Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1906-12-08

the breadwinner to leave his chill
dren well off. This object can be
attained by making the tax very
small on moderate amounts of prop
erty left; because the prime object
should be to put a constantly in
creasinE burden on the inheritance
of those swollen fortunes which it is
certainly of no benefit to this coun-
try to perpetuate.
There can be no question of the
ethical propriety of the Government
thus determining the conditions up
on 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 it
is not necessary at present to dis
cuss. 1t is wise that progress in
this direction should be gradual. At
first a permanent national inheri-
lance tax, while it 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.
This species Of tax has again and
again been imposed, although only
temporarily, by the National Gov
eminent. It was first imposed by
the act of July 6, 1897, when the
makers OF the Constitution were
alive and at the head Of affairs. 1t
was a graduated tax; though small
m amount, the rate was increased
with the mount left to any individ-
ual, exceptions being made in the
case % certain close kin. A similar
tax was again imposed by the act OF
July i, 1862; a minimum sum OF
one thousand dollars in personal
property being excepted from taxa
ton, the tax then becoming pro-
gressive according to the remote
ness OF kin. The w~ar-revenue act
Of June 10, 1898, provided for an
inheritance tax on any sum exceed
ing the value of ten Thousand dol
lars, the rate of the tax increasing
both in accordance with the amounts
left and in accordance with the leg
atee's %remoteness of kin. The Su'
preme Court has held that the sue.
cession tax imposed at the time o.
the Civil War was not a direct tar
but an impost or excise which was
both constitutional and valid. More
recently the Court, in an opinion de
livered by Mr.. Justice White, which
contained an exceedingly able anC
elaborate discussion of the powers
of the Congress to impose death du
ties, sustained the constitutionalitl
of the inheritance-tax feature of th'
-war-revenue act OF 1898.
In its incidents, and apart from
the main purpose of raising revenue
an income tax stands on an e%ntirel!
different footing from an inheritance
tax: because it involves no question
Of the perpetuation of fortune
swollen to an unhealthy size. TIL
question is in it's essence a question
OF the proper adjustment of bur
dens to benefits. As the law nov
stands it is undoubtedly difficult t
devise a national income tax whicl
shall be constitutional. But wheth
er 1t is absolutely impossible is an
other question; and II possible it
most certainly desirable. The frs
purely income-tax law was past b.
the Congress in 1861, but the mos
important law dealing with the sub
ject was that of 1894. This tn
court held to be unconstitutional,
The question is undoubtedly yer
intricate, delicate, and troublesome
The decision of the court was onl
reached by one majority. 1t is
law Of the land, and OF course /
accepted as such and Loyalty obeye
by all goo d~ictizens, Nevertheless tn
hesitation evidently felt by tn
court as a whole in coming to a cor
%clusion, when considered togethe
with the previous decisions on tn
subject, may perhaps indicate tn
possibility of devising a constitu
tional income-tax law which sha.
substantially accomplish the result
, aimed at. The difficulty of amend
+, ing the Constitution is so great th5
only real necessity can justify a II
sort thereto. Every effort should b
made in dealing with this subjec
7 as with the subject of the prope
, control by the National GovernmeI
over tht use of corporate wealth
interstate business, to devise legi
, lation which without such actio
= shall attain the desired end; but
this fails, there will ultimately be L