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WILSON ASKS FOR TAX TO RAISE
$100,000,000
Washington, Sept. 4. President
Wilson today in a special "address"
to join session of congress asked im
position of "internal revenue taxes
sufficient to raise $100,000,000 an
nually,, because of dwindling customs
revenues as a result of the European
war.
The president said the "war tax"
was necessary immediately to keep
the treasury unimpaired and to place
it beyond public question in strength.
He emphatically said a bond issue
would be unwise.
"We ought not to borrow," he said.
"We ought to resort to taxation, how
ever we may regret the necessity of
putting additional temporary bur
dens o nour people.
That an emergency which did not
brook temporazing or delay, although
not of our making, exists and "we
must accept the inevitable with calm
judgment and unruffled spirits," was
stated by the chief executive.
,The president said:
"Gentlemen of Congress:
"I come to you today to discharge
a duty which I wish with all my heart
I might have been spared; but it is
a duty which is very clear, and,
therefore, I perform it without hes
itation or 'apology. I come to ask
very earnestly that additional reve
nue be provided for the government
"During the month of AuguBt there
was, as compared with the cor
responding inonth of last year, a fall
ing off of $10,629,538 in the revenues
collected from customs. A continua
tion of this decrease in the same pro
portion throughout the current fiscal
year would probably mean a loss of
customs revenues of from sixty to
one one hundred millions. I need not
tell you to what this falling off is due.
It is due, in chief part, not to the re
ductions recently made in the cus
toms duties, but to the great decrease
in importation; and that is due to the
extraordinary extent of the industrial
I area affected by the present war in
Europe.
"In order to meet every demand
upon the treasury without delay or
peradventure and in order to keep
the treasury strong, unquestionably
strong, and strong throughout the
present anxieties, I respectfully urge j
that an additional revenue of $100,
000,000 be raised through internal
taxes devised in your wisdom to meet
the emergency. The only suggestion
I take the liberty of making is that
such sources of revenue be chosen as
will begin to yield at once and yield
with a certain and constant flow."
o o
WOMEN TO FIGHT FOOD HOGS
An effective way of fighting the
food hogs has been decided upon by
the Second and Third Ward Ladies'
Political Club. In the following way
they explain their plan:
"We have pledged ourselves to re
fuse to buy anything and everything
on which the price has been raised
that are not absolute necessaries, to
do without all imported articles from
European, countries, until peace is de
clared. "As the United States raise and
manufacture practically all that is
necessary for her citizens, and we are
at PEACE with the rest of the world,
and in a state of prosperity, as far
as crops and things essential to our
welfare is concerned, we, the mem
bers of this club, refuse to be 'held
up' and pay 'war prices' to enrich the
few.
"We have further agreed that we
will submit to our secretary and presi
dent a list of such purchases, price
paid and where bought, same to be
used by them as they consider best,
under present conditions."
o o
WELL, HARDLY EVER
Did you ever try carrying your pipe,
smoking and chewing tobacco, four
bank books, a pint flask of grape juice
and a bunch of office keys in your
hip pocket? Monticello (Ark.) Mon-ticeUonian.
