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Volume IV Prosperity 9 Tax Increase and Tax Reduction

In 1921, Harding's ascension to power meant that the United States was back in isolationism, playing on its own behind closed doors, and no longer interested in international affairs.

Of course, this is only reflected in the political aspect, and on the economic side, the cunning and pragmatic Americans are dumping large quantities of American goods around the world, and at the same time, they have sharply raised import tariffs to keep foreign goods out.

This excites the American capitalists, including Situ Nan. The United States has a huge consumer market, keeping out foreign goods, and the domestic cake is not the dish of the major monopoly giants?

In addition to raising tariffs, a large amount of American capital has poured into all parts of the world, seizing markets, plundering raw materials, and has many unique advantages.

Situ Nan put down the newspaper in his hand, and the financial news published on it did not excite him, most of it was expected by him.

"As the European economy recovers, the distorted high tariffs of the United States will sooner or later lead to trade disputes, but the United States is not ready to control the world. Influenced by the traditional Monroe Doctrine, and with the intervention of traditional agricultural interests, this over-protectionism is also understandable. Situ Nan muttered.

Suzu -

The phone rang, and Andrew's voice came from far away Washington.

"Is Laura okay? Is little Andy good? ”

"Good."

"Oh. That's good. Andrew paused, then added, "Stoney, you're right. Those people in the White House are really not clean, and I can't really get too close to them. ”

"Huh? Can you tell us about it? Situ Nan asked.

"Interior Secretary Faure is ready to give the Navy's oil reservation concession to the oil companies. This is the news I just got, and the Minister of the Navy is obedient. ”

Although the voice on the phone was a little distorted, Situ Nan felt the solemnity in his voice.

In 1909, the government allocated oil-containing government land to the Department of the Navy in case of emergency: Navy Reservation No. 1 at Mount Elke, California, Navy Reservation No. 2 at Beauville, California, and Navy Reservation No. 3 at Mount Tepot, Wyoming (shaped like a teapot, also known as Teapot Mountain).

Over time, a number of oil wells have been drilled next to the three reservations, especially after the blowout near Mount Elk, and the government could not sit still.

Oil can flow, if it is indifferent, it may be pumped away by the oil wells next to it, and the Admiralty is also going to develop these three oil fields, but the Navy does not have the ability to develop oil fields, so it has to find oil companies.

"Now that the confrontation between Japan and the United States in the Pacific Ocean is fierce, some high-ranking naval officials are interested in immediately developing oil fields and storing fuel oil. The other day the president signed an order transferring three reservations from the Admiralty to the Department of the Interior, and Secretary of the Interior Faure, a close associate of the president, is close to the oil companies. He came to me and asked if the Gulf Oil Company would like to help develop the oil on the Teapot Hill Reservation, which is said to contain 130 million barrels of oil! ”

"What do you say?" Situ Nan asked nervously.

Many of the top officials in Harding's cabinet came from Ohio, the birthplace of Standard Oil, and there were a large number of oil merchants who had unclear ties to senior government officials. For the extraction of oil on naval reservations, the government naturally does not look for the standard oil system created by Rockefeller, but how can it find Gulf oil? Is it for Mellon's sake? Maybe the cake is too big and you want to find Mellon to share the profit?

Situ Nan thought to himself, feeling that things would not be so simple.

"I turned him down."

"Huh? Good! Let them go! Such a cheap cannot be wanted. I don't want Western oil, I can't want Gulf oil, I always feel like something will happen to them. ”

Andrew's words made Situ Nan breathe a sigh of relief. As a person who often reviews American history, Stuart Nan clearly remembers that Secretary Fall was the first senior cabinet official in American history to be sentenced to prison, and he was also one of the top officials in Harding's cabinet.

It's really a calm and silent Uncle Andy! Not everyone can stand the temptation of more than $100 million. Situ Nan secretly commented on Andrew in his heart,

"Alas, it's just a pity. 130 million barrels! Andrew's voice was full of regret.

"Isn't it 130 million barrels? Nothing is a pity. I still have a lot of oil fields in my hands, but the time is not yet ripe, so I'll tell you later! Situ Nan comforted.

