Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-10
President Comes Out for
New Form of Revenue
at Jamestown.
SPEAKS TO EDITORS
Puts In Busy Day With Two Ad-
dresses, Receptions, Reviews
and Other Functions.

Norfolk, Va, June 10.-Brought back
to the jamestown exposition by the
formal opening of Bulloch hall the an
Cestral home OF his mother al Ros
well, Ga, and reproduced here as The
Georgia state building, President Roos2-
welt today was for the second time the
central figure of attraction on the c%
position program. Outside features arr
ranged in connection with the Cclebra-
tion of Georgia day by military ANA
naval spectacle was not greatly dis
similar to that which marked the visit
of the president when the exposition
was thrown open April &c
Arrives MaHnoNcr.
The president arrived with a special
party, including Mrs Roosevelt, on the
Mayflower at 500 a. m. After receiv-
ing the Georgia officials on board with
them as his guests and reviewing the
fleets assembled at Hampton Roads. he
landed at the exposition grounds at IL.
He made speech as part of the Gcog-
gia day exercises in the forenoon and
will make another at the convention Of
the Nctional Editorial association IN
the auditorium this afternoon.
Put In Busy Day.
He reviewed a parade Of military ana
naval forces, visited the negro exhibit,
participated in the presentation of
silver service by the state to the bat
tleship Georgia, attended a reception
given at the Georgia building by Geof-
gians alone in honor of himself and
Mrs. Roosevelt, and visited informally
the New York state building He will
depart for Washington at this after
noon.
FayOrs New Form of Tax.
The president came out squarely for
graduated income tax and a national
inheritance tax. He said:
Most great civilized countries have
an income tax and an inheritance tax
In my judgment, both should be part
of our system of federal taxation.
speak difiidently 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 it is a difficult tax to
administer in its practical workings,
and great care would have to be eXer-
cised to see that it was not evaded by
the very man whom it is most desirable
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 heavily upon the hon
est as compared with the dishonest
man.
still Has Hope.
Nevertheless. a graduated income
tax Of the proper type would be a de
sirable permanent feature of federal
taxation, and | still hope that one may
be devised which the supreme court
will declare constitutional.
I'm my judgment, however, the in.
heritance tax is both far better meth.
cd of taxation, and far more important
for the purpose | have in view-the
purpose of having the swollen fortunes
of the country bear in proportion tc
their size a constantly increasing bur
den of taxation.
These fortunes exist solely because
of the protection given the owners by
the public. They are constant source
of care and anxiety to the public ant
it is eminently just that they should bt
forced to pay heavily for the protection
given them 1t is, of course, elemen
tary that the nation has the absolute
right to decide as to the terms upOl
which any man shall receive a beqUes
or devise from another. We have re
peatedly placed such laws on our owl
statute books, and they have repeated
ly been declared constitutional by th
courts.
should he Progressive.
81 believe that the tax should con
tain the progressive principle. What
ever any individual receives. whethe
by gift. bequest. or devise, in life or il
death, should, after certain amount
reached, be increasingly burdened; an
the rate of taxation should be increa,
ed in proportion to the remoteness Q
blood of the man receiving from tn
man giving or deyising. The principl
of this progressive taxation OF inner
tance has not only been authoritativel
recognized by the legislation of col
gress. but it is now unequivocall
adopted in the leading civilized nation
Of the world-in. for instance Grea
Britain, France, and Germany.
In the United States the nation;