Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-12-07

ohPiVsef, hc VIII promptly ana prop
erly add II 10 the legitimate cost OF pro.
ductlon and assess II proportlonately
upon the consumers OF his commodity.
II Is therefore clear TO my mind that
the law should place this entire ''risk
OF trade" upon the employer
Capital aud Labor Disputes.
Records show that during the TWEEN.
" years from Jan. |. 1881. TO Dee. u.
1900. there We're strikes affecting III.
800 establishments, aud 6,l05,G9i en-
ployees were thrown out OF employ.
ment. During the same period there
were l.00J lockouts. involving nearly
10000 establishments. throwing over
100000 people out OF employment,
These strikes and lockouts Involved an
estimated loss 10 employees of $780,
100000 and TO employers OF Sl43,000,-
900, total OF Si50,000,000. The public
suffered directly and Indirectly prob
ably as great additional loss.
Many Of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required TO
appear before an unparalleled body
representing the nation and. face TO
face, state the reasons for their con-
tentlon. The exercise of judicial
spirit by dlslnterested body repre-
sentlng the federal government, such
as would be provided by commission
on Cancellation and arbitration. would
tend TO create an atmosphere Of friend
illness and Cancellation between con-
tending parties.
Control of Corporations.
II cannot too often be repeated that
experience has conclusively shown the
lmposslbility 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-
ate exclusively within the limits OF
any one state In some method, wheth-
er by q national license law or In other
fashion, we must exercise, and that at
an early date, far more complete
control than at present over these great
corporations control that will. among
other things, prevent the evils OF ex-
cessive overcapitalization and that will
compel the disclosure by each big cor
poration of It's stockholders and Of Its
properties and business, whether own
ed directly or through subsidiary or
affiliated corporations. This Will tend
to put stop to the securing of inor-
dlnate profits by favored individuals at
the expense whether of the general
public, the stockholders or the wage
workers. Our effort should be not so
much to prevent consolidation as such,
but so to supervise and control 1t as
10 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 it,
and IL it were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need Is not
yainly to try to prevent all combina-
ton, but to secure such rigorous ana
adequate control and supervision OF
the combinations as to prevent their
lnjurng 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 be
adverse to the public interest. II 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 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 or
the tobacco and sugar trusts as to the
initiative Of big railroads. OFTEN rail-
roads would like to combine for the
nurpose of preventing 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, 1t
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 it is impossible to see
what harm such a 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 an Internal or ex-
else tax. In addition to these, there Is
every reason why, when next our sys-
fem of taxation Is revised, the national
should impose graduated
inheritance tax and, If possible, 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 is proposed to be
done. may clearly see the necessity OF
proceeding with wisdom and self re-
straint and may make up their minds
lust how far they are willing to go IN
the matter, while only trained leglsla-
TORS can work out the project in neces-
sary detail. But feel that In the near
future our national legislators should
enact law providing for graduated
inheritance tax by which steadily In
creasing rate of duty should be put