, 1906-04-18
PROGRESSIVE ROOSEVELT.

The president does not stand still for
a single minute. He is advancing all
the time. With every succeeding day
he adds to his store of knowledge and
gives to the world ideas of value. He
has the power of imparting his knowl,
edge to the people to a greater degree
than any other mar who has ever occu-
pied the White House. His language
is direct, forcible and convincing. 1t is
accepted by all the people as the truth,
Some believe he may be impetuous, but
they know he is honest. One of the
most notable speeches he has ever
made was that at the laying of the cor
ner ston for the new office building
for the house Of representatives. He
said many good things, but perhaps the
~utterance to which may be attached
the greatest Importance was that rela.
tive to a new method of taxation-that
is, new to America as a nation. Presi-
dent Roosevelt said:
AT this moment we are passing
through a period OF great unrest-so-
cial, political and industrial unrest. 1t
is of the utmost Importance for our fu.
ture that this should prove to be not
the unrest of mere Righteousness
against life, of mere dissatisfaction
with the inevitable inequality of condi
tons, but the unrest of a resolute and
eager ambition to secure the better.
ment of the individual and the nation
so far as this movement of agita.
ton throughout the country takes the
form of a fierce discomfort with evil.
whether in industry or politics. the feel
ing is TO be heartily welcomed as a sign
of healthy life.
1t is important to this people to
grapple with the problems connected
with the use of those fortunes, both
corporate and individual, in business.
We should discriminate in the sharpest
way between fortunes well won and for
tunes III won; between those gained as
an incident to performing great ser
vices to the community as a whole, and
those gained in evil fashion by keeping
Just within the limits of mere law-hon-
esty
"Of course no amount of charity in
spending such fortunes in any way
compensates for misconduct in making
them.
A a matter of personal conviction.
and without pretending to discuss the
details, or formulate the system, | feel
that we shall ultimately have to consid-
er the adoption of some such scheme
as "a VI Il proSreSSlNe TAX on all Tor.
tunes beyond a certain amount, either
given in life or devised or beuueathed
upon death, to any Individual tan
so framed as to put it out of the power
OF the owner of one of these enormous
fortunes to hand out more than a Ger
tain amount TO any one individual; the
tax, OF course, to be imposed by the
national. n not the state government
taxation should, OF course, be
aimed merely at the inheritance or
transmission in their entirety of those
fortunes swollen beyond all healthy
limits"
Such a tax as that suggested by the
president, backed up by a wise income
tax, would result in bringing about a
greater equality in this glorious land OF
ours. If there We're a leveling down at
the time of the death of our men OF
great wealth, there would be greater
opportunity for all the people. The
wealth that would thus go to the state
would certainly be sufficient, if the law
was framed in a just manner, TO almost
support the government. Men would
come nearer being equal at birth and
the opportunity for all would be in
creased AS an abstract proposition,
IA iSoSOh why ohe Cnllu snoulu
have a million dollars at birth, while
another is brought into the world with
out a penny. Where ~individualism
counts for so much, it would certainly
not be detrimental to the people as a
whole to give to each an equal start.
Boys who have all the money they can
possibly squander during a life time
are prevented from using their lives to
the best advantage. They are depriv-
ed of the greatest happiness and the
greatest blessings known to humanity,
h building of homes for their loved
ones and the planning of their every
day affairs in order that the income