The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-07
A GENUINE cnANk.

OENDIAG 0HANA.
 Congressman James T. Lloyd, of Mis- souri. wants the Constitution of the United States amended and has iAtro- duced his proposed amendment into the. House We say he wants this done. but that Is a little moro than he ad- mits, for he says that he introduced the resolution 'by request" That is an easy method by which law makers sometimes shirk all responsibility for any absurd or impossible legislation proposed by them. Mir Lloyd was care ful to state to the House that con- stituent had sent him the preamble and resolution with the request that he in- troduce 1t. and that he had done so to oblige the said constituent Here is the essential part of the amendment which the Missouri voter and his com plaisant Congressman want tackled to the Federal constitution:
 NO citizen nor resident nor investor in any or all States. Territories. or Districts comprising the United States snaiL s5i L, be permitted to possess. in any or value of more than ten millions of dol lars. which sum shall be the limit of private pro erty. in. or for any individ- uaI, joint individual, guardian. trustee, agent. or other form or device of pri- yate estate ownership, or reserved for each inheritor or legatee. And when ever or wherever such aforesaid pri- Yate ownership, or holding or trust ship, CT reserving shall be found to ex- ceed. in amount of property concerned, the limit apove named, the excess shall all be condemned whether or not as public nuisance. public folly, or n public peril. and be accordingly for feited into the United States Treasury.
 It goes on to provide that the several states shall enforce this bit Of absurd lty and if any State shall fail to so enforce It. Congress itself must do it. Did anybody ever hear of more ut- teriy assiniRe proposition than that? There are good people who argue that immense fortunes are a wrong to so- ciety. to humanity. and to almost everything else. and they can give us reasons galore why one man should not be worth hundred millions or more while his neighbor doesn't pos sess the value of hill of beans. and we have heard and read many sug- gestions about how to cure what they consider the vice of excessive riches. There are cranks and some more | cranks in this world
 We are not going to enter into any discussion of the sin of millionairism. | if that is the correct word, because such discussion would be fruitless and would convince no one either way. We rather think. however. that the point of view l is largely governed by the fact of pos- session or non-possession.. and that ! those who are so ready 70 rail against the veTs rich would change their tune If they should become possessors of a. 1 few millions of their own. Much de- pends on the point of view in this as in many other matters.
 But let that pass. and look for mo- 1 ment at the utter assinity of propos- ing to engraft on the Constitution such | a provision as this. Why did the crank | put ten millions as a limit. Most peo- pie look on that as an immense sum. while a comparatively few think it would mean poverty. The man might as well have put It one or one hundred millions. but perhaps ten looked good | to him. But why should the Constitu- | tion interfere. or why should it require the States to interfere? If man owns | property to the value of twelve mil Hons or moro, and 1t is actually his, l his title Is good. and the government has no more right to confiscate any part of 1t than it has to confiscate tho horse or OK of the poor farmer. The very rich man may have obtained his millions by methods not altogether dey | fensible. but if he has violated no law he should not be forced by constitution or law to stand ana deliver The l proposition Is about the limit we take it.
 But there is another feature connect ed with the matter and that is the man. ner of it's introduction. We are not | at all convinced that MT. Lloyd clears his skirts of all responsibility by claim ing that he introduced the resolution by request The matter was referred | to a committee and ordered to be print. ed thus taking up the time of the mem bers and the money of the people. The Congressman ought to have had judg-
 ment enough to see the absurdity of proposing such an amendment, and | self-respect and courage enough to have saved himself form acting as
 agent for crank. If members were
 required to pay all the expenses of
 bills and resolutions introduced by re-
 quest, there would be less of such ob | ligingness