Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-12-04

aeum total of changes represents the
public good. This means that the SUBJ
ject cannot with wisdom be dealt with
In the year preceding preside ntial
elections because, as ID matter OF fact,
experiences has conclusively shown
that at such time tits Impossible toll
get men to treat 1T from the standpoint
of the public good. In my Judgment,
the wise time TO deal with the matter
is immed iately after such election.
Income Tax and Inheritance Tax.
When our tax laws are revised the
question Of an income tax and an hl-
4 heritance tax should receive the care
ful attention of our Legislators. III my Il
Judgment, both of these taxes should
I be part OF our system of federal ia xa-
ton. 4 speak diffidently about the In
come tax because one scheme FOR an in
IS come tax was declared demonstrations
3 al by the supreme court, while In addi=
& ton it is a difficult tax to administer
i in its practical working, and great
B care would have to be exercised to see 4
that 1t was not eyaded by the very
\ men whom 1t was most desirable to
1 have taxed, for if so evadad 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
honest as compared with the dishonest
man. Nevertheless graduated In.
come tax of the proper type would be
desirable feature OF federal taxation,
and it is to be hoped that one may be
devised which the supreme court will.
declare CONSTITUTE onal. The Inheritance
tax, however, IS both a far better
method Of taxation and far more Inn.
portant for the purpose Of having the
fortunes Of the country bear in pro
portion to their increase In size COR
responding increase and burden of tax
alton. The government has the abso-
lutte right to decide as to the terms
upon which d man shall receive q be-
quest or devise from another, and this
point In the devolutfon of property is
aSSpSSldlly OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 1tSS -
i ton of a tax. Laws imposing such
n taxes have repeatedly been placed
upon the national statute books and as
repeatedly declared constitutional by
the courts, and these laws contained
\, the progressive princ iple that is, after
a certain amount is reached the be
quest or gift, in life or death, is In
creasingIy burdened and The rate OF
taxation Ii increased IN proportion to
the remoteness of blood OF the man re-
ceiving the bequest. These principles
are recognized already in the leading
civilized nations Of the world. In Great
Britain all the estates worth 5000 OF
less are practically exempt from death
duties, while the increase is such thai
when an estate exceeds SIS 100000 ii
yalue and passes to a distant kinsmaT
or stranger in blood the government
receives all told an mount equiyalen1
to nearly 4 ~ til Of the whole estate
In france so much of an inheritance
as exceeds $40, 1000 pays over /
fifth to- the state if lit passes to a dis
tant relative. The German law is 7es
pecially interesting to us because i
makes the inheritance tax an impe
rial measure while lotting to- th,
individual states OF the empire Dor
ton OF the proceeds and permitting
them to impose taxes In addition Il
those imposed BY the imperial govern
ment. Small inheritances are exempt
but the tax is SO sharply Progressive
that when the inheritance Is still no
very large, provided it is not an agri
cultural or a forest land. 1T Is taxed a
the rate of 225 per cent If At goes to dis
tant relatives. VI. sAs
There is no reason why In the Unit
ed States the national government
should not impose Inheritance taxes i
addition to those imposed by til
states, and when we last had an inner
itance tax about one-half of the state
levied such taxes eoncurrently wit
the national government, making
combined maximum rate In some case
as high as IS per cent The Frenc
law has one feature which is to b
heartily commended The progressiv
principle is SO applied that each higT
er rate is imposed only on the exces
StpOHGs LIE 5uUJCSttO LII 3AiC-o
lower rate, SO that each increase g
rate VIII apply only to q n certai
amount above certain maximum
The tax should II possible be made
bear more heavily upon those residin
without the country than within it. n
heavy progressive tax upon yer
large fortune Is In no way such to
upon thrift or industry as q like to
would be on 4 small fortune. No as
vantage cornss either to the country 9
whole or to the indivi duais inheritin
the money by permitting the transmit
sion in their entirety of the enorrnot
fortunes which would be affected 3
such a tag, and as an incident to 4
function OF revenue raising such q to
would help to preserve q measurab