The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-12-07

was shown In the Investigation Of tn
Standard OIL company and as has beer
shown since by the Investigation Of tn,
tobacco and sugar trusts az to the Until
! alive OF big railroads. often railroad,
| would like to combine for the purpose OF
preventing big shipper from maintain.
ing improper advantages at the expense
! or small shippers and of the general pub
| lie. Such combination, instead of being
| forbidden by law, should be favored. In
| other words, II should be permitted 10
| railroads TO make agreements. provided
| these agreements were sanctioned by the
Interstate commerce commission and
! were published. With these two cOndi.
| tons complied with il is impossible TO
see what harm such a combination could
do to the public at large. 1t is a public
evil TO nave on the statute books a law
Incapable OF full enforcement because
both judges and turies realize that its
full enforcement would destroy the bust
ness OF the country; for the result Is TO
make decent railroad men viOlators Of
the law against their will. and to put a
premium on the behavior of the wilful
wrongdoers. Such result In turn tends
TO throw the decent man and the wilfuI
wrongdoer into close association, and in
the end TO drag down the former to the
latter's level for the man who becomes
laworeaker In one way unhappily tends
to lose all respect for law and IN he
willing to break it in many WAYS No
more scathing condemnation could he
visited upon law than is contained in
the words OF the Interstate commerce.
commission when, in commenting upon
the fact that the numerous Joint traffic
associations do technically violate the
law, they say: The decision Of the
United States supreme court in the
Transmissssippi case and the Joint
frame association case has produced no
practical effect upon the railway opera
nptn
in fact, exist now as they did before
these decisions, and with the same gem
eral erect. In justice to all parties WE
ought probably to add that it is difficult
70 see now our interstate railways could
De operated with due regard to the inter
without concerted action of the kind al
FORCED thru these associations"
MS means that the law as construed
py me supreme court Is such that the
9us!Less or the country cannot be con- |
lucted without breaking IT, I recommend !
lnat you give careful and early consider |
ation TO this subject, and if you ind the
opinion OF the interstate commerce com
mission justified that you amend the
ID" so as TO obviate the evil disclosed.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
1t was. expected that che president
Sot ti REFER In some way to his belief
nous fortunes, and he has done go by
commenting legislation for both in
ouie ana an inheritance tax He be-
eVes the government should impose a
Ia auualeu inheritance tax, and. if posi-
ne, graduated income tax Ue save.
i am Well aware that such n smbisct
lhls needs long and careful study In
fuer that the people may become famU-
II win what Is proposed to be done.
40, lay n rieaFIy see the necessity Of proceed
IS Will wisdom and self-restralnt and
lay make up their minds Just how far
iey are willing to go in the matter: {
ME only trained legislators can work
it Ihe project in necessary detail. But
leel that In the near future our nation I
legislators should enact law prOvid-
= tor q graduated inheritance tax bv
men steadily increasing rate of dutv
lould be put upon all moneys or other
iiuaples coming by gift, bequest, or | =
wise to any individual or corporation s
may pe We'll to make the tax heavy S
proportion as the, individual benefited I
remote Of kin. In any event in NV s
osmeht the pro rata Of the tax should S
crease very heavily with the Increase
tIe amount left to any one individual ! n
Ter a certain point has been reached. "
IS most desirable to encourage thrift {
q ambition, and a potent source of ! h
tltt ana ambition is the desire on the | "
ri OF the breadWinner to leave his chill | o.
en- well of This object can be attained ! r.
manning the TAX very small on mOder- | n
amounts or property left: because | 8,
prime object should be to put a con- {,
lntly increasing burden on the inner ~
nee OF those swollen fortunes which c,
Is certainly of no benefit TO this coun- 81
TO perpetuate. :;
here can be no question Of the eth =,
/ propriety Of the government thus de- ~
mining the conditions upon which apy -
[ or inheritance should be received :;
actly how far the Inheritance tag -
ala, as an incident, have the effect of ~
ltlng the transmission by devise or a.
or the enormous fortunes in question ~
8 not necessary at present to discuss ~
is wise that progress in this direction o. o.
'uld be gradual. Al first a permanent w
lonal inheritance tax, while IL might ~
more substantial than any such tar ga
hitherto been, need not approximate w
Ter in amount or in the extent OF the or
rease by graduation, to what such a OF
should ultimately be. =,
inheritance Tax Constitutional, All All
rhis species of tax has again and again esl
n imposed, altho only temporarily hv wi
nl