Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1906-12-06


| the common people to be exploited by
| the very wealthy. If we ever let this
| government fall into the hands of men
| of either of these two classes we shall
| show ourselves false to Americas past.
Moreover. the demagog and corrup-
ZIONIST often work hand in hand. There
are at this moment wealthy reaction
| aries of such obtuse morality that they
regard the public servant who prose-
| or who seeks to male them bear their
proper share of the public burdens. as
being even more Objectionable than
| the violent agitator who hounds on
| the mob to plumber the rich. There is
| nothing to choose between such a re-
dictionary and such an agitator: funda-
disregard of the rights of others; and
it is natural that they should join in
opposition to any movement of which
the aim is fearlessly to do exact and
even Justice to ALL"
Railroad Employees Hours.
He asks for the passing of the bill linn
iting the number of hours of
classes the measure as a very moderate
one He says the aim of all should be
to steadily reduce the number of hours
of labor, with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION of an eight-hour day, but in
sists that on the Isthmus of Panama the
conditions are so different from what
they are here that the introduction of an
eight-hour day on the canal would be
absurd, and continues, Just about as alb
surd as it is, SO far as the isthmus is
concerned, where white labor cannot be
employed to bother as to whether the
work is done by alien black men or alien
yellow men,"
He urges the enactment OF a drastic
child labor law for the District of CO.
inmoia and nd the territories: and federal
female labor throughout the country.
He reviews the work of the commission
appointed to investigate labor conditions
in the coal fields of Pennsylvania in 1902,
and refers to the wish of the commission
that the state and federal governments
fhn nOhf Vi h a
may be called the compulsory investiga-
ton of controversies between employers
and employees when they arise.
In this age of great corporate and Ia
7 Dor combina tons neither employers nor
employees should be left completely at
the mercy of the stronger party to a dis
pute. regardless of the Righteousness of
their respective claims. The proposed
measure would be in the line of securing
strikes the public has itself an interest
which cannot wisely be disregarded; an
interest not merely of general conven,
fence, for the question of just and
proper public policy must also be con-
sdered. In all legislation of this kind
it is well to advance cautiously, testing
each step by the actual results; the step
proposed can surely be safely taken, for
the decisions of the commission would
not bind the parties in legal fashion, and
yet would give chance for public opin.
ion to exert its full force for the right" "
Control of Corporations.
A considerable portion of the message
is devoted to the subject of federal con-
troll of corporations in what he refers to
the passage at the last session of the
rate, meat inspection and food laws, and
says that all of these have already JUST
the amendment of the meat inspection
law as to put dates on the labels of
cost of inspection on the packers rather
than on the government Continuing on
this s subject OF the control OF eorp0rations
1T cannot too often be repeated that ex-
perence has conclusively shown the i'm
possibility of securing by the actions of
nearly half a hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way of dealing with the
exclusively within the limits of any one
state. In some method, whether by a
national license law or in other fash aoIx
date, a far more complete control than
at present over these great corpora
uons-a control that will among other
things prevent the evils of excessive
overcapitalization, and that will compel
and business, whether owned directly or
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
This will tend to puC stop to the secur-
ing o; inordinate profits by favored
individuals at the expense whether of
the general public the ssockholdersi or Or
not so much to prevent consolidation as
such, but so to supervise and control II
to see that it results in no harm to
the people The reactionary or ultracon-
sentative apologists for the misuse of
wealth assail the effort to secure such
matter of fact it is these reactionaries
and ultraconservatives who are them
selves most potent IN increasing s2G iciaSt
methods of averting the consequences of
a dangerous agitation, which is 50 per
cent wrong, is to remedy the ~ per cenI;
of evil as to which the agitation is Well
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
nwnnrShin NJ
the government on behalf of the people
a whole such adequate control and
mon carriers as will do away with the
evils which give rise to the agitation
ms tnem so 1 1de wP rSPd aeitation
against the men of wealth as such is to
secure by proper legislation and execu-
tive action the abolition of the grave
abuses which actually do obtain in con-
necton with the business use of wealth
under our present system-or rather no
system-of failure to exercise any ade-
quate control at all. Some persons speak
as if the exercise of such governmental
of individual initiative and dwarf indi-
vidual effort. This is not fact 1t
would be a veritable calamity to fail to
put a premium upon individual initiative
Individual capacity and effort; upon the
energy, character and foresight which
it is so important to encourage in the
individual. But matter of fact the
deadening and degrading effect of pure
socialism. and especially of its extreme
individual character which thy would
bring about. are in part achieved by the
wholly ,unregqlated &c, competition IEet, which
alton rising at the expense of all others
until his or it's rise effectually checks all
competition and reduces former cqmpeti-
tors to position of utter inferiority and
subordination.
inheritance and Income Tax.
1t was expected that the president
would refer in some way to his belief
in the necessity for the curbing of enor-
nous fortunes, and he has done by
recommending legislation for both in
come and an inheritance tax. He be-
Iieves the government should impose a
graduated inheritance v, and, If posi-
bic, a graduated income tax. He says:
Il am well aware that such a subject
as this needs long and careful study in
order that the people may become famil
lar with what is proposed to be done,
may clearly see the necessity of proceed
ing 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 project in necessary detail. But
/ feel that in the near future our nation
al legislators should enact a law provid-
ing for a graduated inheritance tax by
which steadily increasing rate of duty
should be put upon all moneys or other
yaluables coming by gift. bequest. or
devise to any individual or corporation.
1t may be well 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 a certain point has been reached.
1t is most desirable to encourage thrift
and ambition, and a potent source of
thrift and ambition is the desire on the
part of the breadwinner to leave his chill
dren well off. 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 a con-
stantly increasing burden on the inner
tance of those swollen fortunes which
1t is certainly of no benefit to this coun-
try to perpetuate.
There can be no question of the eth
ical propriety of the government thus de-
termining the conditions upon which any
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
gift of the enormous fortunes in question
it is not necessary at present to discuss.
II is wise that progress in this direction
should be gradual. At first a permanent