The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-04

the moderate men, the plain men who do
1ashion with the real and great evils OF
the present system. The reactionaries
and the violent extremists show symp-
toms OF joining hands against US. Both
assert, for instance, that il logical, we
should go to government ownership of
railroads and the like; the reactionaries,
because or such an issue they think the
people would stand with them, while the
tent and agitation than to achieve solid
results As a matter of fact, our position
Tsactlonary as from that OF the linprac-
ticable or sinister visionary We hold that
the government should not conduct the
business OF the nation, but that II snouIo
exercise such supervision as will insure
its being conducted in the interest of the
nancn- Our aim is, so far as may pc. 70
secure, for all decent, hard working men,
equality of opportunity and equality OF
burden.
Noxious When Not Effective.
The actual working of our laws has
shown that the effort to prohibit all COM
p RiHi "a good or bad Is nox [i where
ital like combination of labor is a nee
essary element of our present industrial
system. 1t is not possible completely
to prevent it; and If it were possible,
such complete prevention would do dam
age to the body polite. What we need
IS not valnly to try to prevent all COM
bination, but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision of the
the public, or existing in such form as
inevitably to threaten injury-for the
cured practically complete control of 4
necessary of life would under any circum-
stances show that such combination was
to be presumed TO be adverse to the pub
lie interest 1t is unfortunate that our
lions, instead of sharply discriminating
between those combinations which do
good and those combinations which do
eVlL Rebates, for instance, are as often
due to the pressure of big shippers Gas
was shown in the investigation of the
Standard Oil company and as has been
shown since by. the investigation of the
tobacco and sugar trusts as to the mi
tiatiNe of big railroads. Often railroads
would like to combine for the purpose of
preventing a big shipper from maintain
ing Improper advantapes at the expense
of small shippers and of the general pub
lie. Such combination instead of be-
ing forbidden by law. should be favored:
to railroads to make agreements, pro-
vided these agreements were sanctioned
and were published. With these two con-
ditions complied with it is impossible to
see what harm such a combination could
90 70 the public at large It is puDlc
evil to have on the statute books a law
incapable of full enforcement because
DoIh Judges ana 1ur1eS realize that It's run
enforcement would destroy the business
of the country: for the result is to make
decent railroad men yiolatOrs of the law
against their win, and to put a premium
on the behavior of the wilful wrongdoers.
Such result in turn tends to throw the
decent man and the Wilful Wrongdoer
into close association, and in the end to
drag down the former to the latter's
breaker in one way unhappily tends to
lose all respect for law. and to be Will
scathing condemnation could be visited
upon a law than is contained in the
mission when, in commenting upon the
fact that the numerous joint traffic as
sociations 90 technically violate the law,
they say. THE decision of the United
States supreme court in the TRANSMITS
souri, case and the Joint Traffic associa-
ton case has produced no practical eff
feet upon the railway operations of the
country. Such ASSOCIATIONS. in fact, ex-
ist now as they did before these deci-
sions and with the same general effect.
In Justice to all parties. we ought prob
ably to add that ii is difficult to see how
our interstate railways could be operated
with due regard to the interest of the
shipper and the railway without concerted
action of the kind afforded through these
associations
This means that the law. as construed
business Of the country can not be CON
Quoted without breaking It. i recommend
alton TO this subject. and if you find the
opinion OF the Interstate commerce com
mission justified that you amend the law
so as to Obviate the evil disclosed
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The question of taxation is difficult in
any country. but it is especially difficult
eminent; Some taxes should on every
ground be levied in a small district for
use in that district. Thus the taxation
Of real estate is peculiarly one for the
immediate locality in which the real es-
tate is found. Again. there is no more
legitimate tax for any state than tax
on the franchises conferred by that state
upon street railroads and similar corpor-
atoms which operate wholJ within the
state boundaries sometimes in one and
other minor divisions Of the state. But
So a to produce the best results becallse
among other reasons. the atetmpt to inn
pose them in one particular state too Of
ten results merely in driving, the cor
pOration or individual affected to some
other locality or other state. The ma
tional government has long derived its
chief revenue from a tariff on imports
and from an internal or excise tax In
addition to these there is every reason
why. when our system of taxation is re-
v1sed, the national government should I'M
pose a graduated Inheritance tax, and, If
possible, a graduated income tax. The
man of great wealth owes a peculiar OBJ
legation to the state, because he derives
special advantages from the mere exist
ence of government Not only should he
recognize this obligation in the way he
leads his daily life and in the way he
earns and spends his money, but it
which he pays for the protection the state
gives him. On the one hand, it Is de-
sirabIe that he should assume his full
and proper share of the burden of tax
alton; on the other hand, it is quite as
necessary that in this kind of taxation.
where the men who vote the tax pay but
little of it, there should be clear recOgni-
such system save IN spirit OF entire
Justice and moderation. Whenever we, as
q people, undertake to remodel our tax
alton system along the lines suggested,
we must make it clear beyond Deradven-
ture that our aim is to distribute the bur
den of supporting the government more
equitably than at present; that we intend
to treat rich man and poor man on
basis of absolute equality and that we
regard it as equally fatal to true de-
mOcracy to do or permit injustice to the
one as to do or permit injustice to the
other.
l am well aware that such a subject as
this needs long and careful study in or
der that the people may become familiar
with what is proposed to be done, may
with wisdom and self restraint, and may
make up their minds just how far they
are willing to go in the matter; while
only trained legislators can work out the