The daily sentinel., 1907-06-10

ceive a bequest or devise from an
other. We have repeatedly placed
such laws on our own statute books.
and they have repeatedly been de-
clared constitutional by the courts
believe that the tax should con-l
tain the progressive principle. What-I
ever any individual receives, whetherl
by gift, bequest. or devise. in life or In
death should, after a certain amount
is reached be increasingly bUrdened;
and the rate of taxation should be
increased in proportion to the re-
moteness of blood of the man re-
ceiving from the man givins or de-
vising. The principle of this taxing
of inheritauces has not only
been authoratively recognized by the
legislation of Congress but it is now
unequivocally adopted in the lead
ing civilized nations of the world i'm.
for instance. Great Britain. France
and Germany. Switzerland led of
with the imposition of high progress
i've rates. Great Britain was the first
of the great nations to follow suit.
and within the last few years both
France and Germany have adopted
the principle In Great Britain all
estates worth five thousand dollars
or less are practically exempt from
death duties. while the increase in
such that when an estate exceeds
five millions of dollars i'm value and
passes to a distant kinsman or strang-
er in blood the government receives
nearly eighteen per cent In France
under the progressive system, SO
much Of an Inheritance as exceeds ten
millions of dollars PAYS over twenty
per cent TO the state If 1t passes to "A
a. ISL ~tal g
it passes TO direct heir. In Germany
very small inheritances are exempt.
but the tax is so sharply progressive
that an inheritance not in agricultu-
raj or forest lands which exceeds two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
II IL goes to distant relatives. Is tax
ed at the rate of about twenty-five per
cent. The German law is of spec
ial interest because IL makes the in
heritance tax an imperial measure,
while allottiug to the individual
States of the Empire a portion of the
proceeds and permitting them to i'm
pose taxes in addition to those inn
posed by the Imperial governments
In the United States the National
government has more than once i'm
posed inheritance taxes in addition to
those imposed by the states. and in
the last instance about one-half OF
the states levied such taxes concur
rently with the National government
making combined maximum rate. in
some cases as high as % per cent.
and. as matter of fact several stat
cs adopted inheritance tax laws for
the first time while the national law
was still in force and unrcpcaled. The
French law has been one feature
which is to be heartily commended.
The progressive principle is so ap-
piled that each higher rate is imposed
only ON the excess above the amount
subject to the next lower rate. This
plan is peculiarly adapted to the
working out of the theory of using
the inheritance tax for the purpose OF
limiting the size of Unbeatable for
tunes since the progressive Increase
in the rates. according TO this mode
may be carried TO It's logical conClu--
ion in a maximum rate of nearly one
hundred per cent for the amount in
excess of a specified sum. without
being couiiscatory as to the rest of
the Inheritance; for each Increase in
rate would apply onIy 10 the nmount
above "A certain maximum. l do not
believe that any advantage comes
either to the country as whole or to
the individuals inhcritinE money by
POI lllltlNE lllt lIuuhllliAHlpll III llltll
entirety of such enormous fortunes
as have been accumulated In Ameri-
ca. The tax could be made to bear
more heavily upon persons residing
out of the country than upon those
residing within IT, Such heavy
progressive tax Is OF course In no
shape or way n tax on thrift or. in
dustry. for thrift aud industry have
ceased to possess any measurable inn
portance in the acquisition of the
swollen fortunes of which ! speak
long before the tax would In any way
seriously AFFECT them Such a tax
would be one OF the methods by which
we should try to preserve equality Of
opportunity for the people of The gen
Grafton growing to manhood. As Lin
coin pointed out. there are some re-
spects In which men are obviously
not equal; but there is no reason why
there should not be an equality of
self-rcspoct and of mutual respect 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
with his fellows"