"I knew that your kid had a lot of private goods in his hands, haha, I guessed it!" Andrew's laughter on the phone was a little treacherous, and he didn't forget to tell Situ Nandao, "Don't remember that the fat water doesn't flow into the fields of outsiders!" Don't forget me if you have a good thing! ”

"By the way, what's going on with the tax cuts?" Situ Nan asked again.

"I'm sorry. This is confidential and inconvenient to disclose. ”

"Come on, how can I say that I am also a leader in the business community, and the tax reduction policy is related to the hundreds of thousands of employees of the consortium, so I should have a little right to know, right?"

Situ Nankan said. Mellon's tax cut has nothing to do with ordinary people, it's just a high personal tax for the rich. Under the wartime tax system of 1918, the government levied a tax of up to 65% on the portion of an individual's annual income over $500,000!

Originally, because of the war, the government increased its revenue, and it was normal for high-income taxes to be paid, and the capitalists could earn back a large number of orders, and they also recognized it.

However, now that the war has been fought for two years, such a high tax system has not been abolished by the Wilson government, you must know that in 1913, when there was no war, the personal tax rate was only 6%!

"! You don't have to do it, just work for the government! Many big capitalists are scolding, it can be seen that the big capitalists in the United States are against Woodrow? How disgusted Wilson was.

They had been hoping that Wilson would get out. It is even more unlikely that a Democratic government will be in power, even though they have many ways to evade taxes.

The "good guy" Harding came to power, and Mellon's role as finance minister is also highly anticipated.

Andrew's tax reduction policy is well known to everyone, and it is not a state secret at all, so you have to integrate the opinions of all parties!

"Alright! I'm going to drop it to 32 percent, but the Democratic opposition is fierce, and it's not going to be easy. Andrew said with some uncertainty.

"Try your best! The sooner it comes down, the more dividends I will pay to the company's shareholders! Situ Nan said with a smile.

"Huh." Andrew smiled. Situ Nan's words also expressed his heart. On the topic of reasonable tax avoidance, these two sons-in-law discussed a lot.

"By the way, I'll come to Washington and introduce you to some big names." At the end, Andrew reminded Situ Nandao, which made Situ Nan's heart a little moved.

Originally, he still had questions, but in the end he couldn't help but say nothing. It is the policy of restricting immigration just introduced by the US government, which gives each country a certain quota every year.

Of course, most of the quotas were allocated to countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Italy in Western Europe, and countries in Eastern Europe could also get a part, and as for Asian countries, it was almost zero.

Except for a few people who come to the United States through guò to study and do business, the Chinese have almost no chance of immigrating to the United States.

Fortunately, after seven or eight years of continuous smuggling, then bribing officials, and forging a large number of documents, the Chinese were initially able to gain a foothold in California, which was something that Situ Nan was more pleased with.

"It seems that the Nanyang side is going to step up, after all, there is still a lack of name!" Situ Nan thought to himself. ??????

"This is the mysterious island of Jekyr? It doesn't seem to be anything special! ”

Standing at the door of a quiet house, Situ Nan said softly. However, the grass is abundant, and it has not been developed, but it is suitable for hunting.

"Huh! On the surface, it's not much different from other resorts, but it's not a simple place to live. Both are the richest people in America. ”

Andrew laughed, "Don't you think it's particularly quiet here?" ”

"Huh? It seems to be. ”

"All the service staff of the club are transferred from the mainland, and all guests who arrive at the club are only called by their first names, and their surnames are absolutely not used.

There are also 50 miles around the clubhouse to ensure that no journalists will appear. Therefore, there is usually no one here, and only when it is important to come. Let's go inside! ”

Andrew patted Situ Nan on the shoulder and walked inside with a shotgun. Situ Nan also walked in, just finished hunting, but he didn't expect that Andrew, who was always quiet and thin, actually hit an elk, which surprised Situ Nan a lot.

"You really can't underestimate anyone!" He smiled and followed in.

