The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-06-21

The inability OF the railroads OF the
United States TO meet the demands
upon them has drawn public attention
forcibly 10 the use of our waterways
for transportation. But IL Is obvious
that this is only one OF their many
uses, and that planned and orderly
development is impossible except by
taking into account all the services
they are capable OF rendering. IL was
upon this ground that the inland wa
terways commission was recently APP
pointed. Their duty Is to propose n
comprehensive plan for the improve
nent and utilization OF those great
waterways which are the great poten-
tial highways Of the country. Their
duty Is also to bring together the
points of view OF all users of streams
and u submit general plan for the
development and conservation Of the
vast natural resources of the water
ways OF the United States. Clearly IL
is impossible for the waterways COM
mission to accomplish it's great task
without considering the relation of
streams 10 the conservation and use of
all other natural resources. and have
asked that IL do so. Here, then. for the
first time, the orderly development and
planned conservative use OF all our
natural resources Is presented as
single problem. One by one the indi-
NiNbal NdSho III lilAb BiNah piObANih h@NN
already been undertaken. One by one
in practical fashion the methods OF
dealing with them were worked out.
National irrigation has proved itself
a success by it's actual working. Again,
actual experience has shown that the
national forests will fulfill the larger
purpose for which they were created.
All who have thoughtfully studied the
subject have come to see th~t the solu-
ton OF the public lands question lies
with the home maker. with the settler
who lives on his land and that gov
eminent control OF the mineral fuels
and the public grazing lands is neces-
sary and inevitable. Each OF these
conclusions represented a movement
OF vast Importance which would confer
large benefits upon the nation. but
which stood by itself. They are con-
nected together into ono great funda-
mental problem-that OF the con-
servation of all our natural resources.
Upon the wise solution of this, much
of our future obviously depends. Even
such questions as the regulation of
railway rates and the control OF cor
porations are in reality subsidiary to
the primal problem OF the preservation
in the interests of the whole people of
the resources that nature has given us.
II we fail to solve this problem. no
skill in solving the others will in the
END avail us very greatly.
Now as to the matter of taxation.
Most great civilized countries have an
income tax and an inheritance tax.
In my Judgment beth should be part
of our system OF federal taxation. /
speak diffidently about the income tax
because one scheme for an income tax
was declared unconstitutional by the
supreme court by a five TO four vote;
and in addition II is a difficult tax to
administer in its practical workings,
and great care would have 70 be exer-
cised to see that IL was not evaded
by the very man whom IL is most de-
sirable to have taxed for II 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 heavily
upon the honest as compared with tho
dishonest man. Nevertheless a gradu-
ated income tax OF the proper type
would be desirable permanent fea-
ture OF federal taxation, and 1 still
hope that one may be devised which tho
supreme court will declare constitu-
tionaL.