Maurice McCrackin Goes to Jail Rather Than Pay Taxes for War

From the Rock Hill Evening Herald:

Minister Taken To Prison For Refusal To Pay Taxes

Cincinnati, Ohio (AP) — The Rev. Maurice F. McCrackin, 52-year-old pacifist minister who won’t pay his income taxes, was taken to a federal prison to serve six months for refusal to respond to an Internal Revenue Service summons.

As in the past when confronted with law enforcement officers, the pastor of a merged Episcopal-Presbyterian church had to be lifted from his cell bunk and seated in a wheelchair. He was aroused about 5 o’clock and was on his way to the undisclosed prison at 5:30.

The Rev. Mr. McCrackin, who clashed with the law over failure to pay income taxes, has had to be carried into jail, into courtroom and out of them since his troubles reached a head several months ago. He refused to walk.

In keeping with policy, the name of the prison to which he was sent was not made public. In addition to the sentence, U.S. Dist. Judge John. H. Druffel fined him $250 for failure to respond to summons. A jury convicted him on .

The minister has refused to pay income taxes for years on the grounds that a part of the money goes for war purposes. The IRS issued the summons for him to talk over his income tax situation.

From the New York Times:

New Domingan Tax Dispute.

Sugar Cultivation May Cease — American Interests Involved.

Santo Domingo, . — The Government has ordered the enforcement of taxation on the sugar produced in , and has declared that shipments will be prohibited unless this tax is paid.

The planters refuse to pay, basing their refusal on certain Government decrees and on contracts entered into with them by which the sugar industry was to be freed from all taxation for a period of twenty years. As a result of this situation the plantations may cease cultivation.

American interests are largely involved. The country is quiet.

Boy were they largely involved. In , the United States government took over both the Dominican Republic’s debts and its customs revenue. Since then, the country’s nominal independence has been frequently punctuated by U.S. invasions.