He listened to Andrew's advice, and after going to Washington, he did get to know many big people, and none of the Harding cabinet ministers were missing. They are warm and polite to each other, and there will be no deep entanglements.

The only thing that was a little rewarding was that I met Vice President Calvin? Coolidge. However, the other party is indeed like a silent donkey, who doesn't like to publish, but often in a word, it left a deep impression on Situ Nan.

It's a pity that the other party is a very well-behaved person, so he couldn't talk deeply, which made Situ Nan a little regretful.

After coming out of Washington, Situ Nan followed Andrew to Jekyll Island, a hundred miles away, to attend the gathering of the giants here.

It is necessary to say about this Jekyr Island, which is a winter resort owned by the super-rich in the United States.

More than a decade ago, the big names led by J.P. Morgan founded a Jekyr Island Hunting Club.

The last time he got involved with the New York gang was a few years ago on a cruise ship at Morgan, when he was discussing the purchase of U.S. Treasury bonds, and it was at that time that Robles Securities began to become one of the top financial speculators on Wall Street.

However, it was the first time for Situ Nan of Jekyl Island to come here, and he had been away from the United States for two years, but he had a lot of estrangement with these guys.

The topic of this discussion was naturally the tax cut that everyone was most concerned about, and it was convened by Andrew, involving the interests of the rich, and everyone came from all over the world.

"Hi. Andrew, I heard you just hunted an elk? A middle-aged man laughed. After seeing Situ Nan, he smiled and nodded.

He is little Rockefeller, because the old man of the family retreats into the background, so most of the time this hearty and resolute little Rockefeller appears in front of him.

Situ Nan came in and took a look, good guys, they are all a bunch of rich lords, not to mention Morgan and Rockefeller, railway king Vanderbilt, mining king Guggenham, tobacco king Duke, copper king Clark, tractor king McCormick, meat king Swift?????

These people have no less than 100 million dollars in property, and there are more than a dozen of them!

Damn, so many rich people gather, it scares people to death when they say it, and people still think they want to overthrow the "government" when they say it?

It's also Harding's Madaha who is so calm! A hundred years later, the FBI agents have already passed.

These people sit together in twos and threes, smoking cigars, bragging, and nodding to White House officials.

Andrew's connections are really extensive, and he constantly introduces these rich guys to Situ Nan. The old foxes nodded and smiled at Situ Nan's appearance, maybe many people have heard of Andrew, a rich son-in-law! However, Situ Nan's youth still made many old hearts twitch slightly. But it is not known how much sincerity can be found in that flawless smile.

Of course, Situ Nan himself also has the capital of pride, which one of the Occidental Petroleum Companies, Bethlehem Steel Company, and Wells Fargo is not a well-known large company?

Strength is the best proof, enough to cover up other factors such as skin color and ancestry. At least outside, quite a few "notorious" Jews were present at the scene.

At least compared to property, there are not many people here who can surpass him. However, there is also an intangible asset called connections, which is not comparable to Situ Nan.

After some pleasantries, Situ Nan found a place to sit down.

"Stoney, over here!" Situ Nan looked up and saw that it was Dupont's arms dealer. However, Situ Nan's Bethlehem Steel Company sold arms not far behind, but he did not become chairman of the board of directors, so Schwab became infamous.

Schwab's old boy is now the president of the American Iron and Steel Institute. There is no shortage of money, fame, and status, and some are not enterprising, squandering all day long, picking up girls, playing exciting, playing heartbeat, I heard that there are quite a lot of tricks.

Although it was his personal money, Situ Nan was a little dissatisfied in his heart, especially now that the steel industry is in a very delicate state.

"Just find a chance to take that kid down! Well, just let Eugene get on! Situ Nan thought to himself.

"Stoney, what are you thinking?" DuPont asked with a smile.

"I miss you!" Situ Nan said casually.

"Miss us?" DuPont was a little confused.

"It is said that 1/6 of the wealth on the earth is concentrated in the hands of the members of this club, I was a little skeptical, but now I believe it." South Szeto Road.

". The U.S. government is the richest. We're just workers. No amount of money earned is enough to pay taxes! Dupont pouted.

