Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-22

We know better now what his "spon-
taneity" implies. His public speech is
filled, like his private conversation,
with whatever pops into his head. HIS
view of his duties is essentially JoVial'
He loves to slap the country on the
back with bright" thought, just as
he delights to startle a foreign Visi-
tor by wild and whrling words that
make the hair of the timid stranger
stand on end. He means no mischief
by it. Can't you take a joke? Doesn't
the country understand that it has got
Zimri in the White House-"every-
thing by starts and nothing long?
1t is time we understood that it is
sentiment which predominates in the
presidential character. He has surge
of feeling; this he Immediately trans
lates into what he calls a personal
conviction;" then he identifies that
with true public policy. No one should
imagine, however, that he has given
real thought to the matter, or that he
will not drop it as hastily as he took
it up. In a word, he seems to belong
to what Golden called the genus
sentimentalist" OF public men in that
class he said: "They are not to be de-
pended on in political action; because
they are not masters of their own rea-
soning powers. They sing songs OF
declaim about truth, justice, liberty
and the like, but it is only in the same
artificial spirit in which they make
odes to dewdrops, daisies, etc. They are
as likely to trample on one as the
other, Notwithstanding.
Yet this the most charitable explain
alton of the presidents vagaries, does
not diminish the regret and disquiet
which his unconsidered deliverance on
Saturday must cause. The very fact
that, as he confessed, he had not
thought out single detail of his pro-
posal to fix a limit beyond which pri-
vate wealth should not go, and that he
is absolutely without the governmental
means to effect that purpose makes his
rash utterances a serious discredit tc
him. 1t is too much like boy wanton-
ly thrusting a stick into a delicate
machine. A truly responsible states
man, urging such d revolutionary prop
osition. would come forward as if with
halter round his neck, and request
that it be drawn if he could not show
chat a law could be drafted to carry
out his idea. But what glimmering of a
suggestion did Mr.. Roosevelt make
about his progressive tax on all for
tunes" to be laid by the national gov
ernment, with the end of keeping them
within healthy limits?' An inheritance
tax would not do the business. Be
sides conflicting with state taxes Of
that kind and leading to the grossest
| injustice, it would not accomplish the
purpose at which the president pro
| fesses to aim. He himself, for example
/ is said to have inherited something
like 100000. OF course, to thorough
going Socialist that would be thor
oughly "unhealthy" fortune; but sup
pose that federal inheritance ta>
could be devised which would forbit
anyone from coming into q greater
amount than that. 1t is clear that E
man of Mr.. Roosevelt's energy ant
ability, inherlting $50O,0O0 at thirty five
could double or treble his fortune be-
! fore he died. So the only way of keep
| ing him healthy would be progres
! sive income tax which would take al
above 100000. But here cor,es In thu
vexing trifle that the income tax ha.
! been declared unconstitutional