president of the United States. If he had not been elected we would have had a divided country. Every Ev-ery pacifist, however, has said that if Wilson had not been elected we would not have been in the war." Thus commending President Wilson and pledging his support to the administration admin-istration as long as the war lasts. United States Senator Reed Smoot addressed a large gathering of business men at the Commercial club last night, devoting his attention largely to conditions as "thev exist today relative to the war and taxation tax-ation and the application of the revenue reve-nue measure passed by the last session of congress. Conditions in the world are such today, to-day, .said the senator, that business men afe put to their wits" ends to figure out what is coming 'next. He said that the measures .adopted by congress to raise revenue for war purposes were Socialistic Socialis-tic in the highest degree, and some of them even revolutionary. Nothing must be done, he said, to interfere with the continued prosperity of the country, because be-cause if the wheels of business should become blocked it will be impossible to sell bonds or to collect taxes. The senator reviewed the preparations : made by Germany for world domination, i and gave figures bearing on the cost of the struggle to the entente allies and ; the United Slates. He told of tho re- I sourcefulness of C.ermany as a nation, declaring tho Cerman people to h wonderful won-derful and that they had taught other nations a lesson never to be forgotten. Every soldier who has offered his life in the. defense of his countrv must be paid better under the American flag, said the senator, than any other soldier In tho world, and he said that no sol- I dier should be permitted to nave the I b-ast anxiety concerning the welfare of his family during his absence at war. The man who pays his taxes willingly is the loya.l citizen, said Senator Smoot in closing, ami If the people urn to rn-Jov rn-Jov the privileges f liherrv ;md -rlf-govornment thv must bo willing to pay for them. For years to come, he said the burd.-n of taxation will b0 greater" than ever In the past.