The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-12-05

cipie or the present tariff law .
: could not with wisdom De changed. /.
I: But in a country OF such phenom- /:
(: enal growth as ours II is probably /:
(: well that every dozen years or so /:
\: the tariff laws should be carefully /:
s~crutinized so as TO see that no ex- /:
:cessive or improper benefits are /:
{: conferred thereby, that proper rev. I:
enue is provided, and that our for |:
; eign trade is encouraged. There /:
{: u always be as q minimum a !:
tarir which will not only allow for !:
the collection OF an ample revenue |:
f: but which will al least make good |:
!: the difference In cost OF production !:
here and abroad; that Is, b diff I:
{: ference In the labor s here and ::
/: abroad, for the well being of the I:
: w~age-worker must ever be a card /;
/: inal point of American policy. The /!
I: quef ion should be approached pure (!
/: ly' from a business standpoint; /:
/: both h time and the manner OF I:
I: h change being such as to arouse /:
: n minimum OF agitation and dis (:
{: turbance In the business world, and !:
f: to give the least play for selfish |:
{: and factional motives. The sole :
F.: consideration should be TO see that /:
t: the sum total Of changes repre- /:
(: sents the public good. This means :
+: that the subject can not with wis:
I: dom be dealt with in the year pre- /:
/: ceding O presidential election, be- /:
: u as q matter of fact expert /:
/: ence has conclusively shown that (:
{: at such q time Il Is impossible to /:
4: get men to treat 1t from the stand !:
: point of the public good. In my :
: judgment the wise time to deal :
!: with. the matter IL Immediately aft /;
/: ter such election. {:
Income Tax and Inheritance Tax.
When our tax laws are revised the
question OF an income tax and an In
tax should receive the careful
attention Of u legislators. In my
judgment both of these taxes should be
part OF system of federal taxa
ton. I speak diffidently about the in
come tax because one scheme for an
income tax was declared u~nconstitu-
tional by the supreme court; while In
addition 1t is a difficult tax TO adminis-
ter In Its practical working, and great
care would have to be exercised to see
that 1t was not evaded by the very men
whom It was most desirable to have
taxed, for IL so evaded IL would, OF
course, be worse than no tax at all;
as the least desirable OF all taxes Is the
which bears heavily upon the hon
est as compared with the dishonest
Nevertheless, a graduated in
come tax OF h proper type would be a
desirable feature OF federal taxation,
and 1t is to be hoped that one may be
devised which the supreme court will
declare constitutional. The inheritance
tax, however, Is both a far better
OF taxation, and far more inn
portant for the purpose of having the
fortunes Of the county e In proper
ffnEN Nn HhnfV NRaaFtnnsn tn aH4n a m V..a
spending increase and burden of tax
..
/: The government has the absolute
: right to decide as to the terms upon
4: which a man shall receive a be- !:
+: quest or devise from another, and
4: this point In the ~devolution OF prop I:
: erty Is especially appropriate for a:
: the imposition of a tax. Laws inn (:
: posing such taxes have repeatedly :
/: been placed upon the national :
{: statute books and as repeatedly de- :
/: clared constitutional by the courts; :
[: and these laws contained the pro- :
/: gressive principle, that Is, after a :
4: certain amount is reached the be- :
: quest or gift, in life or death, is :
: increasingly burdened and the rate :
/: Of taxation Is increased in proper :
f.: ton to the remoteness of blood of :
the man receiving the bequest. ::
Behind the European Countries.
The principles are recognized already
In the leading civilized nations OF the
In Great Britain all the es-
tateS worth IS, 900 or less are practically
exempt from death duties, while the
is such. that, when an estate
$5,000,0 900 In value and passes
to O distant kinsman or stranger in
blood the government receives all told
an amount equivalent to nearly a Nth
Of the whole estate. In France so much
Of an inheritance as exceeds $4,000, 900
pays over a fifth to the state IL AZ
passes to a distant relative.
The German law is especially interest
ing to us because 1t makes the In
heritance tax an imperial measure
while allotting to the individual states
OF the empire a portion Of the proceeds
and permitting them to impose taxes
In addition to those imposed by the i'm
perial government. Small inheritances
are exempt, but the tax is so sharply
progressive that when the Inheritance
Is still not very large, provided 1t is
an agricultural or a forest land,
II is taxed at the rate OF rs per cent.
II 1t goes TO distant relatives. There is
reason why In the United States
national government should not
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 govern
ment, making a combined maximum
in some cases as high a. rs per
cent. The tax should Is possible
be made to bear more heavily upon
those residing without the country
than within 1t. A heavy progressive
upon q very large fortune is in no
such a tax upon thrift or industry
Is a like tax would be on a small for
tune. No advantage ome either to
the country as a whole or to the indi-
viduals inheriting the money by per-
the transmission IN their en-
tirety Of the mormon fortunes which
be affected by such a tax: and
as an incident to its function Of revenue
such a tax would help to pre-
serve a measurable equality OF oppor-
for the people of the generations
growing to manhood.
Enforcement of the Law.
A few years ago there was loud COM