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Show GREATEST WAR : REVENUE BILL Measure to Provide Means for Raising $24,000,000,000 to I Pay America's Share. LONGWORTH WARNS Bill Marks Epoch in History of the World A Patriotic Measure. WASHINGTON, Sept. 6. The war revenue bill, greatest measure of its kind ever brought before the legislative legis-lative branch of any government, passed into the second stage of its progress through congress when it came up today in the house with less than one-third of the members ready in their seats to begin Its consideration. considera-tion. In fact there was not even a quorum quo-rum present when Democratic Leader Kitchin called up the bill which provides pro-vides the means of raising $24,000,000,-000 $24,000,000,-000 to pay America's share for the war for the coming year. Longworth Warns House. Representative Longworth, Republican Repub-lican of Ohio, warned the house that it was about to consider the greatest piece of legislation in the world's history his-tory from point of magnitudeand gave notice that he would insist at all y times on a full attendance. "Froili these discussions here," he said, "1 think we will all agree there will come a great deal of improvement." improve-ment." The big bill first Is considered with the house sitting as a committee of the whole on the state of the union. The plan is to have Ihe measure ready for the senate in about ten days. , There were no evidences of political politi-cal divisions as the house began its work today. The bill is considered by both parties as a win the war measure. meas-ure. After almost an hour's delay the house succeeded In getting together about half its membership but a quorum quo-rum nevertheless and the actual consideration con-sideration of the bill began. Mr. Kitchin received a demonstration demonstra-tion from both sides of tho house in recognition of his weeks of work as chairman of the ways and means committee com-mittee in preliminary preparation of the measure. Bill Marks World Epoch. When the demonstration ceased the Democratic leader began his statement. state-ment. 1 "Here's the bill," said the majority major-ity leader holding aloft the sheaf of pages, "which marks an epoch in the history of the world. It proposes the issue of SlC.000,000,000 in Liberty bonds and to take from the people in taxes more than $8,000,000,000. No other nation has ever contemplated or attempted such an undertaking but wo believe that it can be done and that it will be done without crippling or hurting a single American industry, indus-try, or without financially embarrassing embarrass-ing a single individual. "There was no partisanship in the meeting of the ways and means committee; com-mittee; it was all patriotism. I could ! not tell who were the Democrats or who wore the Republicans. 1 knew only twenty-three patriots." j Greatest Attempt in History, j "Eight billion dollars," continued Mr. Kitchin, "is twice as much as any (nation since the beginning of tlmo has jever attempted to collect from the people peo-ple by taxation and it is three times as much as the combined taxes and bonds of the entire Civil war." I Mr. Kitchin's declaration that he 'believed the committee's schedule of 'taxes on business and individuals J would result in no embarrassment and particularly his statement that the tax schedules affecting business were not expected to overburden industry and commerce were greeted with applause. Kitchin Discusses Revenue. Representative Kitchin plunged Into a discussion of the proportion of rev-, rev-, enue to be raised by taxation and the proportion to bo raised by bonds. Ho spoke in an extended defense of tho j decision to raise 5,000,000,000 by taxes- "Many wise and patriotic men," 'said he, "think that eight billion is jloo much to be raised by taxation. Have you thought that when we have spent sixteen billions wo shall raise by these bonds, that with the bonds . previously cold we shall have an annually an-nually fixed interest charge of more than a billion dollars a year that is more than twice as much as this government gov-ernment has ever attempted to collect from its people by taxation in any years of peace." |