Vagabond Editoriafs

(Continued from Page 6) earthly doubt about it ! The only doubt is that it will be as low as fifty per cent.

Everywhere -ur, g"tnul,;";", today, they talk taxes. Taxation is the burden of most of the things we read. We debate which forms of taxation we should use to balance the various budgets, state, nation, and even the smaller political sub-divisions everywhere. I'll give you a little bit of advice about that. Quit worrying about WHICH forms of taxation we shall adopt. When these tax bills to pay for our extravagances, our philanthropies, and our necessities begin knocking at the dooq WE ARE GOING TO ADOPT EVERY POSSIBLE FORM OF TAXATION.'

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One man says, "I don't want a sales tax; I want some other form of revenue raising." The other man says, ttl prefer a sales tax." I say, "Boys, don't wear out your minds worrying about small matters. When we- begin really paying off you're going to have both of them, and all of them put together. And then we won't have enough revenue to pay off." So why worry?

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Taxes are things not rnany people understand. That is why you hear so frequently of late the cry, "Tax the rich !" Only the man ignorant of taxation talks of taxing the rich. That we can assess heavy taxes upon the rich, there can be no doubt. And that we can apparently collect those assessed taxes FROM the rich, there is likewise no doubt. But who actually pays them? Ah, my friends! That's something else again' ,k x< >k

My mind goes back to the best address on a general subject of taxation I ever heard. And the high light of that address-the words that stuck indelibly in my mind-was this: "The rich do NOT pay taxes; they COLLECT them !" And they tell me no man has yet risen wise enough in tax matters to gainsay that declaration. You may tax the rich, indeed. But unless they be strangely dumb, as well as rich, they will simply add that tax to their cost, and pass it along. *** t(*>r

Strain and struggle as you may to create some tax plan that will operate otherwise; when all the grist has been ground and the books have been balanced, it will be found that every millimeter of tax money finds its way undeniably and definitely through those devious channels that lead as inexorably as fate right to Mr. Consumer-to Mr. Jonesfor it's Jones that pays the tax, as well as the justly famous freight.

So when you go t. aiJ""Jri"i taxation, just keep this thought in the front of your head, and it may guide you in your conclusions: THE CONSUMER PAYS ALL TAXES.

Men with thick skulls and thin brains tear their hair today and cry aloud demanding to know why the cost of living goes up almost daily. And the answer is the same one just given above; THE CONSUMER PAYS ALL TAXES. Multiplied taxation, difficult though it may be to trace, is the reason.the consumer dollar is shrinking, and the food and other costs are swelling.

Sooner or later "*r"o Jr-l oJ" rr..r" spent, every dime we are spending, and every dime we are planning to spend, must be paid in taxes. AND MR. CONSUMER WILL PAY THEM. EVERY DIME OF THEM. So it's no use for Mr. Hearst or anyone else to move from one place to another. The tax man is going to find him, just the same.

M. Vininger Manager and Sole Owner

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