Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-12-05

senting the fe,..rai government, such
as would be provided by commission
on cancellation and arbitration. would
tend TO create IN atmosphere OF friend
illness and Cancellation between CON.
tending parties.
Control of Corporations.
1t cannot too often be repeated that
experience las cunc!usively shown the
!mpossihilty of securing by the actions
of nearly half hundred different state
legislatures anything but Ineffective
chaos IN the way of dealing with the
great corporations which do not oper.
ute exclusively within the limits of
any one state. In some method, wheth.
or by Il national license law or In other
fashion. we must exercise. and that az
an cary date. far more complete
control Than III present over these great
corporattons-a control TINT will, among
other things prevent the evils of ex.
ceSsive ovcrcnp!talization and that will
compel the disclosure by each big cor.
porntion Of its stockholders and of its
properties and business. whether own.
cd directly or through subsidiary or
affiliated corporations. This will tend
to put stop to the securing OF inor-
dinate profits by favored individuals nj
the expense whether OF the general
public. the stockholders or the wage.
workers. Our EFFORT should be not so
mucG to proven consolidation as such,
but so TO supervise and control It as
10 sec that II results In no harm to the
people
Combination OF capital like combina.
tion OF labor, Is n necessary element Of
our present Industrial system. 1t Is
not possible completely to prevent 1t,
and If ii were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need Is not
rainly to try to prevent all combine
tlon, but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision of
the combinations as TO prevent their
iniuring the public or existing in such
form rs inevitably to threaten Injury,
for the mere fact that II combination
has secured practically complete con
troll OF n necessary of life would under
any circumstances show that such
combination was to be presumed to be
adverse 10 the public interest. 1t Is
unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
or sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil. Re.
bntes, for instance, arc rs often due to
the pressure of big shippers (as was
shown In the Investigation of the
Standard OIL company aud us has been
shown since by the investigation of
the tobacco and sugar trusts as to the
Initiative of big railroads. Often rail.
roads would like TO combine for the
purpose of preventing IL 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. II
should be permitted TO railroads TO
make agreements. provided these agree
meIitS were sanctioned by the inter.
state commerce commission and were
published. With these two conditions
complied with it is impossible to sec
what harm such combination could
do to the public at large.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government has long
derived its chief revenue from tariff
on Imports and from al 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. a grad
uate1 income tax.
! nun well aware That such subject
as this needs long and careful study In
order that the people may become fa
miliar 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 lcgisla
tors can work out the project in neces.
sury detail. But I feel that in the ncni
future our national Legislators should
enact law providing for graduates
Inheritance tax by which steadily in.
creasing rate Of duty should be put
upon all moneys or other yaluables
coming by gift, bequest or devise ia
any individual or corporation. There
can he 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 1t IS undoubt
eddy difficult to devise n national in.
come tax which shall Io constitutional
But whether it Is absolutely impossible
Is another question. and If possible II
Is most certainly desirable. The first
purely income tax law was passed by
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.
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