Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-09-26
A GRADUATED TAX
SUGGESTED FOR THEAcKNoWL-
EDGED EVIL OF TRUSTS.

Senator Morgan Has . Plant Is Simple and
Easy of Application Jones Thinks
Democratic Prospects Are Bright - Roose.
velt's Opposition to Trusts Mere Buncome
The Railroad Bosses Dominate the PARTY
Bosses.
tFrom our regular correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, Sept. Is, 1902.
"Tax the Trusts" is the text of a
letter which Senator John T. Morgan
OF Alabama has recently made public
which is likely to attract considera BILE
attention. The Senator, after stating
in a lengthy preamble the existing
problem, says, The plan I would sug.
gest. in addition to the Sherman law,
is q graduated tax ON all business cor
porations with an exemption, in whole
or in part, as to such as can establish,
to the satisfaction of the government,
that they are not engaged in any
agreement or combinations that are
intended to control the prices, or the
cost of transportation, on commodities
that are of the descriptions that enter
into domestic or foreign commerce.
The power thus exercised is SIM
ply the taxing power and is not neces.
sarily connected with the power Of
Congress to regulate commerce be.
tween the States or with foreign coun.
tries.
cit is the application of the princi-
pies OF taxation which are we'll settled,
to corporations which have made agree
ments that violate the purposes for
which they were created. to the injury
Of competitive trade and the general
welfare"
The proposition Of the learned Sen
ator is simple and easy of application.
No constitutional amendment would
be required, and no change of the
precious tariff schedules. If the Pres.
ident is in earnest in his desire 10 con-
troll the pernicious trusts the scheme
should recommend itself to him, and
to the members OF his party a. we'll.
A simple revenue tax bill could be
promptly enacted which would bear
heavily on every corporation but from
which exemption could be secured or
proof that the corporation was not
acting in violation OF the spirit or the
letter of the law or contrary to the in.
terests OF the people. The burden OF
proof would rest on the corporations
and in their efforts to secured exemp-
ton the publicity, 90 strongly advo-
Gated by tho President, would be Sc
cured. Tho opportunity offered to the
Fifty-seventh Congress, by Senator
Morgan, to prove that it has the in.
terests OF the people rather than those
of corporate wealth at heart, 10 excep-
tional.
President Roosevelt has just re-
turned from his trip through the south
where he Joined the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Firemen and spoke enthu-
siastically of his admiration for Or
ganized labor. There 10 little reason
to believe, however, that the working
man who has to pay $40 ton for his
coal and Is cents pound for his meat
will regard the Presidents action as
emitting him or his party to the sup
port Of the laboring classes. The YER
bal statement that the President is
his friend will do little to alleviate the
suffering OF the man who knows that,
as result OF Republican legislation,
his family is cold and hungry.
Senator Jones Of Arkansas passed
through Washington this week aud
spoke enthusiastically OF the prospects
Of the fall elections. He called atten.
ton to the fact that the passage of the
Mckinley law was followed by q tre.
mendous rise in prices and that in
turn. by great Democratic victory.
He predicts that history will repeat
itself. He said that all over the
United States the high cost OF living
was proving serious hardship TO the
poor man and that he was suffering
that hardship a. . result OF Republi.
can policies. Under these circum-
stances he would naturally vote the
Democratic ticket. Senator Jones pro.
nounced Mr.. Roosevelts proposed
constitutional amendment "mere bum
come" and stated that the President
was we'll aware that the real issue was
the trusts and the tariff and that no
Republican Congress would enact leg.
islation which would reduce the tariff
or correct the trust evil.
The Democrats at headquarters are
delighted with the prominence that
the President is giving to the trust
question in his speeches. They say
he cannot do too much in this direc-
ton. That all that is necessary, is
for the people to appreciate the cause
OF their hardships and they will need
no guide to show them the remedy.
/
They say the people will never be con-
tent to await q constitutional amend
ment a. the remedy for the present
evil and that they will appreciate that,
to secure relief from existing condi-
tions, they must elect a Democratic
Congress. Tho alleged opposition oi
Wall street and Senator Platt TO the
President, which is being so widely
discussed in the Republican press, they