Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1906-12-12
PRESIDENT STRIKES A BLOW
 AT SWOLLEN FORTUNES.

The President scheme for an in. heritance and incomc.tax law as pro. posed in his message 10 Congress was tho sensational feature of that docu. nent.
 There is every reason to believe that
 within the next week or two the coun. try will be convulsed with financial
 and economic discussion which will 50
 far ovcrshadow other. things that it
 will occupy the attention of Congress and the people to the exclusion of many other topics of perhaps greater import aace.
 An inheritance tax and an income taI, graduated in such a way as to op. efate harshly against great fortunes and most leniently against moderat, incomes, seem to have aroused interest from diverse points of view nnd largely according to the section of country. h system of taxation not on n revenue bssis but on a punitive basis is what President Roosevelt proposes % Con. gress. and the proposal is so radical. it sttscks so many vested interests, that in the opinion of shrewd observers il, will provoke n discussion in and on, ,s Congress of far greater proportions than that which was stirred up hy the Presidents unexpected demaod for railroad rate legislation.
 t win be remembered that inc President E rccommc ndation for reform in the railroad situation SO as to give the Interstate Commerce Commission power to fix rates came like n tfundcr. bolt from clear sky. In less thnn week the country was in fernent be. cause popular chord had been struck, although the agitation before that time m the same direction seemed to arouse no popular enthusiasm.
 There was n suspicion of Socialism about that proposition, which was seized upon at once by th, railroads and by all their allied interests. Int the I' ople looking the situ"tiol in The face determined that governmental regulation was not governmental own. -rship, and from the day that para. graph in the message was made public 1 until the rate law was finally passed | ny Congress there was no time during which the demand for such reform I showed any signs of diminishing.
 The proposition is perhaps much | more Soeialistic than that for the reQu. lstion of railroad rates, but the indi. cations are that it will prove even more popular. On the other hand, there will be great outcry from people who have swollen fortunes, from the great corporations. and from all those allied interests which have been knit together nowadays in such n way as to consoli. date railroads and build up the all pow. erful trusts.
 This coming fight between the man of moderate means and the rich man promises to take on extraordinary pro. portions Representatives of the people who come from the west say that an tax and m income tax are hy no means unpopular even in cities and among certain class of noder. atciy rich men.
 On the other hand, reports from New England, and particularly Bos ton, indicate that people In that vi. cinity are becoming badly frightened , svcr the possible results of th, Prcsi aent's proposed attack on unhealthy fortunes. New England people fear hat he will rouse the greedy spirit 'mong the people and that when they , 'aee learn that they can constitution | lily tax fortunes and incomes. there