He may be the person who hates wartime tax policy the most, DuPont bought more than a billion dollars of explosives in World War I, and the net profit was hundreds of millions of dollars, but most of it was taken away by the government, so how can he not be angry?

"Yes! So didn't Andrew just call everyone? Anyway, the government can't deprive us of the fruits of our hard work. Situ Nan smiled, looking a little shameless.

"Hey. Stoney, you're not honest! Old Schiff actually gave you a stake in the City Bank of New York. Morgan, who was opposite Situ Nan, looked at Situ Nan with some displeasure, holding a cigar in one hand, looking like Morgan-style arrogance.

"Haha. It's just a mix of food. He can afford to be an old man, and I can't shirk it. But I'm just playing the role of soy sauce. The real big guys are still you! I have to rely on Jack to take care of your little brother. ”

Situ Nan said with a smile, and turned his head to look at the little Rockefeller next to him, and now the Rockefeller family is the majority shareholder of the City Bank of New York.

"Soy sauce?" Little Rockefeller looked at Situ Nan with some confusion.

"Well, playing soy sauce is what it means to join in the fun." Situ Nan explained, "I have a 5% stake and a small shareholder, and I don't follow Rockefeller to eat." ”

"It's dishonest!" Rockefeller Jr. and Morgan smiled when they met, 5% is not a small number. They were a little jealous of Situ Nan's evil in their hearts, but Situ Nan has always been very knowledgeable and rarely went to New York to carry out any conspiracy, which made Rockefeller a little relieved. You must know that there is a peaceful and cunning Mellon behind him!

"By the way, Jack (you can't call your last name), I heard that you were tricked? You okay? Situ Nan looked at Morgan with a sincere expression of concern.

In the Wall Street bombing, this hapless and tenacious guy heard that he was knocked unconscious by the air wave, but he did not die, but was injured in the back. was assassinated twice in a row, but he didn't die, I have to say that this guy's luck is really rape. Situ Nan thought to himself.

"It's fine. Thank you for your concern. Morgan's face was a little unswerving, and he felt a dull pain in his back when he remembered the sudden explosion.

At that time, several bigwigs of the Morgan consortium were in the office for a meeting, and suddenly a wave of anger rushed in and destroyed the office, and Morgan was also thrown up by the wave and hit the wall, but fortunately did not die.

To this day, he still has palpitations. Seeing that Situ Nan was so sincere, he didn't have a good seizure, so he had to curse the Russians fiercely in his heart.

"How did I hear that DuPont's gunpowder wagon accidentally detonated?" Rockefeller Jr. interjected, which made Dupont's face, who was happy to watch the play, change a little.

"No, no, no! John, don't talk nonsense! Beware of suing you for slander! When Dupont heard this, he was anxious, stood up, pointed at Rockefeller Jr., and looked at Rockefeller Jr. with some anger.

His voice was a little high, and many people on the side looked at it. DuPont once used explosives to make someone else's family rich, and everyone has heard of such a deed, and when Rockefeller Jr. mentioned it like this, everyone's eyes were a little playful. Even Morgan's eyes were a little gloomy.

Realizing that he was too sensitive, Dupont immediately sat down, softened his face, and explained; "The company did have a horse-drawn carriage that day to lose the delivery, but it was not explosives, but paint, and our company's carriage had already been delivered to its destination after the explosion. Now, the paint is used for the decoration of Mobil Company, why don't you see Mobil Company explode? ”

This is said as if the two of them conspired to blow up Morgan, otherwise why would others only find trouble with Morgan?

Little Rockefeller suddenly smiled. "I'm just talking about it, I don't mean anything else. It's all done by those ** molecules, it's just a joke. ”

"It's not funny."

"Alright! I apologize. ”

Everyone laughed dumbly, to say that DuPont was going to blow up Morgan, it was naturally impossible!

Situ Nan secretly paid attention to Morgan's expression, well, it was very calm, calm and a little weird, but he couldn't say why.

I guess I muttered in my heart - why am I always the one who is hurt! Situ Nan speculated in his heart.

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