Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-09-21

roads run the government. They car
tax the life out of one city to build W
another. BY secret rebates and dis.
ordinations they can destroy any citi
zen. any business, any city, any state
Their corrupting influence is felt anC
seen all the way upward from the town
council to the judge On the bench
from the bench to the senate of the
United States, and from the senate tC
the railroad commissions, whether
state or national
Almost without exception. the rail-
roads of this republic were paid for
by the public and not by the corpora
tions which own them
In donations of land. of bonds, and
of actual cash, the American people
have paid for practically every railroad
on this continent. And VIC have moth
ing to show for it, We are raying
dividends every yea: on at least FIVE
billion dollars OF watereA stock
Bought every Ten Years.
Tie figures show that in every ten
years we pay in freight and passenger
charges an amount equal to the sum
total OF the actual cost Of the roads
Talk about The trusts. The greatest
support which the trust system OF
America has this day is in the rail-
roads. 1t is only by Determinations
secret rebates, special help and favors
that Rockefeller or any other great Or
GaniZer of the trusts could make his
way to the gigantic power which he has
established.
by no other methods than by govern
ment ownership of the railways can
You equalize all shippers, all persons
establish fair system Of exchange,
restore public franchises to public
uses; take out Of politics one Of it's
most corrupting influences; take out
OF commerce one of its most tyrannical
masters. ant' thus pat transportation
where the postoffice system is-making
ii a servant and agent of all the peo-
PIE, doing good where it extends.
Is It Anarchy?
Is public ownership of railroads and
telegraphs and other public utilities
the cry of mere demagogue? Is it a
step toward anarchy and chaos? Is it
subject which can find no room in
the domain of legitimate. respectful,
debate? Gladstone Of England vas in
favor OF government ownership of rail-
ways. and when he was member of
Sir Robert Pee,'s cabinet carried
through parliament a law which en-
powered the British government to
rurt base the railways. law which the
corporations managed to render a null
,ity.
Bismarck. the iron chancellor of res
directed Germany, was in favor of gov
eminent ownership: and it was
through his leadership that Prussia ac-
q"ired her railways. Nearly every
kingdom in Europe. many of the coun-
tries Of Asia and Africa have adopted
the system and work it with perfect
success. And as an American citizen.
seeing that Australia and Canada sue
cessfully deal with this great problem
and operate railroads In the interest Of
al! the people, l feel ashamed of the
backwardness of our own statesman
ship which fears to grapple with that
issue
Favor en- Income Tax
We are in favor of an income tax.
Planting ourselves squarely upon the
ground occupied by Thomas jefferson,
we say that the larger the income the
larger should be the rate of taxation on
that income, to the end that vast ac-
foundations should lie discouraged and
that the wealth of the country should
always be in process of distribution.
No tairer tax than this can be i'm
posed. 1t would put the burden of
government upon the shoulders of
those who are most able to bear it. It
would draw the support of the admin
1stratiOn from those who derive from
ii the greatest benefits.
1t would throw our pension debt
upon that class Of men who during the
civil war Speculated upon the necessi-
ties OF the country and grew rich while
the soldier was in the field.
Declaring itself in favor of a grad
uated income tax, the peoples party
supplements that by saying that there
should be no tariff tax upon the neces-
saries of life which the poor must have
IN order to live. Establish an income
tax, and you would give the govern
lnent a source Of revenue independent
OF the tariff and thereby pare the way
1oi the reduction OF the tremendous
burdens of taxation which now rests
mainly upon the shoulders of the mid
die and lower classes. At this time.
when governmental extravagance
squanders every dollar of the national
income, it is idle to prate of tariff re-
vision until they first tell us how they
Will get the money to run the govern
ment when tariff revenues have been
lowered.
The farmer must pay his tax whether
his farm be run at a profit or not The
merchant must pay his tax regardless
of whether the net balance of trade be
for him or against him. The income
tax is levied upon profits only; and
there is not an argument to he urged
against it that does not reek with the
rankest selfishness.
;, The Money Question.
Upon the money question we have
always stood for the quantitative the
DRY. have always opposed national
banks. and have said that the crea-
ton Of money was governmental
function which should never be sur
rendered.: should never be delegated to
any class of citizens, but should al
ways be held by the government as one
of the great attributes of sovereignty.
We we're for free silver upon the
ground that to the extent it was coined
it would increase the volume of the
currency. But any other equal amount
80 ko/1 l,,,A \,