The Portland daily press., 1900-06-28
TAX REFORM.

The resolutions adopted by the Repub-
ican state Convention yesterday dealt
largely with State affairs, and dealt with
them in way that ought to give general
satisfaction. The utterance on the ques-
tion of revision of the tax laws was
clear cut and explicit. 1t commits the
Marty without reservation to a reforma-
tion of the tax laws, (which will lead
to more just and equitabls valuation
and assessment of all forms of property
Of every kind and description" If a Re-
publican legisl ature is elected this fall
and of that there is of course no doubt =
it will be under the strongest kind of OBJ.
legation TO set to work as soon as 1t
meets to fulfill the promise of the party
platform; and every step it takes will be
carefully scr Itinized by the people. And
the people will be in no mood to tolerate
any mere pretence of reform. A few super
fetal changes Will not satisfy them. The
whole system OF taxation must be gone
over, its inequalities corrected as far as
may be and every class of property, so far
as is possible, made to bear its proper
tional burden. 1t is of great Importance
that nothing be done at the start
that will rouse suspicion or
distrust. To place man all his
life closely identined with great cor
porations in such position as TO be able
to direct and control the work of revis-
ion will be a capital mistake. 1t will be
lust as much mistake as would be the
placing of the revision in the hands OF
some walking delegate or professional
labor agitator. Protest as he may. man
closely identified with big corporations
placed in that position will not be able to
secure the confidence of the people, and
whatever is done under his direction or
by those appointed by him will bs viewed
with suspicion and distrust. The work
of the legislature is practically done by
the committees, and the matter of tax
revision will be placed either in the hand
of one OF the regular committees, or what
is more probable, one specially created
for this purpose. In any event the ap-
pointnIent of this committee will be in
the hands of the Speaker OF the House.
1t is therefore of the greatest Importance,
if we are to have fair and just revision,
protecting alike the rights of capital and
labor, that we should have in the speak
er S chair a man who is not under heavy
obligations TO either the one or the 9TH
er. We can easily imagine what a tre-
mendous shout of protest would go up
from the combinations of capital If it
We're seriously proposed TO elect as Speak
er of the next House of Representatives, a
man who had been closely identified with
labor agitation all his life. 1t would be
said, and with good reason too, that such
a man was not the proper man, to direct
"a revision of the tax laws. 1t would be
argued with great force that a man of
his notions and his habits of thought and
action could not act with fairness and
impartiality. A man identified all his
life with big combinations of capital,
who has grown rich in their service, is
just as much disqualified. He can't
shake OFF the obligations of a life time in
a moment. A reform carried on under
his auspices viii be guided, unconsci-
ously perhaps, but none the less really,
by his prejudices and they will all be in
one direction. The masses viii have
good reason TO distrust him, and will dis
trust him, and the work carried ON un-
der his direction. TO set the wheels of
tax reform in motion we want a man
who has no strong prejudices in either
direction. We want one who is bound by
no obligations either to capital or labor
We want one with a judicial mind and
of sufficient strength of character to re-
sist sinister pressure from any direction.
Only under the guidance of such man