Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-17

Should the Great Blessing of Wealth
Regulated by Law.

| Should the Great Blessing of Wealth be
| Regulated by Law.
If we acquired the habit of now and then
looking at the case from this side, from
which we unhappily so seldom look at it.
amount of fortunes will take an entirely
new aspect. We shall see that we are, in
reality, making the definite proposal that
our law shall henceforth forbid any citizen
to make the world more than so much
ment for more than a legally limited
number of those who need and desire
employment or to be more Jealous than
the law allows in seeking out commodities
or doing any similar services for the
general public. Franklin once attempted
to reach the common sense of the British
public in pamphlet entitled RULES" for
Reducing a Great Empire to a Small One :"
| Ii a second Franklin should address us,
must he meet as little success in combat
ting the proposal to put legal limits to the
wealth of the country? If the proposal
needed any further illustration, it would
be found In the impossibility of limiting
the injurious results of its adoption.
Human ability Is In the habit of taking
very fair average care of itself If per-
secuted IN one city, it will not be slow to
seek refuge and welcome In another.
| If New York could place a progressive
| income tax on her statute book prohibiting
incomes above a fixed limit, one result
would be a diminution of New York
| incomes; but that would be far from ALL
The incomes thus limited would rapidly
disappear from New York, while Con-
necticut and New Jersey would show sud-
cen, surprising and coincident increase of
large incomes. So, if the scheme should
be adopted by the whole United States,
that country would meet an indefinite
dead loss, to the gain of Canada or Europe
| Human ability would find It's natural
refuge and enjoy its natural income some
where unless the whole world would be
united against it as rmplicably as the
Roman empire used to be against the victim
of the emperor. Until the proposal to
limit fortunes by law can be supplement-
ed by a recipe for securing the acquiesence
or neutrality of those who are to be most
directly affected by it, itmust be considered
as really outside of the province of discus
sion. If the great fortune is the result of
defiance or prostitution of law, let the law be
made to fit the case; but if it is the natural
result of human ability, why should it not
go on benefting the community up to the
natural limit of human powers of manage
ment ?-Century.
! Sunset Cox and Webster-Clay Whisky.
Passing through the Grand Central de-
pot recently, says a New York Star writer,
| saw John Hancock of Washington hur-
name was not earned by signing an I'M
| 1-4o 10 i,,4b a1oJ
framing all such documents and exhibiting
them to Washingtonians and visitors to
the capital at his famous hosiery on Penn
sylvania avenue.
Quaint stories are told of how Henry
Clay and Daniel Webster used to clink
glasses over Hancock's bar away back in
steerer attempted to pick Sunset Cox
up for the purpose of fleeing him. "Sun-
set really thought that the fellow knew
him, and treated him courteously until he
detected his motive.
The fellow invited "Sunset" into Han
cocks, telling him that they would have a
drink of the same whisky and out of the
same bottle that Webster and Clay drank
from The Boston ''sharp" ordered the
liquor and paid 40 cents for it.
''That's good, my friend,a we'll have
some more, said Sunset" as, with a
Virginian accent wholly foreign to the
man, he said "Set up that var Webster
liquor again, sab. -" ''Sunset" then inquired
the amount due.
''Forty cents, said Hancock.
That's the same whisky that Webster,
Clay, Calhoun, an all them fellers drank,
ain t it?" inquired Sunset.
Eyes, sir
"Well, then, sab, as whisky was only
cents a glass in the days of Webster and
CLAY. thar's 10 cents. =" said Sunset, and
turning to the Boston bunko man, he said:
''Meet me tomorrwah night, kyrnel, an
I'll take yer down to Alexandria, whar we
kin get brandy for cents. .
''Who was that little fellow?" asked the
Bostonian.
'Oh, that was Sunset Cox from New
York. "
THE Boston sharp after awhile &C
cepted a place as bar-keeper In one OF the
| Washington restaurants. He had barely
been behind the bar an hour when Sun
set Cox entered. As soon as Sunset
spied him, he said:
Give me some of your best Webster
Clay whisky"
Eyes, sir, > said the smart Bostonian, as,
darting into the cellar he left another bar
keeper to attend to the wants of Sunset. "
For a whole week Cox sent his friends in
to the place to ask for Webster-Clay
whisky until the smart man from Bos-
ton grew so worried that he finally gave
up the place, after declaring In the pres
ence of several 'sports" that Sunset
Cox was good little man to let alone.