The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-01-14

expenses without having TO apportion q
| direct tax among the counties of the state.
This system is vicious. 1t puts premium
on dishonest appraisement and permits
the county TO receive the benefit OF its own
| wrong. Each county IL trying TO keep
down its valuation In order to pay as httie
as possible Of the state tax, and the result
Is that while some counties are assessed at
practically their cash value, others are
only assessed at 90 or co per cent. OF their
cash value. and this apportionment Is Ee-
quently made worse by the state board OF
equalization. IL this apportionment were
done away with there would be no object
for the county to keep down les assess
ment. Each county would then have to
work out its own salvation, and no county
would be affected by the assessment in an
other.
l am In favor Of an income tax / be-
lieve that an income tax. based upon a
very low percentage. and to q certain ex-
tent graduated. would be a benefit to the
state and would not be oppressive TO any
one. Great numbers OF people in this state
receiving large salaries. reap the benefit
OF our schools and state institutions with
out paying tax of any kind. would sug-
gest that all incomes up to 81 900 be exempt
from taxation: that incomes from 81. COO TO
$1,000 be taxed at the rate OF one-fourth OF
one per cent: all incomes between s..
and $4,000, one-half OF one per cent; all In
comes between $4,000 and $1,000. one per
incomes Increase in amount. think this
would make unnecessary any direct levy
against the various counties OF the state.
Franchise Grabbing.
The recent emphatic protest of the people
OF Chicago against the granting of n 90
year street car franchise has brought
very important question again before the
public
From the time OF the establishment of
street railways in this country. the rate OF
fare has been five cents. While the cost
of operation has been greatly reduced. no
reduction has been made in fares.
In my opinion. the matter is one that de-
mands action at your hands. The RENE
dies I would propose are: ID The passage
of an act making II requisite TO the validity
of n franchise in the streets of any
municipality that the ordinance granting
such rights shall be voted upon and APP
proved by the citizens. 90 The passage of
an act giving TO the people of any munich
pality the right to establish and maintain
their own street car system.
The arguments in favor OF municipal
ownership are too many to be stated here
in detail, but few may be briefly stated:
% The taking out OF the control of the
council OF matter which has always, in
large cities. been the most fruitful source
OF municipal corruption. (9 The tendency
Of public plant 10 give the greatest con-
sideration TO the lives and comfort OF
system to conflne the tracks to as few
streets as possible, instead OF as in The
franchise system t8cover as many as pos
sible. (D The reduction OF fares to as low
a point as is consistent with the cost of
Trusts rnd Combines.
There IS no feature OF our times that
should so alarm the patriot nor is there
any 50 well calculated to drive the WELL
Legislator deEDair.
which confronts US on all sides in the rap
Id concentration of all the productive en-
ergies of the nation in the hands of over
grown corporations, or multiple corpora
lions called trusts; or. where more solid
cannot be effected, by means
OF intercorporate agreements for the pur-
pose of limiting competition. and control
ing prices, The process began with the
means of transportation and intercom-
munication, namely, the railroads. tele-
feeble effort of the federal interstate COM
merce law to check the tendency. 1t has
continued almost uninterruptedly. and
promises to continue in the future.
These and other combines, not mentioned
here and formed or recognized since the
antitrust law was passed by congress In
1899. and controlled by comparatively
few men, control a capital of nearly three
and n half-biilions of dollars, equal to 20
per cent. of the entire wealth of the 7,OOO-
600 of agricultural population scattered
over more than four and half millions of
farms, a capital more than twice the ag-
gregate OF the entire circulating medium
of the country.
Nor does the process stop here. The very
upon whose independence and
honesty the people depend for their In
struction on public affairs, have combined.
primarily TO cheaper the cost of collecting
of news, into a gigantic news trust called
the Associated Press. which, controlled by
a few men at Chicago. has been able TO
distort the truth in many prominent In
stances, and to poison with such diStor-
ton the very fountain of popular Informal
ton.
There Is no salvation for the consumer
except in free compe tition: there Is no dig
nity, no manhood for the laborer except in
the comparative independence he derives
through the free competition OF many en-
ployers who seek his services When there
shall be but one sourt from which the COM
sumner can obtain his supplies, but one en-
ploycr to whom the laborer can offer his
services, both consumer and laborer VIII
be slaves.
When each great staple shall have passed
irto the hands of one corporation or trust,
those who have that control will have
become masters, not alone of the price to
the consumer and the wage to the laborer.
but, what Is almost as appalling, of the
price which they must pay to such indi-
Niuudl pIOuuCcIS VI raw ihdttiinio 40 may
still remain in the country including, pos
sibly, the farmer. Indeed, can we hope
that tho process which il rapidly cngross-
ing all the manufacturing and distributing
energies of the nation, will stop short
at that point. VIII 1t not continue until
the soil OF the country has been seized by
new landed aristocracy, and the stall
wart yeomanry of the country, the hope
and main reliance of the nation In peace
and war, ave~been reduced from their
ancient proud position as free and indie
pendent tillers of their own land. to the
condition of mere tenant farmers, agricul-
tural kinds, or actual serfs. This latter
process may require more time for its
accomplishment, but II is a logical, nay,
a necessary consequence of the others. We
are building up an aristocracy Of wealth
by the rapid absorption into the hands Of
a few OF all the instrumentalities of pro-
duction. Such an aristocracy will lack that
mark of all the older aristocracles. the
monopoly of tho land, the source in the
last resort of all forms of wealth. They
will eagerly seek that last and most es-
sentlal mark of privilege and distinction.
Having accumulated all other agencies for
the production of wealth. the possession
OF the land may easily be secured
our leaders, our press and our legislators
have not yet fully realized what this de-
grading process means TO the future of a
republic founded upon democratic princi-
pies. A democratic republic cannot sur
vive the disappearance of q democratic
k,,.,. IL.