The Forrest City times., 1906-12-07

tp. to UuSitoI ol utter ISsIloIlty ana subordination.
 inheritance and Income Tax.
 It was expected that the president would refer in some way to ks belief In the necessity for the curbing of enor- recommending legislation for both in- come and an inheritance tax. He be- lleves the government should impose a graduated inheritance tax. and. if poss- ble. graduated income tax. He says:
 am well aware that such a subject as this needs long and careful study in order that the people may become famii- far with what Is proposed to be done, may clearly see the necessity of proceed Ing with wisdom and self-restraint. and may make mp their minds just how far they are willing to go in inc matter; while only trained legislators can work out the project in necessary detail But l feel that in the near future our nation al legislators should enact a law proyid- ing for a graduated inheritance tax by which steadily increasing rate of duty should be put upon all moneys or other valnables coming by gift, oequest. or devise to any individual or corporation. It may be we'll to make the tax heavy in proportion as the individual benefited Is remote of kin. In any event, in my Judgment the pro rata of the tax should increase very heavily with the increase of the amount left to any one individual after certain point has been reached. It is most desirable to encourage thrift and ambition, and a potent source of lnTlIt ana aInDltlO1 IS the ueSlre on tne part of the breadwinner to leave his chill dren well of, This object can be attained by making the tax very small on moder- ate amounts of property left because the prime object should be to put n con stantly increasing burden on the inher- ltance of those swollen fortunes which 1t Is certainly of no benefit to this eeCn- try to perpetuate.
 There can be no question of the eth ical proprety of the government thus de- termining the conditions upon which any gift or inheritance should be received. Exactly how far the inheritanee tax would, as an incident, have the effect of limiting the transmission by devise or gift of the enormous fortunes In question it is not necessary at present to discuss. It is wise that progress in this direction should be gradual. At first a permanent be more substantial than any such tax has hitherto been, need not approximate, either in amount or in the extent of the increase by graduation. to what such tax should ultimately be.
 Inheritance Tax Constitutional.
 This species of tax has again and again been imposed, altho only temporarily. by the national government. It was first imposed by the act of July $, l7S7, when the makers of the Constitution were alive and at the head of affairs. It was a graduated tax: tho small in amount, the rate was increased with the amount left to any individual. exceptions being made in the case of certain close kin. A similar tax was again imposed by the act of July l. 1882. minimum sum of sl.ooo in personal property being excepted from taxation, the tax then becoming progressive according to the remoteness of kin. The war-revenue act of June l3. 1898. provided for an inheritance tax on any sum exceeding the value of $l0,0 ,000 the rate of tax increasing both in accord ance with the amounts left and iR ac- cordance with the Segatees rsfpoeness the succession tax imposed at the time of the civil war was not direct tax but an impose of excise which was both con stitutional and valid. More recently the court, in an opinion delivered by MT Justice White. which contained an ex- ceedingly able and elaborate discussion death duties, sustained the constitution ality of the inheritance tax feature of the war-revenue act of 1s9s.
 is Income Tax Constitutional?
 'In it's incidents, and apart from the main purpose of raising revenue, an ent footing from an inheritance tax, be- cause 1t involves no question of the per petuation of fortunes swollen to an un- healthy size. The question Is in it's essence a question of the proper adjust ment of burdens to benefits. As the law now stands 1t is undoubtedly difi- which shall be. constitutional. But whether it is absolutely impossible Is an- other question: and If possible it 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- tional.
 ''The question is undoubtedly very in- tricate. delicate. and troublesome. The decision of the court was only reached by one majority. It 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 whole in coming to conclusion, when considered to- gether with the previous decisions on the subject, may perhaps indicate the possibility of devising a constitutional income-tax law which shall substan- tially accomplish the results aimed at. The difficulty of amending the con- stitution is so great that only real ne cessity can justify a resort thereto Every effort should be made in dealing with this subject as with the subject of the proper control by the national government over the use of corporate wealth in interstate business. to devise legislation which without such action shall attain the desired end; but if this formative to constitutional amend ment."
 Agricultural Interests.
 He appeals for every encouragement that the congress give to the agri- cultural interests of the country He points to the good that Is being done by the various forms of grange organiza- tions. and says:
 CtFtTal ldClOIS UiuSt cooperate m the improvement of the farmers condition He must have the chance to be educated in the widest possible sense-in the sense which keeps ever in view the intimate relationship between the theory of edu- cation and the facts of life In all education We should widen our aims It Is a good thing to produce a certain num- Der of trained scholars and students: but the education superintended by the state must seek rather to produce hun dred good citizens than merely one scholar, and 1t must be turned now and then from the class book to the study of the great book of nature itself This is especially true of the farmer, as has been pointed out again and again by all observers most competent to pass prac- tical judgment on the problems of our country life. All students now realize that education must seek to train the executive powers of young people and to phrase dignity of la,sor." and to pre- pare the pupils so that in addition to each developing in the highest degree his individual capacity for work, they may together help create right public opinion, and show in many ways social and cooperative spirit. Organization has become necessary in the business world; and 1t has accomplished much for good in the world of labor. IL is no less neces- sary for farmers Such a movement as the grange movement is good in itself and is capable of well-nigh infinite fur ther extension for good so long as 1t is kept to its own legitimate business The benefits to be derived by the association of farmers for mutual advantage are partly economic and partly sociological.