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Show National Topics Interpreted . " by William Bruckart jj2Ip National Press Building: -VVashlneton, D. C. ,.-fiJX:iir'T Washington. President Roosevelt Roose-velt has very neatly called the bluff of his critics Hot Potato that he (s wast-for wast-for Congress '"S billions from the treasury and doing nothing to replace it. With much less ballyhoo than ordinarily ordinari-ly precedes the presentation of tax legislation to congress, the President Presi-dent sent a message to the Capitol Capi-tol calling for new tax levies approximating ap-proximating a billion dollars ln yield and in so doing dropped Into the laps of the house and senate critics one of the hottest potatoes they have ever been called upon to handle. If one were to characterize the play in the language of baseball, base-ball, since spring is here, I believe one fiould say that congress either must play ball or let the runners score. It was the greatest tax bill ever submitted in peace time. Whether the proposals the President has made are economically sound or whether the levies he thinks ad-visabe ad-visabe will do the job he expects of tlem, of course, remains to he seen. But the fact cannot be dodged that Mr. Roosevelt has figuratively settled down around the ears of those who have constantly challenged chal-lenged the waste inherent ln his vast reform and recovery program with a straight-from-the-shoulder demand upon congress" that it vote new taxes. It is a most Interesting situation, politically. In nearly a score of years of Washington reportorial experience, I cannot recall having seen so much squirming and. wriggling wrig-gling as well as fretting and mumbling mum-bling among representatives and senators. It Is only natural that they do not wish to go Into a campaign cam-paign for re-election when there is the certainty that here, there and everywhere they will be confronted confront-ed with heckling as to their vote for new taxes assuming they will vote terrifically heavy lev'es as the President has suggested, and as present indications seem to assure. They have no heart for a tax Increase In-crease at this time. But, to repeat, they are faced with a situation in which they must either vote for new and heavier taxes or else they will be forced to swallow many long winded speeches ln condemnation of the President's course. Whatever the merits of the Roosevelt Roose-velt proposals may be, there is no course open for Force Hands his opponents ex-of ex-of Opponents c e p t to support him ln the general gen-eral move to pay as you go. Unless Un-less they support these new tax levies, all of the howling and shouting and tumult about a reduction reduc-tion ln the treasury deficit becomes Just so much belly-wash. Opponents may differ with the President as to the details of his tax plan but the situation he has created for them compels that they stand with him. To do otherwise would be not only inconsistent but rather dumb. Frank Kent, the able news commentator, com-mentator, summarized one phase of this situation the other day by saying: say-ing: "It makes no difference that the situation which compels the Imposition of new and heavy taxes Is largely Mr. Roosevelt's fault. And It makes no difference that the move Is forced by the exigencies of his campaign for re-election and Is designed to spike the most damaging dam-aging charge against him that he has piled the debt mountain high and by terrific expenditures menaced men-aced the national solvency. All true; but for the Republicans and his non-political critics, who have been assailing Mr. Roosevelt for months because of his failure to balance the budget to either obstruct ob-struct or hold back now that the President urges congress to provide by taxation the money to pay for the vast gifts It has voted would be beyond the limit In political insincerity in-sincerity and hypocrisy." In other words, there nearly Is no alternative for opponents of the President's policies. They must show their sincerity by going through with him in the laying of new taxes. I do not mean by that statement that It Is necessary for them to accept without argument ; the exact levies which he has proposed. pro-posed. If they were not In accord with the taxes he proposes, they would not be serving their constituencies consti-tuencies unless they so stated, hut If they object to the levies be has offered, let them bring forward substitute sub-stitute proposals that will produce a revenue yield In a like amount. They cannot afford to criticize and then refuse to offer constructive propositions In tnrn. On the other hand, it seems to be the consensus among Wnsliincrton observers that Blames Mr. Roosevelt High Court ought not to he allowed to get away with one declaration which j he made ln submitting his tax pn-i pn-i posals to congress. He said that