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Show jgpiw America's Laboring Classes WkWi Aided By Republican Party j 1 jfeik Army of Unemployed Reduced, Burden of ' .JBriA Taxes Lightened, Immigration Re- jj fltB stricted, Cost of Living Lowered j H nnd War Menncc Removed. jj BHH V. H. nni'UKSKNTATIVE EVEIIRTT RANDEB8 B (INDIANA), MEMIIKH HOUSE COMMITTER HBH99RE1 on intkiistate commbkce v:s::s:sA:-j-Ttj..-.j.r.s r -: - - According to ostlmatos given out by the American Federation of Labor at thut timo thero wcro botwecn 5,000,000 and 0,000,000 wngo-earuera out of em-ployment em-ployment when the Republican administration ad-ministration camo Into ppwer March 4, 1021. This Industrial depression began early In tho summer of 1920. Tho Immcdlato problem beforo tho Republican Re-publican party was thoroturu to normal nor-mal conditions. Tho underlying causo ot Industrial depression was tho prostration of agrl-rultnre agrl-rultnre brought about by tho radical curtailment ot agricultural credits by tho Domocratlc administration. Tho American farmer buys 40 per cent of all manufactured products. Ills desperate des-perate circumstances compelled Indus-tries Indus-tries to curtail production and turn men into tho streots. Tho Republican Congress, Immediately restored agrl-culturo agrl-culturo to a healthy condition. The .farmer entered the market again as a buyer j,pf manufactured goods. Tho ranks of tho unemployed began to decrease. At .the time tho coal and railroad strike's were called thero was a greater great-er domand for laboring men than there was a supply. . Ono ot tho most Important contributing contribut-ing factors to the.Improvcment of the unemployment situation was tho early enactment by tho special session of tho Republican Congress of tho restrictive re-strictive immigration law. This was demanded by tho laboring people of tho United States. Its enactment pro-vented pro-vented the Incoming of hundrods of thousands of immigrants who would only have Increased the ranks of the unemployed and added to the 'industrial 'indus-trial distils. The provlous Republican Republi-can Congress had passed a similar law but It was vetood by President Wilson. Tho Republican administration came Into power finding tho burden of taxos very hoavy. Tho working man bad to beat his sharo. It was osscntlal to "- - "ft ? --- . -fcy, his rollof that the taxes bo reduced. Tho outstanding feature of the new tax law written by the special session of the Republican Congress was an iu-crease iu-crease of C00 In tho tax exemption of tho head of ovcry family who receives re-ceives an annual Incomo of JB.000 or less In addition, his exemption tot cnlldron and dopendonts was doubled from S200 to 9400. Those exemption embrace practically all those on a wago or salary, it Includes over 4 000.000 heads of families in ordinary circumstances. In addition, the now tax law repealed altogether the "nulsanco" taxes which working mon had to pay on everything ovorywhoro for ovorythlng they bought It also ropealod all transportation taxos which were levied on all goods shipped by freight or express or parcol post. Such taxes were added to the ultimate cost of goods and, In tho long run were paid by the working men. All told, tho new tax bill lifted from tho shoulders of the working classes of this country over 1800,000,000 a year. According to a report Issued by tho U. S. Department of Labor Juno, 1S22, tho retail cost of living was gradually reduced from March, 1921, to tho timo tho roport was issued. The living costs In no other nation In tho world wcro reduced during this same time. The Bum and, total of ono yoar ot Harding's administration, so tar as It affects tho working peoplo, has beon tho elimination of the problem of tin-employment tin-employment except In thoso Industrie i affected by strikes; reduction of taxej paid by the, working classes In a sum aggregating nearly a billion dollars, tho restriction of Immigration; a gen eral program of lessened public rx pendlturcs which Insures still further reductions in taxes; an Incioaso rr 1 ver cent. In the valuo of Liberty bond1., millions of which are held by wage earners and mon on salaries; a ftra ual reduction in living costs. |