Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-12-04

10000 establIshments, throwing over
 100000 people out of employment.
 These strikes and lockouts involved an
 estimated loss to employees of $307,.
 100000 and to employers of $l43.00O.-
 GOO, total of &450,O0o,0OO The public suffered directly and indirectly prob i ably as great additional loss.
 Many of these strikes and lockouts would not have occurred had the par
 ties to the dispute been required to
 appear before an unprejudiced body
 representing the nation and. face to
 face, state the reasons for their con- tentlon. The exercise of a judicial
 spirit by dlsinterested body repre-
 senting the federal government, such
 as would be provided by a commission
 on concillation and arbitration, would
 tend to create an atmosphere of friend Illness and concillation between con
 tending parties.
 CONTROL OF CORPORATIONS.
 It cannot too often be repeated that
 experience has conclusively shown the
 impossibility of securing by the actions
 of nearly half a hundred different state
 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-
 CT by 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 control that will, among
 other things, prevent the evils of ex- cessive overcapltalization and that will
 compel the disclosure by each big cor poration of Its stockholders and of it's properties and business, whether own
 ed directly or through subsidiary or affiliated corporations. This will tend
 to put 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 1t results in no harm to the people.
 Combination of capital, like combina- ton of labor, Is necessary element of our present industrial system. It Is not possible completely to prevent 1t, and if 1t were possible such complete prevention would do damage to the body polite. What we need is not vainly to try to prevent all combina- tion, but to secure such rigorous and adequate control and supervision of 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 tr0l of necessary of life would under any circumstances show that such combination was to be presumed to be adverse to the public interest. It 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 the pressure of big shippers Gas was shown in the investigation of the Standard oil company and as has been shown since by the investigation of the. tobacco and sugar t.usts) as to the initiative of big railroads. Often rail roads would like to combine for the purpose of preventing a big shipper from maintaining improper advantages at the expense of small shippers and of the general public. Such combina- tion, instead of being forbidden by law. should be favored. In other words, it 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 1t is impossible to see what harm such combination could do to the public at large. INHERITANCE AND INCOME TAX.
 The national government has long derived its chief revenue from tariff on imports and from an internal or ex- else tax. In addition to these. there is every reason why, when next our sys- tenn of taxation Is revised, the national government should impose graduated tax and, if possible. a grad uated income tax.
 I am well aware that such a subject as this needs long and careful study in order that the people may become fa. miliar with what is proposed to be dorc. 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 leglsla- 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 q graduated tax by which a steadily in- rate of duty should be put upon all moneys or other valuables coming by gift. bequest or devise to any individual or corporation. There san 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- l ally difiicult to devise . national in come tax which shall be constitutional But whether it Is absolutely impossible . another question. and if possible 1t