Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-15

is mighty little good in a mere spasm of
reform The reform that counts is that
which comes through steady, continuous
growth; violent emotionalism leads to ex-
1t is important to this people to Crap
pie with the problems connected with the
amassng of enormous fortunes, and the
use Of those fortunes, both corporate and
individual, in business. We should dis
eliminate in the sharpest way between
fortunes well-won and fortunes ill-won;
between those gained as an incident to
performing great services to the commu-
nifty as a whole, and those gained in evil
fashion by keeping just within the limits OF
mere law-honesty, OF course no amount
of charity in spending SUCH fortunes In
any way compensates for misconduct in
making them. AS matter or personal
conviction, and without pretending to
discuss the details or formulate the system,
feel that we shall ultimately have to con-
slider the adoption of some such scheme as
that of a progressive tax on all fortunes,
beyond a certain amount either given In
life or devised or bequeathed upon death
TO any individual-a tax so framed ms TO
put II out of the power OF the owner OF
one of these enormous fortunes to hand
on more than certain amount to any one
Individual; the tax, of course, TO be inn
posed by the national and not the state
government Such taxation should of
course, be aimed merely at the inheritance
or transmission i'm their entirety of those
fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits.
Must Control Corporations.
Again the national government must I'm
some form exercise supervision over cor
poTations engaged in interstate business
and all large corporations are engaged in
interstate Observation-Disclosures by license or
otherwise, so as to permit US to deal with
the far-reaching evils of overcapitalization.
This year we are making beginning In the
direction of serious effort to settle some
of these economic problems by the railway
rate legislation. Such legislation, II so
framed, as l am sure II will be, as 70 Sc
cure definite and tangible results, will
amount TO something of Itself and II Will
a p1On n a
policy of superintendence and control
over corporate wealth engaged IN inter-
state commerce, this superintendent and
malevolence toward the men who have
created the wealth, but with the hrm pur-
pose both to do justice to them and 20 see
that they in their turn do justice 20 the
public at large.
The first requisite in the public servants
who are to deal in this shape with cor
executives, is honesty. This honesty can
be no respecter Of persons. There can be
no such thing as unilateral honesty. The
danger is not really from corrupt corpora
tions: it springs from the corruption itself,
whether exercised for or against corpora
tons.
Wealth Has Its Rights.
The eighth commandment reads, Thou
shalt not steal Ii does not read, 'lhou
shalt not steal from the rich man. II
does not ad. Thou shalt not steal from
the poor man" It reads simply and plainly,
Thou shalt not steal" No good whatever
will come from that warped and mock
morality which donounces the misdeeds OF
men or wealth and forgets the mlsdeeos
bribery, but blinds itself 10 blackmail'
which foams with rage II corporation
secures fayors by improper methods: ana
merely leers with hideOus mirIh II the
corporation Is itself wronged. The only
public servant who can be trusted honestly
to protect the rights Of the public against