The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-12-15

tobacco and sugar trusts as to the inift-
alive OF big railroads- Often railroads
pre-sntine . big shipper from maintain.
ing improper advantages at the expense
OF ANAL shippers and Of the general pub
n. Such combination. instead Of being
forbidden by law. should be favored In
other words. II should be permitted to
railroads to make agreements, provided
these agreements were sanctioned by the
were were published. With these two two cond ii.
tons complied with II 10 impossible "a
see what harm such combination could
do to the public at large. II is . public
evil to have on the statute books law
incapable OF full enforcement because
both judges and juries realize that its
full enforcement would destroy the bust
make decent railroad men vfolators OF
the law against their Will. and to put q
premium on the behavior OF the WiffuI
wrongdoers. Such result in turn tends
to throw the decent man and the wflful
wrongdoer into close association, and IN
the end to drag down the former to the
iatter's level: for the man who becomes
to oss al aM ed %
willing to break II In many ways No
more scathing condemnation could be
visited upon e Law than e contained IN
commission when. In commenting upon
the fact that the numerous joint traf3c
associations do technically violate the
United States supreme court IN the the
Transmississippi case and the Joint
Traffic association case has produced no
practical effect upon the railway opera
In fact. exist now az they did before
these decisions, and with the same gem
eral effect, In Justice to all parties, we
ought probably to add that II In difficult
to see how our interstate railways could
be operated with due regard to the inter-
est Of the shipper and the railway
without concerted action Of the kind AZ
This means that the law as construed
by the supreme court IL such that the
business OF the country cannot be con-
Quoted duo without breaking # | recommend
alton to this subject. and IL you find the
opinion OF the interstate commerce COM
mission justified. that you amend the
law 90 as to obvtate the evil disclosed.
. Inheritance and income Tax.
1t was expected that the president
would refer In some way to mis- belief
In the necessity for the curbing Of enor-
nous fortunes, and he has done 90 by
come and an Inheritance tax. He be-
lieves the government should impose q
graduated inheritance tax, and, n po-si-
bic; q graduated income tax He says:
Il am well aware that such q subject
as this needs long and careful study In
order that the people may become femil-
lar with what u proposed to be done.
ing with wisdom and seif-restraint, and
may make up their minds just how far
they are willing to 80 in the matter;
while only trained legislators can work
out the project in necessary detail But
feel that In the near future our nation
81 legislators should enact law provid-
ing for q graduated Inheritance tar by
should be put upon all moneys or other
valuab1es coming by gift. boQuegt, or
devise to any Individual OF corporation.
II may be well to make the tax heavy
In proportion a. the individual benefited
y remote OF kin. In any event. Ia my
Judgment the pro rata Of the tan should
increase very heavily With the increase
Of ssa as cssn left aon e sa
1t IL most desirable to encourage thr1ff
thrift and ambition il the desire on the
dren well on. This object can be attained
by making the tax very small ON noder-
ate amounts of property left: becAuse
the p. prime object sncuId be 70 put , con-
itance OF those swollen fortunes which
II IL certainly OF no benefit to this Coun-
try to perpetuate.
icai propriety Of the government thus de-
termining the conditions upon which any
gift or Inheritance should be receivod-
Exactly how far the inhesitance tax
limiting the transmission by devise or
gift OF the enormous fortunes In question
It Is not necessary at present to Discuss.
i Is wise that ain 70 ns
national inheritance tax. while It might
be more substantial than any such tax
has hitherto been. need not approximate,
Increase h's BY sraduation. to what such :
tax should ultimately BE- =
inheritance Tax Constitutional.
This species OF tar has again and again
been imposed. altho only temporarily. by
ins ssG ~ the o act Of July ls vhsn
the makers of the Constitution were
alive and at the head Of Affairs IL was
a graduated tax: tho small IN amount,
left to any individual. exceptions being
made in the case of certain close kin. A
similar tax was again imposed by the
s.. 900 in personal property being excepted
from taxation. the tax then becoming
progressive according to the remotenees
OF kim The war-revenue act Of June II.
any sum exceeding the value OF 110.o0o.
the rate Of tax increasing both in accord
ance with the amounts left and IN ac-
cordance with the iegatee's remoteness
the succession tax imposed at the time
OF the civil war was not direct tax but
an impose OF excise which was both con-
stftutfonal and valid. More recently the
court, IN an opinion delivered BY Mr..
Justice White. which contained an ex-
ceedingiy able and elaborate diocuosl0n
Of the powers Of the congress to impoee
death duties. sustained the constitution
atty Of the inheritance tax feature OF the
war-revenue act OF lSsS
10 Income Tax constitutlonaif
"In its incidents. and apart from the
main purpose OF raising revenue, IN
income tax stands on an entirely dfl1er-
ent footing from an Inheritance tax, BE-
cause It involves no question Of the per-
petuation Of fortunes swollen to an un-
healthy sire. The question II In itsl
essence . question Of the proper adjust !
ment OF burdens to benefits. A. the |
law now stands II II undoubtedly dim
cult to devise . national income tag \
which shall be constitutional But
whether IT II absolutely impossible n an
other question; and II possible II II most
desirable The frst purely In |
come tax law was past By the ccn4rsss
In 1851. but the moet important Law deal !
ing with the subject was. that Of leol |
This the court held to be unconsfitu- |
tfonal.
ssThe question IL undoubtedly very In
lricate, delicate. and troublesome. The |
decision of the court was only reached |
by one majority. 1t II the law Of tire |
~ c.,1npoo Il SxwCnv,faA ~se<,k 1