Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-05-04
THE WEEK IN THE WORLD
Great Events and Movements which Are
Making History.

A radical suggestion. pronounced by some
IN Ia socialistic, was made by president
Roosevelt April ~, In his speech at the lay'
ing OF the cornerstone Of the new once pui"'
ing for the house Of representatives ~
Washington, The president spoke on ihe
Man with the Muck Rake, pleading ior ais
elimination In working against eva, ms
speeeh was founded ON the description IN
HUMANS Pilgrims Progress, OF the man
with the muck. rake used rs an example oi
him whose vision iE hxed on cprna' W,
stead Of spiritual things the president use"
the figure to typify those tespeelaHy news
papers books and magazines) VINO o'ers'cp
the bounds Of truth In exposing evil men ana
practices, asssiling great evils IN pohhca,
and industrial life with such crude ana
sweeping congratulations us to include de-
cent men in the general condemnation In
discussing evil in men OF wealth, the pres''
dent suggested legal Limitation upon the
size Of fortunes In this country by means
Of a national inheritance tax HIS WORDS
were; ''As matter Of personal cohNleuuh
and without pretending to discuss the ue
tails or formulate the system, ieei that
we shall ultimately have TO consider the
adoption Of some such scheme as that OF
progressive tax on all fortunes, beyond
certain amount, either given In life or de'
yised or bequeathed upon death 10 any IN
diyidual--a tax so framed as TO put " OUT
OF the power OF the owner OF one OF these
enormous fortunes TO hand more than a
certain amount to any one individual the
fax Of course, to be imposed by the ma
tional and not the state government sueh
taxation should Of course, be aimed mere
liz NJ the inheritance or transmission in
their entirety Of those fortunes swollen be-
,onl all healthy limits -
This utterance OF the president has caused
much comment. Orthodox republicans OPP
pose the idea, prominent republicans VIII moi
talk about IL and radical democrats favor ~
II is noted that the Bryan resolution o.
1896 recommended a graduated income tax
that the socialist platform on which En
gene Debs ran for president in 1904 sup
ported graduated tax on nheriiances
that the platform OF the peoples party ~
, 1900 demanded "a graduated income and IN
heritance tax, TO the end that aggregated
wealth shall bear its just proportion OF
taxation.' that the socialist labor party
minority faction OF the socialists. adopted
a series OF resolutions in New York city II
July, 1896, demanding "a progressive IN
, come tax and tax on inheritances, the smal
, incomes to be exempt" and the New fori
; Sun declares that Thomas jefferson replied
TO Roosevelt 30 years ago, when he wrote
MS follows on the margin Of page IN
treatise on political economy: IF the over
grown wealth of an individual be deemed
/ dangerous TO the state, the best corrective Il
the law Of equal inheritance TO all in equs
degree: and the better as this enforces Law
, of nature. while extra taxation violates 1t.
The idea is generally considered neither new
or original, but, as the Boston Herald put
/ IL. certainly a novel suggestion to cont
, from president of the United States elected
by the help of the moneyed classes" yet, :
SAYS the Independent, 'Mr. Roosevelt u
right, and his personal conviction will b.
, that Of many others; and one of these day
II will be embodied in national legislation
2 1t is the conclusion which the civilized wori'
is coming to-