The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-12-07

legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way Of dealing with the
great corporations which do not oper-
ate exclusively within the limits Of
any one state. In some method, wheth-
er by q national license law or in other
fashion, we must exercise, and that at
an early date, far more complete
control than at present over these great
corporationS-a control that WILL among
other things, prevent the evils of ex-
cessive overcapitalization and that will
compel the disclosure by each big cor
pOration of it's stockholders and of its
properties and business, whether own
ed directly or through subsidiary or
affiliated corporations. This will tend
to put a stop to the securing of inor-
dinate profits by favored individuals at
the expense whether of the general
public, the stockholders or the wage
workers. Our effort should be not SO
much to prevent consolidation as such,
but SO to supervise and control it as
to see that it results in no harm to the
people.
ton of labor, is necessary element of
our present industrial system. 1t is
not possible completely to prevent it,
and if it were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need is not
vainly to try to prevent all combina-
ton, but to secure such rigorous and
y;e,;o q
the combinations as to prevent their
injuring the public or existing in such
form as inevitably to threaten injury,
for the mere fact that combination
has secured practically complete con-
troll of a necessary of life would under
any circumstances show that such
combination was to be presumed to be
adverse to the public interest. 1t is
unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
of sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil. Re-
bates, for instance, are as often due to
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
initiative Of big railroads. Often rail-
roads would like to combine for the
purpose of preventing big shipper
from maintaining improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and
Of the general public. Such combina-
ton, instead of being forbidden by law,
should be favored In other words, 1t
should be permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these agree
ments were sanctioned by the inter-
state commerce commission and were
published. With these two conditions
complied with it is impossible to see
what harm such a combination could
do to the public at large.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government has long
derived its chief revenue from a tariff
on imports and from an internal or ex-
else tax. In addition to these, there is
every reason why, when next our sys-
TEN of taxation is revised, the national
government should impose a graduated
Inheritance tax and, if possible, grad
uated income tax.
I am well aware that such subject
as this needs long and careful study in
order that the people may become ia
miliar with what is proposed to be
done, may clearly see the necessity Of
proceeding with wisdom and self re-
straint and may make up their minds
just how far they are willing to go in
the matter, while only trained legsla-
tors can work out the project in neces-
sary detail. But feel that in the near
future our national legislators should
enact law providing for graduated
Inheritance tax by which steadily in
creasing rate Of duty should be put
upon all moneys or other valuables
coming by gift, bequest Or devise to
any individual or corporation. There
can be no question of the ethical pro-
priety of the government thus deter
mining the conditions upon which any
gift or Inheritance should be received.
AS the law now stands it is undoubt-
edly difficult to devise a national in
come tax which shall be constitutional
But whether it is absolutely impossible
is another question, and if possible it
is most certainly desirable. The first
purely income tax law was passed by
the congress in 1861, but the most i'm
portant law dealing with the subject
was that Of 1894. This the court held
to be unconstitutional.
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 accepted as such
and loyalty obeyed by all good citizens.
Nevertheless the hesitation evidently
felt by the court as a whole in coming
to conclusion, when considered to-
gether with previous decisions on the
subject may perhaps indicate the pos
sibility of devising a constitutional in
come tax law which shall substantially
accomplish the results aimed at. The
difficulty of amending the constitution
is so great that only real necessity 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 govern
ment over the use Of corporate wealth
in interstate business, to devise legis-