The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 4, 1917, Page 5

X - Idaho Senator, Who Fought in Senate for Fair War Profits Tax, Tells. Producers and Consumers the Facts T IS an honor to appear be- fore this audience and to speak under the auspices of the League”, said Senator 3 " Borah. “There was some criti- €ism of this meeting before I left Washington. There was even a sug- gestion that there was a taint of dis- loyalty in any meeting of this kind to discuss conditions while war was in progress. _“But while it is true that the citizen in time of war owes undi- vided loyalty and obedience to the government, the government also owes something,” went on the Idaho senator. “It owes candor and confidence to the citizen. There never has been a govern- ment worth existing an hour after loyal men and women have been prohibited from meeting to ex- change views.” Undoubtedly, said Senator Borah, wrongs had been committed in the Passage of the food control bill, which gives the government authority to limit prices on things the farmer pro- duces, but gives practically no author- ity or control over things which the farmer has to buy. Senators attempt- ed to amend the bill to give govern- ment control straight down the line, Senator Borah said. They were able to make some amendments, but the amendments didn’t stick long. REGULATE ALL PRICES IS ONLY FAIR WAY “We included other materials,” said Senator Borah. “But we made the mistake—the tactical mistake—of in- cluding steel and cotton. That spelled the defeat of the amendment. Within & few hours Mason’s and Dixon’s line was wiped out, the gentlemen of steel and of cotton had made common cause end the amendment was defeated. “It is impossible to regulate prices fairly unless you regulate all prices. | have no wish to criticize Mr. Hoover, but if he is subject to criticism it is because he has not made more of an effort to regulate the prices of. other commodities. But the fault is not all Hoover's. Congress is not without its share of blame. My hope is that if a few more meetings like this are held our friends in congress will see the light.” Senator Borah then turned to a dis- cussion of war finances. The United States in the first year of the war, he said,*would spend $23,000,000,000, or 25 per cent of what all other nations, on both sides, had spent in the three pre- ceding years. “This may be necessary,” said Sena- tor Borah. “Whatever is necessary should be spent. But there should be the utmost publicity both as to prices and as to who is receiving the money. SMALL MINORITY OWN THE BULK OF WEALTH “When it comes to the raising of the money, the country must bear in mind the question of where the money is. “In this country today 2 per cent of the people own 65 per wealth. Fifty per cent of the families of the United States live on $800 or less & year and 70 per cent on $1000 or less. How can we ask these people to bear heavier burdens? “Where, my friends, must we lay the burden of the wealth? Cer- tainly, where the wealth is.” Applause and cheers interrupted the gpeaker. When quiet had been restor- ed, he went on: ‘ “We .simply say to this 2 per cent, the 2 per cent that own 65 per cent of the wealth: ‘You have the wealth and fie call upon you, the same as we call upon the boy that has the physical ability’.” | SENATE TOO TENDER WITH GREAT FORTUNES The storm of cheers and applause broke out again. Senator Borah pointed out that wealth in England, which had accumu- lated no such surplus of wealth as had that of the United States during the period before this country entered the war, was taxed 50 per cent on war profits the first year of the war, 60 per cent the second, and was now taxed 80 per cent. “And we, with four billions of ac- cumulated war profits, place a tax of 81 1-4 per cent,” cited the speaker, Cries of “Shame” arose in the crowd. “And we few senators who opposed this, who wanted an 80 per cent tax, cent of the were called radicals, were told we were making the war unpopular,” Borah continued. “Unpopular where? 1 do not ad- mit that we are making war un- popular, but if we are, we are mak- ing it unpopular where, three months before war was declared, it was the most popular thing that could be talked about.” Senator Borah took up some of the details of the framing of the war revenue bill. “I have the greatest of personal re- spect for the majority members of the the principle of an 80 per cent tax on war profits. This would be less bur- densome upon the great corporations than Great Britain’s 80 per cent tax, . because our corporations have laid up billions of surplus during the years be- fore we were involved in the war, “To make war pay for war is the only proper way. When war pays for war, there will be less wars fought.” Again cheers and applause