The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-01

for want OF shipping England and Ger
many have taken exports that might lust
as easily have been ours. There are not
ships enough sailing from our Pacific
coast TO accommodate the amount OF
Asiatic business offered. The fac, IS
there are 30 American ships III the trade:
l mean no modern ships cana bic of carry
ing at cost TO the shippers sufficiently
low TO establish our foreign commerce on
a solid basis and meet the competition Of
other nations.
throughout the entire country west of
the Rocky mountains is more directly
concerned in this question than In any
other that affects his moueyed interests
transportation In the commercial werd
is Ike the blood in animal life. Stop
the circulation and tha body Is dead
Any Equitable Tax Is Fair.
Mr.. Hi gave his views on the tax
measures now before congress. and on
taxes in general. as follows:
Some OF the tax measures now before
congress Tor the purpose of Increasing
the war revenue are altogether right
Others are not. Any efforts 10 obtain
necessary revenue by levying i tax based
on fair and sound foundation. that
makes the lax reasonable ana equal 10
all. will. think. meet with the approva,
or all But any attempt TO overburden
one interest for the benefit OF another viii
ne disfastefui 10 the people and doubtless
meet with more or less resistance II
seems just now that there is more OF eff
fort in congress in this direction than Of
measure. In many and various ways the
problem has been considered, with the
evident desire on the part OF the men,
bers 70 agree upon some feasible and Well
defined plan. But as yet there seems
10 have little come OF e.
fou must always bear N mind this
that any large sum TO be raised by taxa
ton must and Will be borne by all the
people III proportion 10 the figures they
individually cut. For instance when a
specia! tax is laid upon a corporal ton.
that tax is borne by the people who use
the product of that corporat.on-s labor
corporation is only a piece or paper
with the sea- OF the state attached and or
itself can pay no money. II earns il or
horrows it. The tax Is levied and must
be paid. II would scarcely be a paying
business for the corporation 10 borrow
money TO pay 1t. Its only method 70 to
increase the price of the product of Its
labor, or in other words, draw on the
people who use that product 10 pay the
tax. So, you see, Il corporation, when
il comes to taxes, is merely a distribute
ing agent. IT 1t cannot collect It's taxes
lEutH the ptIr:- Dy It's cummings. the taxes
must go unpaid and the corpora lion goes
into the hands of a receiver, or something
else equally as bad results.
Railroad corporations pay a tax on
every pound of freight. human or mer-
camille. they carry. Perhaps YOU will
be surprised when / tell you that the
Great Northern pays out in taxes more
than 5000 each day. an amount equal to
more than one-half the entire dividends of
the road. 1t pays TO the several states
through which ii passes more than one
half much as is earned by all the
stockholders on their investments That
constitutes a very large proportion of the
total expenses of the road, and is equal
to Y per cent. of all the wages paid 10
its employees. We have only two sources
from which TO draw our money: We
must either sell transportation or borrow.
When We have a given amount to pay
it would be poor business IF we had to
borrow to conduct our transportation,
consequently We must sell at such prices
viii cover taxes and all other expenses
incident to the business, besides paying
a proper return on investment. So, YOU
see, that anything that adds 10 the tax
on a corporation adds 20 much to the
burden of the people. AS I said we are
merely distributing agency; We pay his
taxes and charge ii To him through The
medium of an individual product, which
is transportation
Mr.. Hell started East yesterday after
noon on a tour of Inspection or the road.
his private car being attached to the
overland train which left Seattle at 1
y. m.