The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-12-07
The PRESIDENT SENDS HIS MESSAGE To- 18th CONGRESS

animated corporations. This win tend
to put a stop to the securing Of inor-
dinate profits by favored individuals ut
the expense whether Of the general
public. the stockholders or the wage
workers. Our effort should be not %
much to prevent consolidation as suon,
but 20 to supervise and centrol 1t a
to see that it results In no harm to The
people.
Combination Of capital. like combina-
ton of labor, Is a necessary element Of
our present Industrial system. 1t Is
not possible completely to prevent II.
and IL 1t were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need is not
vainly to try to prevent all combina-
ton, but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision OF
| the combinations as to prevent their
injuring the public or existing In such
form as inevitably to threaten injury.
for the mere fact that combination
has secured practically complete con-
troll Of necessary Of life would under
any circumstances show that such
combination was to be presumed to 20
adverse to the public interest 1t Is
| unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
| Of sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil Re
bates, for instance. are AZ often due to
the pressure Of big shippers (as was
shown In the investigation Of the
Standard Oil company and az has been
shown since by the Investigation OF
the tobacco and sugar trusts) az to the
initiative Of big railroads. Often rail-
roads would like to combine for the
purpose of preventing a big 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 be 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 1t II impossible to see
what harm such q combination could
do to the public at large.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government nAs long
derived its chief revenue from tarin
ON imports and from an internal or ex-
else tax. In addition to these, there Il
every reason why, when next our sys-
TEN Of taxation 10 revised. the national
government should impose q graduated
inheritance tax and, II possible, q grad
uated income tax.
am well aware that such subject
as this needs long and careful study In
order that the people may become IA
. miliar with what II proposed to b
done, may clearly see the necessity Of
proceeding with wisdom and self re-
, straint and may make up their minds
! 1ust how tar they are willing to 60 IN
: the matter, while only trained legisla
tors can work out the project in neces
! sary detail. But feel that In the neal
future our national Legislators should
enact Z law providing for graduated
. inheritance tar BY which q steadily In
creasing rate Of duty should be put
upon all moneys or other vaiuables
J coming by gift. bequest or devise t
. any individual or corporation. Their
, can be NO question OF the ethical pro
priety of the government thus deter
mining the conditions upon which an,
lift or Inheritance should be received.
nj As the law now stands 1t h undoubt
sdly dificult to devise q national In
h come tax which shall be constitutional
! But whether It ID absolutely Impossible
4 10 another question. and II possible
"a most certainly desirable The mrs
purely income tax law was passed b,
the congress In 1881. but the most Inn
portant law dealing with the subjec
was that Of 1894 This the court hex
to be unconstitutional.
The question b undoubtedly very In
tricate, delicate and Troublesome. In
decision Of the court was only reaches
By one majority. II n the law Of th
land and Of course y accepted ~ sue
and loyalty obeyed By all good citisena
: Nevertheless the hesitation evidenti
+ felt by the court a. whole In comm
to Z conclusion, when considered te
{ gether with previous decisions on tn
g subject, may perhaps indicate tho POI
= ability Of devising constitutional u
8 come tax law which shah substantialI
s accomplish the results aimed at IN
u dimculty of amending the constitutio
Z is 20 grsat that only real necessity ca
? Justify q resort thereto. Every enol
+ should bs made in dealing with TIL
= subject q With TIA subject Of e