Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-12-13

/: ciple of the present tariff law /:
/: could not with wisdom be changed. :
/: But in a country Of such phenom- {:
f: ma growth as ours it Is probably /:
/: well that every dozen years or so +:
/: the tariff laws should be carefully (:
/: scrutinized SO as TO see that no ex- !:
:cessive or improper benefits are (:
/: conferred thereby, that proper rev. !:
/: enue is provided, and that our for I:
!: eign trade is encouraged. There {:
/. must always be as a minimum a (:
/: tariff which will not only allow for I:
{: the collection of an ample revenue :
/: but which will at least make good :
:: the difference In cost of production (:
/: here and abroad; that Is, the diff I:
{: ference in the labor cost here and !:
{: abroad. for the well being OF the /:
+: wage-worker must ever be a card !:
/: inal point Of American policy. The !
: question should be approached pure /:
{: ly from a business standpoint; F.:
/: both the time and the manner OF /:
/: the change being such as to arodse +:
/: the minimum Of agitation and dis /:
/: turbance in the business world. and /:
(: to give the least play for selfish T:
/: and factional motives. The sole /:
t: consideration should be to see that :
/: the sum total OF changes repre- +:
(: sents the public good. This means /:
{: hat the subject can not with wis:
/: dom be dealt with in the year pre- {:
/: ceding a presidential election. be- /:
I: cause as a matter of fact expert 4:
/: ence has c~onclusively shown that (:
: at such a time 1t is impossible to {:
{: get men to treat 1t from the stand (:
4: point of the public good. In my 4:
/: judgment the wise time to deal !:
{: with the matter is Immediately af- (:
4: ter such election. :
Income Tax and inheritance Tax.
When our tax laws are revised the
question of an income tax and an in
heritance a should receive the careful
attention Of our legislators. In my
both of these taxes should be
part Of our system of federal taxa
ton. / speak difidently about the in
come tax because one scheme for an
tax was declared unconstitu-
tional by the supreme court; while III
addition 1t is a difficult tax to admins
ter In it's practical working. and great
care would have to be exercised TO see
that II was not evaded by the very men
whom 1t v"as most desirable to have
taxed, for If SO evaded 1t would, OF
course, be worse than no tax at ali;
us TIE lGdSl ucSlI dblS VI all ~ ID II
tax which bears heavily Upon the hon
est as compared with the dishonest
man. Nevertheless, a graduated in
a Of the proper type would be q
desirable feature Of federal taxation,
and 1t is to be hoped that n may be
devised which the supreme court will
declare constitutional. The inheritance
tax. however, is both a far better
method &C taxation. and far more i'm
poreant for the purpose of having the
fortunes Of the county bear in proper
ton TO their increase in size a CORE
spending increase and burden Of tax
4: The government has the absolute {:
a: right TO decide as to the terms upon :
: which q man shall receive a be- :
I: quest or devise from another, and /:
{: this point in the d~evolution of prop (:
{: erty is especially appropriate for {:
{: the imposition of a tax. Laws inn 4:
/: posing such axes have repeatedly (:
I: been placed upon the national :
: statute books and as repeatedly de- 4:
{: clared constitutional by the courts; /:
{: and these laws contained the pro- :
4: gressive principle, that is, after a :
+: certain amour is reached the be- f:
+: quest or gift, in life or death, is t:
{: increasingly burdened and the rate :
(: of taxation is increased in proper /:
f: ton to the remoteneSs of blood Of {:
{: the man receiving the bequest. I:
= = :
Behind the European Countries.
The principles are recognized already
in the leading civilized nations Of the
world. In Great Britain all the es-
worth SIS, 900 or less are practically
exempt from death duties, while the
increase is such that when an estate
exceeds 5000, 600 in value and passes
to a distant kinsman or stranger in
blood the government receives all told
amount equivalent to nearly a fifth
of the whole estate. In France so much
of an inheritance as exceeds $40, 0O0, 900
pays over a fifth to the state il it
passes to a distant relative.
The German law is especially interest
ing to us because it makes the in
heritance tax an imperial
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 in~heritances
are exempt, but the tax is so sharply
progressive hat when the inheritance
is still not very large, provided it is
not an agricultural or a forest land,
1t Is taxed at the rate of % per cent.
IL II BOtS " ulSldlll lCldttNGS. 1ilGIe -
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
Of the states levied such taxes
concurrently with the national govern
ment, making a combined maximum
rate, in some cases as high as % per
The tax should is possible
be made to bear more heavily upon
those residing without the country
than within 1t. A heavy progressive
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 for
tune. No advantage comes either to
the country as q whole or to the indi-
viduals inheritlng the money by per-
hitting the transmission in their en-
tirety of the enormous fortunes which
would be affected by such a tax: and
a. an incident to it's function of revenue
raising, such a tax would help to pre-
serve a measurable equality of oppor-
tunity for the people Of the generations
growing to manhood.
Enforcement of the Law.
A few years ago there was loud COM
plant that the law could not be in
voked against wealthy offenders. There
is no such complaint now. The course
OF the department of justice during