Show I r Prevailing Opi Opinions I Comment of the American Press Pre Spending Without T Taxing axing In former days a congressman 1 was WIL was occasionally described as a aman aman I man who favors all aU appropriations and opposes oppose all ait taxation Such a characterization n usually provoked a laugh or or oi at least a grim smile In recent recent years however r the thep pUblic public pub pUb- b- b lic has become accustomed to the congressional vice of ot approving new a spending projects without i voting taxes to cover coyer them Consequently Consequently Con Con- ConI I few pe people see the unc unconscious un un- unI I c conscious humor when Senator j Harrison n chairman of ot the finance finana committee expresses a hope that tha I tome some sort of ot bonus measure willbe will b be voted and at the same time times 1 an announces n pounces that general tax le sia ton Uon Is not within the realm of 01 This statement comes at a time when the current federal J Ci t stands at approximately 1800 with not quite half halt the fis ns fiscal cal year year behind us The extent to which the government is 15 living beyond its means is best shown sho ny the fact that it IL Is spend spending ins e on the average for tor each 1 ot of Income in income income in- in come it receives Public anxiety over the unbalanced budget would be much less acute if congress congress' and the administration had shown any allY disposition either to retrench or to pay the penalty penally of ot lavish spending by increasing taxes in a awa away way which would actually raise the necessary revenue For a time time probably probably for Cor quite a long time time the the government may maybe maybe maybe be able to finance nce deficits deficit by borrowing bor bar rowing without Imp Impairing confidence confidence conn- conn dence I in I its promises to pay Nevertheless in the tho final a analysis the federal credit rests upon the willingness of ot the gov government to levy taxes w which the people have haves the tho ability to pa pay The spending proclivities of congress its feeble surrender to the pressure of ot or organized organized or- or groups su such h as the veterans veterans' veterans veterans' veterans veterans' vet vet- erans' erans associations and its failure to take positive ac act in n t to tp balance the budget ar are Indications of weakness weakness' more perturbIng than the actual size of the accumulated deficit I That deficit co could ld soon be elimInated eliminated elim dim mated if It relief and recovery outlays outlays out out- lays Jays were cut to the minimum consistent with gl giving ing adequate aid to the destitute without Incurring in incurring In In- the waste of ot haphazard work relief projects The prospect of or a 8 balanced budget will ag again ln recede rapidly if It cong congress esz proceeds pro pro- to approve new plans plans' for tor spending money without providing new sources of ot revenue revenue with which to cover the cost cost cost- cost Washington V Post t o i J y Religions of Reform Russell Owen tells us how visiting bitIng visit bit ing Dr Francis E. E Townsend he found him a gentle kindly and voiced soft marl man an to whom no one could talk talle for tor five live minute minutes and azid doubt his sincerity or his It will be hard for tOt most mOlt persons to read this without concluding con con- eluding that the the worthy doctor really cannot add and subtract hut but the interview with Mr Owen hows shows that he can can when when some someone someone someone one else's ele plan is being discussed ed When they came to ma me and asked me what I thought of t Sinclair's Sinclair's Sin Sn- clairs clair's EPIC plan I told them I Iw w would uld not support It it that it would not work It would drive alt all Industry out of ot the state an and brin brinIn brinin brine in all those who didn't want to work This Is probably an accurate des de- de s si of the tendency of ot the EPIC plan have been How about cr credit Dr Towns Townsend nd was asked The Canadian scheme wont won't work be because because cause it c can n be put into effect only in one province All AU ii it will dc is b to attra c ill II 11 those who arc out of work ork in other lher provinces Once ince again this is 8 good c c. c 1 ir headed m. im It was also good hard healed crI criticism when Upton Sinclair some eight months ago remarked that if It tho the Townsend plan went wen effect and if It I l' were 30 and out of a job Id I'd just go home iome orne and live o liveth th father who would be draw drawing ng down the gravy gr V from a government dole Nearly aLl ail these sods sods' reformers reform reform- ers indeed seem to hays have a supply of ot g gt od horsa horn sense ense on tap when to thy tny are discussing th the other r Ceil fellows fellow's fel Cei- ci l' l lows low's pet nOS 4 em It is Inthe in inthe the tho scheme they have havo invented themselves that they can see Jee no kind of fault or flaw And the th reason is not insincerity not a general lack of sense sensa or arithmetic arith arith- but the blindness of ot the parent toward the faults of faults of his hb own child hUd Their followers in turn adopt their schemes schemM as If they were new religions I In such an atmosphere of matter criticism is not only futile but is rep regarded by by the devotees of ot the plan a as u inspired by the devil New Y York rJ Times Mr Hoovers Hoover's Error In his speech in fn St. St Louis Mr Hoover seemed too oo much on the bitter blUer side Apparently he lie was wan stung by the remark of ot President Roosevelt in the Atlanta speech that t. the mechanics mechanics' of at civilization tion came to a dead stop top on j 1 r March 3 1933 Mr Hoovers Hoover's view of It 11 it is that the hysteria among bank depositors in the tho closing days of ot his administration was brought on n by fear tear of what his successor was going to do The fact tact Is that most of ot the American people looked to Mr Roosevelt with confidence in that period He had been elected on onas onas onas as sane aane a platform as u any Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic national convention ever wrote He had bad campaigned on the basis of that platform He had solemnly promised econom econ econ- om amy omy Ho He had pl pledged himself to destroy the which had grown up at Washington Denouncing Mr Hoovers Hoover's as the greatest spending administration tion in peace time in all our history history his his- tor tory Mr Roosevelt declared for tor forthe forthe the reduction of ot taxes He damned the farm tarm boa board d He plumped plump tor tora for fora a a sound currency No it was not In in the last days das of ot President Ho Hoover ver that the new deal scared d the country It was wasa wasa a a- few tew weeks after Mr Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt entered th the White House that he beg began n to carry out the pledges not of the toe Democratic party but of ot the S Socialist party That is what will be remembered In next years year's bat battle battie le unexplained plain cd betrayal of the country's trust New New Y York rk Sun Where Oh Where 7 Marlene Dietrich piques the curiosity of ot an otherwise indifferent indifferent ferent terent public when sh she a announces that she i is going to Europe to escape escape- excessive taxation Inthis in inthis this country To what country is she going Hardly to Germany where taxation makes our worst look Jook like a joke Surely not t to I England where normal income tax rates begin at 20 per cent Scarcely to France which has a national debt so 10 big that If Amer Americas America's ica's were proportionately large it Jt would have to to be i in increased re tol to 75 billions nor to Ital Italy where they are melting up the women's wedding rings to provide money I Ilor for lor the African war var Switzerland the tho Netherlands Belgium and the Scandinavian countries are all nIl bearing extraordinary tax tax bur bur- dens In Spain the very money of the country is of ot dubious value and in Russia taxation is exactly per cent I If It Miss Dietrich has haa discovered a European country countr where tax taxa taxation tion is not excessive that is news Let her tell it at once and she will have plenty compan at of company there Baltimore Sun 1 |