The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-11-13

cheapening of processes? Nothing but
an underselling competition in the
same line of products But where is
that underselling competition to come
from It small operators cannot produce
as cheap.y as large operators? No
where; so that the second objection
falls fat.
There are some features connected
with the subject of tax regul ation that
it would be well to note in order that a
clear apprehension may be had of the
relations between present conditions
and those to be expected from the en-
forcement of the cumulative tax as a
public measure.
It is to be noted, first, that the pres
ent condition is one of the mastery of
monopoly; that this mastery is dis
played by the authors thereof in the
fixing of the rates of all wages and the
prices of all products, both bought and
sold, and that the common people are
absolutely voiccless in the matter of
deciding what they shall receive or
what they shall pay for what they wish
to dispose of or to acquire. 1t is to be
noted. further. that the ranks of the
masses have been filled to overcrowd-
ing by the victims of monopolistic ex-
action and exclusion, and that the in
dividuals of the masses are powerless
to get relief from this source of disaster
by migrations from their poorer pay
ing pursuits to the better paying
pursuits the monopolists have cor
nered, because the latter will
brook no competition calculated to
deprive them of the opportunity to
plumber and enslave. Extra taxation
Of the masses under this condition of
things, then, works with extraordinary
hardship upon them because it amounts
to lessening of their already inadequate
incomes to the precise amount of the
| tax
| It is to be observed, on the other
hand, however, that the conditions to
be produced would be exempted from
the overwhelming dictation and inter-
ference of the masters. The cumu
lative tax would work the dissolution
of the monopolies and with that disso-
luton the power to exercise mastery.
| Nothing would be left then to prevent
all classes of people from so adjusting
themselves by migrations from the poor
er paying to the better paying pursuits
as to bring all vocations to an average
rate of profita bleness Under this con-
dition, whether it be the high taxpayer
or the low taxpayer, he would, when
he had become properly established,
be earning wealth equally rapidly, in
proportion to energy and capital ex-
pended, with all others. When this
was the case the extra taxation of
some would not be working a hardship
to them.
Another fact that is we'll enough to
notice. on account of tax equalization
being much talked of in some quarters,
is that tax regulation is not compati-
BILE with tax equalization, and the two
cannot be urged together. This need
give no concern to the friends of tax
regulation, however, as there is very
little in tax equalization to commend
it to reformers Just what would be
tax equalization is a query. It is sup
posed to mean the same rate per cent.
of taxation upon all property values,
but under the mastery of monopoly
there can be no tax equalization in the
true sense of the term, for there can
be no equality in the rate of profitable
ness of industries under system in
which few rob the many, and it is
a travesty upon the truth to
claim that tax equalization con-
sists in making a poor paying
property pay the same tax that good
paying property of the same value does
Equalization may not be destitute of
merits, however. by a long ways, yet
if we are to forego the regulation we
are to invite and encourage all the alb
normities of industrial development
and all the oppression and financial
and social inequalities that grow out of
the mastery of monopolies. Are we
prepared to do this? If not, we must
not allow tax regulation to be side
tracked for something so wanting in
comparison as tax equalization.
Though tax regulation is incompati-
BILE with tax equalization, it's employ
ment would give us something far SUI
perior, which is equalization of the
opp ortunities to earn wealth and to
profit alike, which is the genuine de-
sideratum. With such equalization we
would be happy people. Untram-
meled by ringsters and spectators we
would prosper. Where we sowed we
would reap and the results thereof
would be seen in the increased con-
sumption of the people, the starting
up of idle mines and manufactures, the
engagement of the unemployed and an
enormous gain in the annual increase
of wealth. These and myriad of other
benefits of widespread and deeply
felt nature would be the outgrowth of
provision that pierced the trusts and
monopolies to the death. Barring
desire to Cypress the people instead of
comforting upon them a wholesale and
wide-reaching benefit, we cannot fore
go tax regulation.
A word more to my reform brothers
Are you ready to embody this with the
other reforms many of US are earnestly
laboring to carry to successful issue?
If the adoption of the income plank
means anv thing, it means that you
are.-W. V. Mars hall, in Greensburg,
pa Independent