The La Jara chronicle., 1906-12-07

was shown in the investigation OF the
| Standard OF company and has been
tobacco and sugar trusts) as to the. Init
| ative OF big railroads Often railroads
would like to combine for the purIose of
preventing a big shipper from maintain
| ing Improper advantages at the expense
OF small shippers and of the general pub
lie. Such n combination. instead OF being
forbidden by law, should be favored. In
other words. IL should be permitted to
railroads TO make agreements. provided
these agreements were sanctioned by the
y,e-a nnLiishea With these two condI-
tons Complied with II is impossible to
see what harm such combination could
do to the public at large II is u public
inca cable Of fun enforcement because
both Judges and jur!es realize that its
fun enforcement would destroy the husi-
ness OF the country: for the result is to
make decent railroad men violatOrs of
the law against their will. and TO put a
premium on the behavior of the wilful
wrongdoers. Such u result in turn tends
to throw the decent man and the wilful
wrongdoer into close association. and in
the end to drag down the former to the
iatter's level. for the man who becomes
a Iawbreaker In one way unhappily tends
to lose all respect for law and to be
willing to break IT In many ways. No
more scathing condemnation could be
the words of the Interstate commerce
commission when. In commenting upon
associations do technically violate the
law. they say: The decision of the
Transmississlppi case and the Joint
Traffic association case has produced no
lions OF the country Such associations.
in fact. exist now, as they did before
these decisions. and with the same gem
ought probably TO add that 1t is difficult
to see how our Interstate railways could
be operated with due regard to the inter
est OF the shipper and the railway
without concerted action of the kind af-
forded thru these associations"
as
by the supreme court is such that the
business OF the country cannot be con;
Quoted without breaking II. / recommend
that you give careful and early consider
alton to this subject. and If you find the
mission justified. that you amend the
law so as TO obviate the evil disclosed
Inheritance and Income Tax.
would refer in some way to his belief
in the necessity for the curbing OF enor-
recommending legislation for both In
come and an Inheritance tax. He be
lieves the government should impose
graduated inheritance tax. and II posi-
Bile. graduated income tax. He says:
II am well aware that such subject
this needs long and careful study in
order that the people may become famil-
NAV 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:
out the project in necessary detail. But
l feel that in the near future our nation
al Legislators should enact law provid-
ing for graduated Inheritance tax by
which a steadily increasing rate OF duty
should be put upon all moneys or other
valuables coming by gift. bequest, or
devise to any Individual or corporation.
1t may be well to make the tax heavy
in proportion 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.
II is most desirable to encourage THRIFT
and ambition. and potent source OF
part of the breadwinuer to leave his chill
dren well on. 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 con
stautly Increasing burden on the inner
itancs Of those swollen fortunes which
II Is certainly of no benefit to this coun-
try to perpetuate.
There can be no question of the eth
icnl proprety 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 or
gift of the enormous fortunes in question
II is not necessary at present to discuss.
1t is wise that progress in this direction
should be gradual. AT first permanent
national Inheritance tax, while 1t might
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 a
tax should ultimately be.