Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-03

in the year preceding presidential
 election, because, as matter of fact
 experience has conclusively showl
 that at such time it is impossible t,
 get men to treat it from the standpoint
 of the public good. In my judgment
 the wise time to deal with the matter
 Is immediately after such election.
 Income Tax and Inheritance Tax.
 When our tax laws are revised the
 question of an income tax and an in
 heritance tax should receive the care.
 ful attention of our legislators. In my
 Judgment both of these taxes should
 be part of our system of federal taxa
 tion I speak ditiidently about the in-
 come tax because one scheme for an in
 come tax was declared unconstitutlon-
 al by the supreme court, while ill addi-
 tion it is a difficult tax to administer
 in its practical working, and great
 care would have to be exercised to see
 that 1t was not evaded iy he very
 men whom it was 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
 honest as compared with the dishonest
 man. Nevertheless graduated in
 come tax of the proper type would be
 a desirable feature of federal taxation,
 and it is 10 be hoped that one may be
 devised which the supreme court will
 declare constitutional. The inheritance
 tax, however, is both a far better
 method of taxation and far more i'm
 portant for the purpose of having the
 fortunes of the country bear in pro-
 portion to their increase in size q cor
 responding increase and burden of tax
 ation. The government has the absO-
 lute right to decide as to the terms
 upon which man shall receive a be-
 quest or devise from another, and this
 point in the devolution of property is especially appropriate for the imposi- ton of a tax Laws imposing such taxes have repeatedly been placed upon the national statute books and as repeatedly declared constitutional by the courts, and these laws contained the progressive principle-th is, after a certain amount is reached the be- quest or gift, in life or death, Is in
 creasingly burdened and the rate of taxation is 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 $5,00O or less are practically exempt from death duties, while the increase is such that when an estate exceeds S5,00O,O00 in value and passes to distant kinsman or stranger In blood the government receives all told an amount equivalent to nearly a fifth of the whole estate. In France so much of an inheritance as exceeds S10,000,00O pays over fifth to the state if it passes to a dis tant relative The German law is es- pecially interesting to us because 1t makes the inheritance tax an impe- rial measure, while allottlng to the individual states of the empire DOT tion of the proceeds and permitting them to impose taxes In addition to those imposed by the imperial govern ment Small inheritances are exempt, but the tax is so sharply progressive that when the inheritance is still not very large provided it is not an agri- Ion ic fa ot the rate of 2j per cent if 1t goes to dis tant relatives.
 There is no reason why in the Unit ed States the national government should not impose inheritance taxes in addition to those imposed by the states, and when we last had an inher- itance tax about one-half of the states levied such taxes concurrently with the national government, making combined maximum rate in some cases as high as 25 per cent. The French law has one feature which Is to be heartily commended. The progressive principle is so applied that each high CT rate is imposed only on the excess above the amount subject to the next lower rate, so that each increase of rate will apply only to a certain amount above a certain maximum. The tax should if 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 tax upon thrift or industry as a like tax would be on a small fortune. No ad- vantage comes either to the country as a whole or to the individuals inheriting the money by permitting the transmits sion fin their entirety of the enormous fortunes which would be affected by such a tax, and as an incident to It's function of revenue raising such a tax would help to preserve a measurable equality of opportunity for the people of the generations growing to man hood We have not the slightest sym pathy with that socialistic idea which ! would try to put lazlness. thriftleos- ness and inefIiciency on a par with in- dustry, thrift and efficiency. which would strive to break up not merely private property. but. what is far EsOre the home, the chief prop upon which our whole civilization stands. Such a theory. if ever adopt ed. would mean the ruin of the entire cOuntry-a ruin which would bear heaviest upon the weakest, upon those least able to shift for themselves. But proposals for legislation such as this herein advocated are directly opposed Al.En -an.. ..r AA.nn-aa. n..-