Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-06


workers. Our effort should be not SO
much to prevent consolidation az such,
but SO TO supervise and control 1t as
to see that It results In no harm to tho
people.
Combination of capital, like combina-
ton Of labor, Is necessary element Of
our present Industrial system. 1t Is
not possible completely to prevent it,
and If 1t were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need Is not
vanly to try to prevent all combna-
ton, but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision of
the combinations as to prevent their
injurlng the public or existing in such
form as inevitably to threaten injury,
for the mere sact that n combination
has secured practically complete coil
troll of a necessary of life would under
any circumstances show that such
combination was TO be presumed to be
adverse to the public interest. 1t is
unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil. Re
bates, for instance, are as often due to
the pressure Of big shippers (as was
shown in the investigation Of the
Standard OIL company and as has been
shown since by the investigation of
the tobacco and sugar trusts rs to the
mi in nf Ic rut
roads would Ike to combine for the
purpose of preventing biz shipper
from maintaining improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and
of the general public Such combina-
ton, instead of being forbidden by law.
should be favored. In other words. it
should he permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these agree
ments were sanctioned by the inter
state commerce commission and were
published With these two conditions
complied with it is impossible to seq
what harm such combination could
do to the public at large
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government has long
dti ttt us tIlIcl GtNtnuV from Il IIIlIL
on imports and from an internal or OK
else tax. In addition to these. there is
every reason why, when next our sys-
TEN of taxation Is revised, the national
government should impose graduated
inheritance tax and, if possible, grad
uated income tax.
l am we'll aware that such q subject
-,
order that the people may become ia
milar with what is proposed to be
done, may clearly see the necessity OF
proceeding with wisdom and self re-
straint and may make up their minds
just how far they are willing to go in
the matter. while only trained legsla-
tors can work out the project in neccs-
sary detail. BIT feel that in the near
future our national legislators should
enact law providing for a graduated
inheritance tax by which a steadily In
creasing rate of duty should be put
upon all moneys or other valuables
coming by gift. bequest or devise to
any individual or corporation. There
can be no question of the ethical pro-
priety Of the government thus deter
mining the conditions upon which any
gift or Inheritance should be received.
AS the law now stands it Is undoubt-
cdly difficult to devise a national in
come tax which shall be constitutional
But whether it Is absolutely impossible
Is another question, and If possible it
is most certainly desirable. Tho first
1c, I,,.
the congress in 1861, but the most i'm
portant law dealing with the subject
was that OF 1894. This the court held
to be unconstitutional.
The question is undoubtedly very in
tricatc, delicate and troublesome. The
decision of the court was only reached
by one majority. 1t is the law of the
land and of course is accepted rs such
and Loyalty obeyed by all good citizens.
| Nevertheless the hesitation evidently
felt by the court as whole in coming
to conclusion, when Considered to-
gether with previous decisions on the
| subject, may perhaps indicate the pos
sibility Of devising a constitutional in
come tax law which shall substantially
| uCCUlil)lISll tllc IeSultS ulAlcu AT lic
difficulty Of amending the constitution
/ Is so great that only real necessity can
Justify resort thereto. Every effort
should be made in dealing with this
subject, as with the subject Of the
proper control by the national govern
ment over the use of corporate wealth
In interstate business, to devise legis-
lation which without such action shall
attain the desired end, but if this fails
there will ultimately be no alternative
to constitutional amendment.
Industrial Training.
Our industrial development depends
largely upon technical education. in
GLIDING in this term all industrial edu-
cation, from that which fits man 10
be n good mechanic, good carpenter
or blacksmith to that which fits man
to do the greatest engineering feat.
The skilled mechanic. the skilled work
man, can best become such by tech
meal industrial education. The far
reaching usefulness of institutes of
technology and schools of mines or of
engineering Is now universally ac-
knowledged, and no less far reaching
is the effect Of a good building or me-
chanical trades school, textile or
matchmaking or engraving school,
In every possible way we should help
the wageworker who tolls with his