National Affairs: Little Georgia Democrat

Under the strain of devising new taxes, Representative James William Collier of Mississippi, Ways & Means chairman, last month collapsed, is now recovering in a Washington hospital. Into his place as acting chairman stepped Representative

Charles Robert Crisp of Georgia, son of the late great Charles Frederick Crisp, Speaker of the House. With the reputation of being the Democratic “brains” on the committee, Congressman Crisp last week took the House floor, delivered a stirring warning to his colleagues and to the country on the tax burdens ahead: “I have burned every bridge behind me. No matter what the personal political consequences may be, I’m going to advocate levying sufficient taxes to balance the budget. It means nothing to the United States whether I remain in Congress or not but it means much to the United States Government that its honor, its credit, its security be maintained at par. … I want you and the country to gird yourselves with stamina, with backbone and with courage to meet this emergency. All must make tremendous sacrifices. For the budget must be balanced either through a manufacturers’ sale tax or excise taxes on commodities and industries. . . . It is very easy to say ‘soak the rich’ but you can’t put a tax on incomes which will produce anything comparable to the amount of money necessary to balance the budget. Unless the budget is balanced, all your temporary relief measures, all your Reconstruction Finance Corporations and everything else will be futile, for the cornerstone on which employment and economic recovery rest is a balanced budget.” Deeply moved, the entire House jumped to its feet, clapped till its hands were red, cheered till its throat was hoarse for this little Georgia Democrat who put country above self and party.