Death and Taxes - Episode #63

Highlights

Death and Taxes

Federal Income Tax in 1918 | @02:15

Casualty List Controversy | @05:20

America Emerges - 26th Yankee Division and rats - Dr. Edward Lengel | @07:35

War In The Sky - Personal account of Paris air raids | @13:30

US anti-war activism in 1918 - Mike Shuster | @16:10

Euro WWI Commemoration events - Dr. Monique Seefried | @21:05

Dog Tags reunited with Doughboy - James Shetler | @30:15

Spotlight in the media 1: Sgt. Stubby - Jacy Jenkins | @36:45

Spotlight in the media 2: Journey’s End - Trailer clip | @42:35

100C/100M in Ogden Utah, Terry Schow | @44:55

Speaking WWI - Penguin | @51:10

WWI Commemoration in Social Media - Katherine Akey | @52:45----more----

Opening

Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - episode #63 - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.

Today is March 16th, 2018 and our guests for this week include:

Dr. Edward Lengel with a story from the Yankee Division and rats...

Mike Shuster, from the great war project blog revisiting the ongoing anti-war movement in America

Commissioner Monique Seefried tells us about upcoming centennial events in Europe

James Shetler with the story of one doughboy’s dog tags and their journey back beside him

Jacy Jenkins gets us ready for the premiere of the new animated WWI set film Sgt Stubby: An American Hero

Terry Schow, sharing the 100 Cities/100 Memorials project in Ogden Utah

Katherine Akey with the WW1 commemoration in social media

WW1 Centennial News -- a weekly podcast brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and the Starr foundation.

I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.

[MUSIC]

Preface

This week, as we were looking at the news and articles from various publications 100 years ago, an unexpected theme popped out.. A theme that covers two ideas that are said to be the only sure things in life. Death and Taxes - both of which are all over the news this week 100 years ago.

With that as a setup, let’s jump into our Centennial Time Machine and roll back 100 years to understand how we see death and taxes 100 years ago in the War that Changed the World!

World War One THEN

100 Year Ago This Week

Taxes

We are back in 1918 and some things never change. We are in mid March, heading towards April and it’s TAX TIME!!

[SOUND EFFECT]

Dateline March 11, 1918

A headline from the Official Bulletin reads:

Voices of 25,000 Four-Minute Men to Be Heard Throughout the Land, Warning All to Make Tax Returns

The story opens with:

Twenty-five thousand Four-Minute Men will start out today on a nation-wide

campaign to impress upon the American public their patriotic duty promptly to file their income tax return and pay their taxes. The period for filing ends April 1.

You remember who the four-minute-men are, right?

The four minute men are a force of volunteers that are deployed by George Creel - America’s propaganda chief - to deliver 4 minute government written pitches to the population. The article continues to explain:

The Four-Minute Men will appear in theaters, moving picture houses, and public gatherings.  Special meetings will be held by chambers of commerce, boards of trade, rotary clubs, luncheon clubs, and business organizations.

" Don't delay " is the warning that will be given by the

speakers. Taxpayers will be urged to protect themselves and aid the Government by being prompt.

It will cost the Government money and trouble to hunt down the man who dodges the income tax, but the word has gone forth from headquarters

that this will be done. Be it known that the “slacker " will be shown no leniency.

Now here it gets interesting!

The article goes on to reveal how much people actually pay for taxes in 1918 - In the article it states:

The man of modest income is made to bear a just share of the common burden. Tables have been p