The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-08-13
Should Wealth be Limited ?

| w CdIlu
This, then, is the battle of the future
concentrated wealth on one hand, con-
centrated poverty on the other. The
battle should not be one of force, but one
of reason and agitation until wealth shall
be bound by proper constitutional limita.
tiops; battle i'll which law shall triumph
for the true remedy, the remedy most
conducive to equality, lies in legislation.
But this legislation should be immediate.
If we desire to prevent actual war between
class and class, il is imperative that a
legal check at once be placed upon the
growing power for evil of aggregated
wealth.
The limitation Of wealth by law has re-
ceived the approval Of some of the most
gifted as we'll phianthropic of minds
In our own country such men as Horace
Greeley, Theodore Parker, and William
El!ery Claiming have advocated it. Still
a ready objection of some against the
limitation of wealth is that any attempt to
remedy by legislation the inequality of
fortune at once infringes upon the right
of personal liberty. Have we no laws in
existence now which infringe upon the
right of personal liberty? Do not our
usury laws take some rights from the in
dividual? Does not our custom house
law, which permits the trunks of every
new arrival to be searched, infringe some
what upon the right Of personal liberty
The citizen who would object to these
laws would have but very narrow con-
ception of the true purpose of govern
| tnent. If we examine our laws closely we
shall find many that encroach upon ind-
vidual liberty for the sake ofpublc good
Then why should any objection be made
to those laws which tend to limit wealth
Undoubtedly tax levied upon all in
comes, which would be progressively
raised and graduated according to the
amount of the individual or corporate
wealth, could be constitutionallye enacted
And if progressive income tax can be
enacted, the graduated inheritance tax
can also be enacted, for the principle is
practically the same. Senator David B.
Hill, of New York, has called the pro-
gressive tax modern fad " 1t is so
modern, however, that it can be traced
back to the Romans, Greeks, and Egyp-
t;ans. During the palmiest days of
Greece-the days of Scion and Lycurgus
"a progressive tax was stern reality.
Our own country has not been without
a progressive tax. In 1877 a graded i'll
heritance tax was levied by Congress-
This law was repealed in 1902. In 1862 |
similar law was passed. But after having |
been decided to be constitutional by the
Sureme Court, it was repealed in 1872.
Other governments at the present time
tax the rich. In England besides the
income tax, many other items of revenue
are contributed entirely by the rich
contributed upon the principle that those
who have acquired riches shall bear the
burden of taxation. In the United States
we seem to place the burden of taxation
upon the shoulders least fitted to bear it.
Every effort to tax the rich, to properly
tax corporations and trusts, has met
with failure. The lobbyist and cor
poration lawyer have defed the tax
gatherer until they have worn out the
patience of the people. The time is now
ripe for proper legislation. A progressive
tax and tax upon inhertances should be
made a law in every Saskatchewan N.
REEVES, in August arena.