The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-12-21

of entails scatters wealth. About the
only large estate in this country to-day
that l recall, which will not be sep
arated and divided among heirs is Car
negie's, and it looks as though he
might divide that up himself. 1t is
rarely that large estates last long in
a republic. Children left with large
wealth soon dissipate it. The saying
that it is only three generations from
the millionaire to the clerk in shirt
sleeves is generally true, and 1t is we'll
for society and for the nation that it
is true.
HAS the danger to labor increased
by the organization of the vast combi-
nations of to-day? The trust is no
new danger. 1t is an aggregation of
capital under a new name. 1t may
be greater one, but it is only large
corporation-the outgrowth of bust
ness and competition. How to control
it is the question.
Publicity and taxation, all agree, is
one way of controlling and keeping the
trusts within the limits. Let the full
light of day be turned on all their ac-
lions, all their statements and all their
accounts, and provide either by a fran
chise or license tax that they shall pay
their fair share of the burdens of the
people. Our case is somewhat differ
ent from that of England or other coun-
tries, and therefore presidents do not
always apply In England, for in
stance they have practically free trade,
and there is nothing which the trusts
wants from Parliament. Here we have
a tariff. and to a certain extent it is
used as a protection for the corpora
tons, and the great danger to our in
situations is that these great aggre-
cations of wealth may endeavor to con-
troll legislation and do things that
smaller bodies could not attempt"
These are pregnant words. They
touch the marrow of the question treat
ed. Here is another passage which is
full of wise suggestion. Again we
quote:
After all. this danger must be met
as all dangers in the republic must be,
and must be overcome, by the virtue
of the people. We must so far as
possible, protect our small landholders.
In their hands is the future of the re-
public. If you will read the history OF
the empires and republics that have
persisted you will find that their fail
ure dates from the time when the lands
drifted into large holdings and were
cultivated by tenants or slaves. So
far, therefore, as it can be done by leg
islation our small property holders
SlOulu DG encouraged anu THEY
be protected: their burden should be
made as light as possible and capital
should be made to pay it's fair share of
the burdens of the state. Large own
erships of. land should be discouraged
and prevented.
Our system of taxation is the crud-
est on the civilized earth, with posi-
bly, the exception of Turkey and some
of the Oriental countries. The laws of
| -,
of this large aggregations of capital
avoid paying their share of the cost of
government. We are just learning that
a franchise tax is the easiest collected
of any, and probably one of the fair
est ways of raising revenue. OF course,
those who manage corporations will OBJ
ject, as everybody does, to paying
taxes, but. nevertheless, it is right and
proper. Those that have the protec-
ton of the state should bear their share
of its burdens.
II have always believed in an income
tax, and have thought that the decis-
ion of our Supreme Court against the
conStitutionality of such tax was one
of the most unfortunate occurrences of
the age. We should have a tax on all
incomes. large or small, exempting a
moderate amount of property from ex-
ecution and levy. This country is so
rich that with a fair system of taxa
ton and economy in expenditure the
tax rate will be so low that it will not
be oppressive, and thus we will en-
courage and protect our small property
holders"
Here is Mr.. Ingalls, conclusion:
THE doctrine of state rights is not
popular one, but l sincerely believe
that we must come back to it if we
would preserve our government. Our
fathers were wise in their day, and
they provided a system of checks in
order to preserve the liberties of the
people, and they also reserved to the
people all rights not expressly grant.
ed. The conflict to determine whether
this country should be all slave or all
free nearly DESTROYED these checks. 1t
made the doctrine of state rights I'M
popular, and for a quarter of q CEN
fury we have been drifting toward a
strong government at Washington. Our
people rush from state legislatures to
Congress, from state courts to United
State Courts. Under one pretext or
another the right of the state is broken
down, and the cry is always for a
strong government, forgetting that the
more you condense and crowd into
Washington the more danger of cor
ruption and wrong. Change this and
keep as much home as you can, so
gOu tdAA NAANAl WHAT IL uOllt. linen.
indeed, shall we transmit to our chill
dren this fair heritage that we received
from our fathers.
1T is the last hope of man, and IL II
fails here then there is no more chance
for free government for centuries The
seeds Of liberty that were sown on the
shores OF the stormy North Sea and
transmitted here by our fathers, plant
ed by them, nourished and cemented
by their blood and handed down 10 us
must not be lost. II we do our duty
as citizens they viii be preserved 20
ourselves and out children for this
twentieth and succeeding centuries"
Rare IN deed do we ind a great rail-
way magnate, closely connected Bs he
: must be- with the great capitalists,
seeing 80 clearly and talking ~ frank
ly. But Mr. ingalls, o. first ~ al a
good citizen and good American, q
thinker ~ well as an actor. Ana b.,
is a good Democrat tool