The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1906-12-08

Standard Oil company and az has been
shown since by the invesnsasu ~ ths initi0
alive OF big railroads. Often railroads
would like to combine for the purpose OF
s ssn npPss s az the
Of small shippers and OF the general pub
iic Such . combination, instead Of being
other words, II should be permitted to
railroads to make agreements, provioeo
these agreements were sanctioned by the
Wsss paSi,sSsd With tSese TWO condi
tons compiled with II 10 Impossible 70
see what harm such. a combination could
evil to have on the statute books a law
incapable OF full enforcement because
Judges and suss' asss1oy tss
make decent railroad men violators OF
Hw a sa It. tss1 T q pd the Rp
to throw the decent man and the wilful
the end to drag down the former to the
iatter's level: for the man who becomes
q iawbreaker in one way Inhappiiy tends
%ill ing to break Il in many ways. No
| more scathing condemnation could be
visited upon i tss snsn es
commission when. in commenting upon
the fact that. the numerous Joint trafnc
associations 90 teshplea dsc,,;o oat e, me me
United States supreme court in the
Transmississippi case and the Joint
ssss apo sa'i the
| tons of the country. Such associations.
In fact. exist now as they did before
ought probably to add that i Is dinicult
to see how our interstate rsilws sS could
wit Without cOncsrts2 action q the kind az
Ths means I n that the law as construed
by the supreme court is such that the
business of the country cannot be con.
that you give careful and early consider
alton to this subject. and II you ind the
| opinion OF the interstate commerce COM
law so as to obviate the evil disclosed.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
1t was expected that the president
would refer In some som way TO- his 3, belief
| nous fortunes, and he has done so by
recommending legislation for both In
isVss a the sovern% ssns Should impose oe
graduated Inheritance tax. and. II posi-
BILE. graduated income tax. He says:
81 am we'll aware that such subject
as this needs long and careful study In
order that the people may become famil-
| lar with what 10 proposed to be done.
| ing with wisdom and self-restralnt, 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
fas a9
| which a steadily increasing rate OF duty
should be put upon all moneys or other
ss aSg i or
| II may be well to make the tax heavy
In proportion as the individual benefited
Judgment the pro rata Of the, tax should
increase very heavily with the increase
Of the amount left to any one individual tI ia
| 1t is most desirable to encourage thrift
and ambition. and potent source OF
thrift and ambition Is the deslre on t the
dren well of: This object can be attained
| by making the tax very small on moder-
p4%s OBJECT CT se put
| stantly increasing burden on the inner
itance of those swollen fortunes which
II is certainly OF no beneht to this coun-
| There can be no question OF the eth
icai propriety of the government thus de-
gift or Inheritance should be received.
| Exactly how far the inheritance tax
would, as an incident. have the effect OF
| limiting the transmission by devise or
| gift OF the enormous fortunes In question
Il is not necessary at present to discuss.
should is Wise Se snad rs
national inheritance tax. while It might
| be more substantial than any such tax
either in amount or in the extent of the
Increase by graduation, to what such a
tax should ultimately be.
| Inheritance Tax Constitutional.
| This species OF tax has again and again
been Imposed, altho only temporarily. by
| the national government; II was first
imposed by the act OF July = 1,s1 when sra
| alive and at the head OF affairs. 1t was
a graduated tax; tho small in amount:
left to any Individual, exceptions being
made in the case Of certain close kin.
| similar tax was again imposed by the
| act OF July 1. 1862; minimum sum OF
| 81 900 in personal property being excepted
| from taxation, the tax then becoming
progressive according to the remoteness
| 1885, provided for an Inheritance tax on
| any sum exceeding the value OF $4,000.
| the rate of tax increasing both in accord
| ance with the amounts left and In ac-
| cordance with the legatees remoteness
| of kin. The supreme court has held that
the succession tax imposed at the time e
| an impose of excise which was both con-
| stitutional and valid. More recently the
G GUstice white hit (Which which Contained an ex.
| ceedingly able and elaborate discussion
| OF the powers of the congress to Impose
death duties, sustained the constitution
aiity of the inheritance tax feature of the
| war-revenue act OF 1885,
Is Income Tax CONSTITUTIONAL
| "In its Incidents and apart from the
| main purpose of raising revenue, an
income tax stands on an entirely differ
| emit footing from an inheritance tax. be-
| cause II involves no question OF the per-
| petuation of fortunes swollen to an un-
| healthy size. The question is in its
| essence a question OF the proper adjust
| ment Of burdens to benefits. As the
| law now stands II Is undoubtedly diff
| cult to devise a national income tax
| which shall be constitutional. But
| whether 1t is absolutely impossible Is an
| other question: and II possible Ii Is most
| certainly desirable. The first purely in
| come tax law was past by the congress
| in 1861, but the most important law deal
| ing with the subject was that OF 1894.
| This the court held to be unconstitu-
| "The question is undoubtedly very in
| tricate delicate, and troublesome. The
| decision of the court was only reached
| by one majority. 1t is the law OF the
| land, and, of course, Is excepted as such
| and loyalty obeyed by all good citizens.
| Nevertheless. the hesitation evidently
| felt by the court as q whole in coming
| to conclusion, when considered to-
| gether with the previous decisions on
| the subject. may perhaps indicate the
| possibility of devising constitutional
| Income tax law which shall substan-
| TALLY accomplish the results aimed
| at The difYiculty Of amending the con-
| sfitution In 40 great that only real me-