The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-12-07


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
nent making combined maximum
rate, in some cases as high as rs per
cent. The tax should is possible
be made to bear more heavily upon
those residing without the country
than within it. A heavy progressive
tax upon very large fortune is In no
way such a tax upon thrift or industry
as a like tax would be on small for
tune. No advantage comes either TO
the country as whole or to the indi-
vidUals inheriting the money by per-
uniting the transmission In their en-
tirety of the enormous fortunes which
would be affected by such a tax: and
as an incident to its function of revenue
raising, such a tax would help to pre-
serve IL 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
the last few years has been such as
TO make ii evident that no man stands
above the law. that no corporation Is
so wealthy that ii cannot be held to
account But the laws them
selves need strengthening in more
than one important point; they should
be made more definite, SO that no hon
est man can be led unwittfngly to
break them, and so that the real
Wrongdocr can be readily punished.
..'..u..........
!: Moreover, there must be the pub :
: lie opinion back of the laws or the /:
laws themselves will be of no !:
yIit h.
: erage juryman undoubtedly wishes !:
: to see trusts broken up, and is /:
/: quite ready to fine the corpora {:
tipn itself, he is very reluctant TO {:
: find the facts proven beyond rea- !:
: sonable Doubt when 1t comes to !:
sending to jail member of the {:
: business community for INDUCING {:
in practices which are profoundly (:
unhealthy. but which, unfortunate
ly, the business community has :
grown to recognize as we'll night !:
normal Both the present condi- +:
ton of the law and the present
temper Of juries render 1t a task :
of extreme difficulty to get at the /:
real wrongdoer in any such case, t:
especially by imprisonment. Yet
IL Is from every standpoint far
preferable to punish the prime Of !:
fender by Imprisonment rather :
than to fine the corporation. with :
the attendant damage to stock
holders. ::
Accidents.
The loss OF life and limb from rail-
road accidents in this country has be-
come appalling. 1t is a subject of
which the national government should
take supervision. 1t might be well to
begin by providing for a federal in
Spector Of Interstate railroads some
where along the lines of federal inspec-
ton of steamboats,, although not going
so far: perhaps at first all that it
would be necessary to have would be
some officers whose duty it would be
to investigate all accidents on interstate
railroads and report in detail the
causes thereof.
Employers Liability.
Congress should adopt legislation pro-
vidinS limited but definite compensa-
ton for accidents to all workmen with
in the scope of the federal power, in
Guiding emplo. es of navy yards and
arsenals. In other words. model en-
pioyers' liability act, far reaching and
thoroughgoing, should be enacted
which should apply to all positions,
public and private, over which the ma
tional government has Jurisdiction.
The law should be made such that
the payment for accidents by the en-
ployer would be automatic instead Of
being q matter for lawsuits. Workmen
pensation for all accidents in industry
irrespective of negligence.
Ey the proposed law. employers
would gain desirable certainty of OBJ
LEGATION and get rid of litigation to
determine il, while the workman and |
his family would be relieved from a
crushing load
The constitutionality OF the employ
ers' liability act passed by the proceed
ing congress has been carried before
the courts. In the event that the
court should affirm the constitutional
fly OF the act, urge further legislation
along the lines advocated In my mes
sage to the preceding congress. Since
1895 practically every country of Eu-
rope, together with Great Britain. New
Zealand. Australia, British Columbia
and the Cape of Good Hope has enacted
legislation embodying in one form or
another the complete recognition of the
principle which places upon the en-
pioyer the entire trade risk in the
various lines Of industry. Il
Eight Hour Law.
The principle of the eight-hour day
should as rapidly and as far as prac-
ticable be extended to the entire work
carried on by the government; and
the present law should be amended to
embrace contracts on those public
works which the present wording Of the
act has been construed to exclude.
investigation Of Industrial Disputes.
Strikes and iockouts, with their at
tendant loss and suffering, continue to
increase For the five years ending
December 81, 1905, the number of strikes
was greater than those in any previous
ten years and was double the number
I'm the preceding five years. These fig-
ures indicate the Increasing need of
providing some machinery to deal with
this class of disturbances in the inter-
est alike of the employer, the employee.
End the general public. / renew my
previous recommendation that the con-
gross fayors bly, consider the matter of
creating the machinery for COMPULSORY