The Labor enquirer., 1888-01-14
llfsi3 Nm thInlsss IS - .slIould

Il I'LL kll1lcLy y - - 'SllO0ES
inherit more than "a comfortabl'
independence" To regulate thi
may Be difficult. but something
may be doac in the interest Of th'
whole, as well as of the children
preventing them becoming. mer'
drones. M
In this country there is apreju
dice against income taxes; not Sc
in England. There they have
fixed form of raising revenue
When war is made Mr.. Gladstone
pays for it by an increase of the
income tax. This is we'll. Fol
it has a tendency to restrain the
noble game. There is a special
propriety in this country in
levying an income tax. Here the
untaxable, bonded indebtedness
enables the rich man to escape
taxes. But when the law of the
bond was enacted, there was
simultaneously laid upon it an in
come tax. This became, as it
we're, part of the, bond contract
and should have remained during
the life of the bond. There is al
so a general propriety in levying
income taxes. Those who have
the most to protect, and who re-
ceive the greatest benefits from
the protection of society, should
bear the cost Of that protection.
1t is evident that income taxes
can be so graduated as. to make
excessive accumulation impossi-
Bile. 1t is true that the question,
What is excessive accumulation?
admits of no exact answer; that
it must ever be a varying ques-
ton. But it admits of approxi-
mate determination, and any wise
income tax would leave a large
margin.
81 hear many voices proclaiming
that limit to accumulation would
take away the spur of enterprise.
But what, under existing condi-
tions, is the incentive to accumu-
lation beyond a competency
The amonnt necessary to crafty
every rational want is not great.
"Man wants but little here below,
nor wants that little long,
When TINS littfe is obtained why
do men labor to obtain more2 Is
it not for the qualification of van
ity, for display and ostentation, or
for some benevolent use? | once
asked a very rich man, what are
you doinga" Increasing my pile" /"
why" That may have a bigger
one than my neighbor." Another
accumulates that he may have a
splendid stud, and drive a team
that will make the beholders stare.
Another, that he may visit the ma
tions in yacht. to be gazed at.
Another, that his wife may dis
play the most and the largest dia-
monds, and yet another that he
may give the most elegant enter
tainments, resplendent with bril-
liant plate and stunning floral
decoration-all at fabulous cost.
The cost is the relish; it is in this
that the rich can excel. Yet we
have not reached in this line the
excellence of the ancients, when
Hortensius watered his trees with
wine; the comedian Esop, enter
tained his guests with dish oi
the tongues of parrots that had
learned to talk. costing $4,000
and the beautiful Poppea pre-
served the FRESHNESS of her com
plexion by bathing in asses milk
furnished her by 500 of these ami
mails, that ever attended her If
her travels. But we are making
progress. The adornments of the
hall, on late festive occasion il
New York. must have reminded
the lord chief justice of the i'm
moderateness Of oriental magnih
cence. Here the oldest and th'
youngest civilizations touch.-
Is the accomplishment of sucl
ends as these the only spu
to enterprise?-ends that stimu
late on the one side vanit.
and pride. an4 on the other env.
and hatred. Hence the tradi
ltional insincerity and heartless
ness of fashionable society.
|