tbe necessity for these new taxes arose from th Supreme court de cision invalidating (lie processing taxes upon which the Agricultural Adjustment administration and its subsidies to agriculture was predicated. predi-cated. Of course, that may be true at the moment, but, as one frequently fre-quently hears pointed out in Washington Wash-ington conversation, the President used the bounties to farmers nnd the AAA Itself as one of his keystone key-stone policies. The fact that It was unconstitutional surely cannot be said to be the fault of the Supreme court and yet that was the implication impli-cation in the President's message. Likewise, the President hinted that a part of the taxes was due to congressional action in passing the bonus, which he vetoed and congress con-gress made operative over that veto. Again, I hear it questioned that congress con-gress is actually to blame. It is being said with great frequency that had Mr. Roosevelt made the fight against payment of the bonus this year that he did a year ago, it is almost inconceivable that congress con-gress would have passed it over his veto. It is being said ln this connection connec-tion that if Mr. Roosevelt really had desired to kill the cash payment pay-ment of the bonus, his stalwart leaders in the house and senate could hardly have ' afforded to refuse re-fuse his request to vote against it. Instead of that situation, the record rec-ord shows that such recognized spokesmen as Senator Robinson of Arkansas, the Democratic leader In the senate, Senator Harrison of Mississippi, Senator Byrnes of South Carolina and Senator Rad-cliffe Rad-cliffe of Maryland, a personal friend, all voted to pass the bonus over the President's veto. I may not be thoroughly acquainted with the maneuvers of politicians but I cannot believe the men would have turned their backs on the President in the bonus fight unless they entertained en-tertained a feeling that he did not seriously object. So it simmers down that the men who a year ago and two years ago voted the Presi-Taxpayers Presi-Taxpayers aent almost limit-the limit-the Goat 'ess power and limitless funds to deal with an emergency are now compelled, if they intend ever to be statesmen, to stick by, vote the taxes and take it on the chin if that is to be the reaction from the voters. After all, It is merely the taxpayers who are the goats and as usual the taxpayers have not a great voice In their own defense. As to the President's tax proposals propo-sals themselves, congress is asked to levy an unprecedented type of tax on undistributed corporation profits. New processing taxes to replace those outlawed by the Supreme Su-preme court, being designed to be constitutional, are proposed and a tax which the President described as a "windfall" tax to recover a considerable part of the old proc- was suggested. He asked also that levies be laid on dividends which are now exempt from normal tax on individual incomes. The "windfall" tax Is designed to offset the action of the Supreme court which ordered the return of the processing taxes as having been Illegally collected. In other words, tbe administration is attempting at-tempting to get by one method what the Supreme court said it could not get in tbe manner It employed. em-ployed. The tax on undistributed profits of corporations Is the center of all kinds of controversy already. Opponents Op-ponents of this levy maintain that if the government forces corporations corpora-tions to pay taxes on reserve funds they have laid aside for the proverbial pro-verbial rainy day, such as we have experienced for the last six years, none of them can stand the gaff of another depression. Mr. Roosevelt contended that his tax proposal In this direction, which would take away approximately one-third of such reserves, was designed only to prevent the piling up of cash by corporations Instead of distribution of those funds to stockholders. There will be much hauling and filling, many charges and countercharges, counter-charges, much maneuvering and manipulation as congress mulls over the new tax bill. It nil pass some kind of new taxes and citizens will begin early next year to pay off the deficits of the reform and recovery program. Some 75 years ago, tbe government govern-ment organized mail service to Inland In-land points wlth- Star Route rnlt railroad facil-Mail facil-Mail Service Itlrs. calling thl? new service the Star route. This sfrvlee has been continuously In operation ln scores of communities nnd it is continuing to operate exactly on (lie same basis ba-sis as It did three quarters of a century ago. So. this Is a plea In behalf or th"se who carry the mall on the Star routes and for better service for Star route patrons. There is a bill In congress now which proposes to provide better service for thoc carriers anl fo patrons of those notion. Western Nfwhdaiw f nJ' |
