Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-12-11

,ears or so the tariff laws should BE- :
carefully scrutinigea so as 10 see that
no excessive or improper benefits are
conferred thereby, that proper reve-
nue. is provided. and that our foreign |
trade is encouraged. There must al
ways be as minimaIa 2. tariff which |
win not only allow fer the collection
Of an ample revenue but which viii
at least make good the difference il
cost Of production here and abroad;
that is, the difference in labor cost here
and abroad. for the well-being Of the
wage-wOrker must ever be a cardinal
point Of American policy. The question
should be approached purely from a
business standpoint; both the time
and the manner of the change being
such as to amuse the minimum of agl
tation and disturbance in the business
world, and to give the least play for
selfish and factional motives. The
sole consideration should be to see
that the sum total of change repre-
sents the public good. This means that
he subject can not with wisdom be
dealt with in the year preceding a
presidential election, because as a
matter Of fact experience has conclu-
sively shown that at such time it Is
impossible to get men to treat it from
The wise time to deal with the mat
the standpoint of the public good.
ter is Immediately after such cleo
ton.
Income and inheritance Tax.
When our tax laws are revised the
question of an income tax and an in
heritance tax should receive the care
full attention of our legislators. In
my judgment both of these taxes
should be part of our system Of fed
eral taxation. speak difidently about
the income tax because one scheme
for an income tax was declared I'M
constitutional by the supreme court;
while in addition it is a difficult tax
to administer In its practical working,
and great care would have to be exer-
cised to see that it was not evaded by
the very men whom it was most de-
sirable to have taxed, for If so evaded
it would, of course, be worse than no
tax at all; as the least desirable OF
all taxes is the tax which bears heav-
| lily upon the honest as compared with
the dishonest man. Nevertheless, a
graduated income tax of the proper
type would be desirable feature OF
federal taxation, and it is to be hoped
that one may be devised which the
supreme court win declare constitu-
tional.
The Inheritance tax, howev2I, is
both a far better method OF taxation
and far more important for the pur
pose of having the fortunes of the
country bear in proportion to their in
crease in size corresponding in
crease and burden of taxation. The
government has the absolute right to
decide as to the terms upon which
man shall receive a beQuest or de-
wise from another, and this
Loint in the devolution of prop
erty is especially appropriate for the
IMPOSITION of a tax. Laws imposing
such taxes have repeatedly been
laced upon the national statute books
ind as repeatedly declared constitli-
tional by the courts; and the laws con-
tanned the progressive principle, that
is, after certain amount is reached
the bequest or gift, in life or death,
is increasingly burdened and the rate
OF taxation is increased in proportion
to the remoteness of blood of the man
receiving the bequest. These principles
are recognized already in the leading
civilized nations of the world. In
Great Britain all the estates worth
$4,000 or less are practically exempt
from death duties, while the increase
| is such that when an estate exceeds
five millions of dollars in value and
passes to a distant kinsman or
stranger in blood the government re-
ceiyes all told an amount equivalent
/ to nearly fifth of the whole estate.
In France so much of an inheritance
as exceeds $10,000,000 pays over a
J ulLH u the StdtS Il II passes ~ q AAS
tanr relative. The German law is es-
/ pecially interesting to us because 1t
makes the inheritance tax an imperial
measure while allotting TO the individ-
ual states of the empire a portion
of the proceeds and permitting them
to impose taxes in addition to those
| Imposed by the imperial government.
Small inheritances are exempt, but the
I tax is so sharply progressive that
| when the inheritance is still not very
large, provided it is not an agricul-
tural or forest land, it is taxed at
the rate of rs per cent if it goes to
distant relatives. There is no reason
why in the United States the national
government should not impose inheri-
lance taxes in addition to those i'm
posed by the states, and when we last
I had an inheritance tax about one half
OF the states levied such taxes con-
currently with the national govern
ment, making combined maximum
rate, in some cases as high as 25 per
Icent The French law has one feat
u'e which is to be commended. The
progressive principle is so applied
that each higher rate is imposed only
| on the excess above the amount sub
/ fact 70 tho uavt lnuar ratio. 60 that