burst from the audience and Senator Borah was compelled to pause. He pointed out, on resuming, that an 80 per cent This is a brief account of the speech made by United States Senator W. E. Borah of Idaho to the great Producers’ and Con- sumers’ convention at St. Paul, September 19. This speech ' is ‘‘treason’’—pure and simple—to the war profitcers! Senator Borah, though a ‘‘regular’’ party Republican, for many years has been known as a fearless fighter for the people and for the government of the United States. At no time has a reactionary press been able to cast the slightest aspersion upon his patriotism. upper house of congress. He is regarded as one of the most able men in the But Senator Borah, ‘‘regular’’ though he is in politics, -sees the truth and tells it. He tells exactly the same story that A. C. Townley and other Nonpartisan league leaders have been telling to the farmers for months. e —————————————————————————————————————— ——————————————— — senate finance committee, which fram- ed the war revenue bill,” he declared, “but regardless of that fact I regard the measure they brought out as the most pronounced betrayal of a govern- ment in a great crisis in the history of the world. MAKE WAR PAY FOR WAR IS ONLY WAY “Why was it a betrayal? Because the effect of the bill was to place the cost of the war upon the men who will fight it, It leaves a great burden of debt to be faced by the soldiers when they come back from the trenches. “A little group of senators fought for R°FARMER' WEuLL OF Chaney, Leader cartoonist, has here drawn a cartoon that ought to make certain ‘individuals an think. The farmer is a producer. Producers are the foundation of the political, complex system of Institutions is built on this foundation. and newspapers so foolish as $o be constantly undermining that foundation. body lives ONLY BECAUSE PRODUCERS PRODUCE: DON'T DIRTY war profits tax would work no hard- ship upon any one. It would leave every corporation with all the normal profits in time of peace, and with 20 per cent war profits above this. “In cold justice,” added Senator Borah, “all profits made out of the ‘war ought to be taken by the govern- ment. “If peace is to be expected at home, after the war is over, there must be an equitable distribution of the cost. Otherwise the after- clap may be as serious as the war itself. “A few senators at Washington have made the best fight that we could make. SAY- DON'T FORGET THAT You DRINK THAT WATER THE WATER YOU MUST DRINK But we have left the capitol for the country now. “If you think we were right—say so. If you do not think we were right—say nothing, but whether you think we were right or not we are going back, to put up again the best fight that we know how.”, There was no stopping the noise that came when the Idaho senator had con- cluded his speech—cheers and shouts and feet stamping and handclapping. The entire audience rose and took part in the remarkable ovation, while scores hurried to the platform, and sur- rounded it to shake hands with the speaker, 3 BURYING THE TRUTH As will be noted in a news dispatch elsewhere, President Townley, in behalf of the Nonpartisan league, has tender- ed the support of the organization in floating the second liberty loan. This is ‘an associated press dispatch. The Grand Forks Herald is a subscriber to the associated press service, and no doubt received this information. Still the Herald contained not a word about it. Had conditions been reversed the story would have been spread over the entire front page of the Herald. As it is, it is not the particular kind of pa- triotism that Jerry Bacon is boosting for—and the story was quietly sup- pressed.—BOTTINEAU (N. D.) COUR- ANT. AN EYE-OPENER If some of the skeptics who wonder what Townley and his “gang” are do- ing for Northwest farmers will read about the convention at St. Paul, they'll have an intimation—EDGELEY (N. D.) MAIL. WHERE DOES IT GO? A ton of coal at the mines is 2,240 pounds. In figuring the costs of a ton of coal from the mines to the con- sumer’'s bin, the fact should not te lost sight of that in this stretch from mine to bin, the 240 pounds entirely disappear. — CARRINGTON RECORD. d newspapers stop and social and economic structure—all our If this foundation fails, the structure falls. Yet there are men They forget that they live and that every- They are engaged, by their opposition to the farmers’ cause, in dirtying the well from which they themselves must drink. . They “never thought of that”. But it is time they did. Birds that foul their own nests are the proverbial example of foolishness. try to brand his meetings as “disloyal”, they are fouling their own nests, and they are fools. When newspapers cry “traitor” at the farmer and ~ Boral’s Speech—1Is It Sedition? SIS [ L o ke