Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-10
WOULD MAKE INCOMES and
INHERITANCES PAY WELL

states levied such taxes concurrentiy
with the national government, making
a combined maximum rate, in some
cases as high as - per cent: and. as I
matter Of fact. several states adopted
Inheritance tax laws for the first time
while the national law was still in
force and unrepealed. The French law
has one feature which is to be heartily
commended. The progressive principle
is so applied that each higher rate is
imposed only on the excess above the
amount subject to the next lower rate.
This plan is peculiarly adapted to the
working out OF the theory of using the
inheritance tax for the purpose of lin
iting tae size of inheritable fortunes.
since the progressive increase in the
rates. according TO this mode. may be
carried to its logical conclusion in a
maximum rate Of nearly 100 per cent
for the amount in excess Of 4 specified
sum. without being ConfsCatOry as to
, the rest Of the inheritance; for each
increase in rate would apply only to
the amount above a certain maximum.
Hear Hard On Outsiders.
4 do not believe that any advantage
comes either to the country as a whole
or to the individuals iuhcriting the
money by permitting the transmission
in their entirety Of such enormous for
tunes as have been accumulated i'll
America. The tax could be made to
bear more heavily upon persons rcsid-
ing out of the country than upon those
residing within it,
Such a heavy progressive tax is of
! course in no shape or way tax on
| thrift or industry. for thrift and indus
| try have ceased to possess any meas
! urable Importance in the acquisition of
! the swollen fortunes Of which / speak
Ions before the tax would i'll any way
seriously affect them. Such a tax
would be one of the methods by which
! we should try to preserve Il measurable
equality of opportunity for the people
| of the generation growing to manhood
| As Lincoln pointed out, there are some
respects in which men are obviously
mot equal; but there is no reason why
there should not be an equality of self
respect and mutual respect, an equality
of rights before the law, and at least
an approximate equality in the condi-
tions under which each man obtains
the chance to show the stuff that is in
: him when compared with his fellows.
| Address to GeOrGians.
SDCal,ing 10 the GeOrgians, the pres
/ ident said:
There is increasing need that the
welfare Of the children should be eli
| fectivcly safeguarded by governmental
action; with the provisO. however, that
this action shall be taken with Enowl
edge and in a spirit OF robust common
sense; for philanthropy, whether goT
ernmenral or individual, is a curse an(
not a blessing when marked by a spirt
of foolish sentimentality and ignorance
Is Inevitable Ouicrowth.
Such governmental action is merel!
one inevitable result of the ever-incrcas
ing growth of our complex industrial
ism. Decade by decade, it become:
more necessary that. without socritic
ing their individual independence, the
people of this country shall recOgniz;
in more effective form their mutua
linterdependence. ana the duty of safe
guarding the interest Of each in tht
ultimate interest of AL.
I'VE have inherited and developed
superbly self-reiiant individualism il
this country. | most earnestly hop
that it will not be lost, that it will neve
be exchanged tor a deadcning social
ism. The only permanently beneficial
way in which to help anyone is to hel
him to help himself; if either privat
charity. or governmental action, or an
form Of social expression destroys tn
individuals power of self help, tn
gravest possible wrong is really don
to the Individual
, Cannot Trust individuals.
Y Nevertheless. as the conditions c
e life grow more complex, it is not po
1 sible to trust our welfare only to tn
g unbridled individual initiative of eac
4 unit of our population working as thG
/ unit wills We need laws for the car
G of our children which were not needle
n when this country was in its infanC,
It We need laws for the control of vas
> corporations such as were not needle
n when the individual fortunes were IL
/ smaller than at present, and whe
e these fortunes We're not combined Il
business use. In the same way W
need to change our attitude towal
/ labor problems from what that attituC
l. was in the days when the great buI
r of our people lived III the country wit
II no more complex labor relations tina
IS is implied in the connection betweC
d the farmer and the hired help.
$ For example, the great increase
If mechanical and manufacturing oper
e tions means a corresponding increa
Ie in the number of accidents to Il
i waSe-wOTkers employed therein, the
~ including both preventable and inevit
II. bic accidents. To the ordinary wag
" workers family such a calamity mea
,c grim hardship