The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-04

There must always be as a minimum
tariff which will not only allow for the
collection of an ample revenue but which
viii at last make good the difference IN
cost of production here and ABROAD; tndt
is. the difference in the labor and cost
here and abroad, for the well-being OF
the wage-wOrker must ever be cardinal
point of American policy. The question
should be approached purely from a bust
ness standpoint; both the time and the
manner of the change being such as TO
arouse the minimum of agitation and dis
turbance in the business world, and to
give the least play for selfish and FAC
ttonal motives. The sole consideration
should be to see that the sum total of
changes represents the public good. This
means that the subject cannot with wis
| dom be dealt with in the year preceding
a presidential election, because as mat
ter of fact experience has cOnclusively
shown that at such a time it is impossible
| to get men to treat il from the standpoint
| of the public good. In my judgment the
wise time to deal with the matter is i'm
mediateiy after such election
Income and Inheritance Tax.
When our tax laws are revised the ques-
1 ton of an income tax and an Inheritance
tax should receive the careful attention
| of our legislators. In my judgment both
of these taxes should be part of our sys-
| TEN of federal taxation. l speak diff
IDENTIFY about the income tax because one
| unconstitutional 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 exercised TO
| see that It was not evaded by the very
| men whom 1t was most desirable to have
| taxed, for if so evaded 1t would. of
course, be worse than no tax at all; as the
| least desirable of all taxes is the tax
/ which bears heavily upon the honest as
| compared with the dishonest man. Never
| theless, q graduated income tax of the
| proper type would be a desirable feature
| of federal taxation, and it is to be hoped
/ that one may be devised which the SUI
| preme court viii declare constitutional
| The Inheritance tax, however, is both a
/ far better method of taxation, and far
more important for the purpose of hav-
| ing the fortunes of the country bear in
| proportion to their size a corresponding
I increase and burden of taxation. The gov
| eminent has the absolute right to decide
| as to the terms upon which a man shall
| receive beQueSt or devise from another,
and this point in the devolution of prop
| erty is especially appropriate for the I'M
| position of a tax Laws imposing Sucn
| taxes have repeatedly been placed upon
| the national statute books and as repeat
| eddy declared constitutional by the
| courts: and these laws contained the pro-
| gressive principle. that is. after a certain
| amount is reached the bequest or gift. in
4 life or death. is increasingly bUrdened and
| the rate of taxation is increased in pro-
/ portion to the remoteness of blood Of the
man receiving the bequest. These prin-
| ciples are recognized already IN the lead
1 ing civilized nations OF the world. In
! Great Britain all the estates worth 5000
or less are practically exempt from death
! duties, while the increase is such that
| when an estate exceeds SOD,OO in value
! and passes TO a distant kinsman or
| stranger in blood the government receives
! all told an amount equivalent to nearly
a fifth OF the whole estate. In France so
| much of an inheritance as exceeds 80
OGO,O0O paws over fifth to the state if it
| passes to a distant relative.
The German Law.
| The German law is especially interest
! ing to us because il makes the inheri-
| lance tax an imperial measure while al
| letting to the individual states Of the en-
| pire a portion of the proceeds and per
hitting them to impose taxes in addition
| to those imposed by the imperial govern
ment. Small inheritances are exempt, but
| the tax is so sharply progressive that
! when the inheritance is still not very
| large. provided it is not an agricultural
! or forest land. it is taxed At the rate
! of p per cent if it goes to distant reld-
| tives. There is no reason why in the
| United States the national government
| should not impose inheritance taxes in
addition to those imposed by the states.
and when we last had an inheritance tax
! about one-half of the states levied such
| taxes cOncurrently with the national gov
eminent, making a combined maximum
| rate, IN some cases as high as % per
cent The French law has one feature
| which is to be heartily commended The
/ progressive principle is so applied that
| each higher rate is imposed only on the
| excess above the amount subject to the
| next lower rate; SO that each increase of
rate will apply only to a certain amount
| above a certain maximum The tax
Il should if possible be made TO bear more
heavily upon those residing without the
country than within it. heavy pro-
Il gressive tax upon a very large fortune
| is in no way such a tax upon thrift or
/ industry as a like tax would be on a
| small fortune. No advantage comes eth
! or to the country as whole OF to the
individuals inheriting the money by per-
hitting the transmission in their entirety
| of the enormous fortunes which would be
| affected by such a tax: and as an incl
dent to its function of revenue raising
| such a tax would help to preserve a
! measurable equality of opportunity for
the people OF the generations growing to
! manhood. We have not the slightest SYM
] pathV with that socialistic idea which
would try to put laziness. thriftlessneSs
and inefficiencY on a par with industry,
thrift and efficiency: which would strive
to break up not merely private prop
erty, but what is far more important the
home the chief prop upon which our
whole civilization stands. Such a theory,
if ever adopted. would mean the ruin of
the entire cOuntry-a ruin which would
bear heaviest upon the weakest. upon
those least able to shift for themselves.
But proposals for legislation such as t.
herein advocated are directly opposed tC,
I Our
aim is to recognize what Lincoln pointed
out: The fact that there are some respects
in which men are obviously not equal; but
also to insist that there should be an
equality of sef-respect and of mutual re-
spect, an equality Of rights before the
law. and at least an approximate equal
ity in the conditions under which each
man obtains the chance to show the stuff
that is in him when compared To lis fell
lows.
Enforcement of the Law.
l. A few years ago there was loud COM
plant that the law could not be invoked
against wealthy offenders. There is no
such complaint now. The course of the
department of justice during the last few
years has been such as to make it evil
dent that no man stands above the law.
that no corporation is so wealthy that It
cannot be held to account. The depart
ment of justice has been as prompt to
proceed against the Wealthiest malefactoT
whose crime was one of greed and cum
ming as to proceed against the agitator
who incites to brutal violence. Every
thing that can be done under the exist
ing law. and with the existing state of
public opinion. which so profoundly in
fluences both the courts and juries has
been done But the laws themselves nee
strengthening in more than one import
ant point: they should be made more def
mite, so that TO honest man can be led
Unwittingly to break them, and so that
the real wrongdoer can be readily pun
ished.
Moreover there must be the public