The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-03-18

ton by the party in power and as
promptly passed as due consideration
will permit.
Inheritance Tax Advocated.
In the making Of q tariff bill the
prime motive is taxation and the Sc
curing thereby of a revenue. Due
largely to the. business depression
which followed the financial panic OF
1907, the revenue from customs and
other sources has decreased to such
an extent that the expenditures for
the current fiscal year will exceed the
receipts by $1OOOOO,00O. 1t is impera-
tive that such deficit shall not con-
tinue, and the trainers of the tar1n
bill must OF course have in mind the
total revenues likely to be produced by
il and so arrange the duties as to Sc
cure an adequate income. Should 1t be
impossible to do SO by import duties
new kinds Of taxation must be adopt
ed, and among these l recommend
graduated inheritance tax as correc'
in principle and as certain and easy or
collection.
Government Economy Urged.
The obligation on the part OF those
responsible for the expenditures made
to carry on the government to be as
economical as possible and to make
the burden Of taxation as light as pos
sible is plain and should be affirmed In
every declaration of government pol
icy This is especially true when we
are face to face with heavy deficit.
But when the desire TO win the popu-
! lar approval leads to the cutting off OF
expenditures really needed to make
the government effective and to en-
able it to accomplish its proper objects
the result is as much to be condemned
as the waste of government funds In
unnecessary expenditure.
In the department &c agriculture the
use of scientific experiments on large
scale and the spread of information
derived from them for the improve
ment Of general agriculture must go
on
The Importance of supervising bust
| ness of great railways and industrial
| combinations and the necessary tnyes-
| tigation and prosecution of unlawful
| business methods are another neces
sary tax upon government which did
| not exist half century ago.
Proper Forms of Expenditure.
The putting into force of laws which
shall secure the conservation OF our
resources so far as they may he with
in the jurisC iction of the federal gov
eminent, including the most important
| work of saving and restoring our for
| estS, and the great improvement Of wa
| terways are all proper government
| functions which must involve large
expenditure if properly performed
While some of them, like the reclama-
ton of arid lands, are made to pay
for themselves, others are of such an
indirect benefit that this cannot be eX-
pected of them. \ permanent i'm
provement, like the Panama canal,
should be treated as a distinct enter
prise and should be paid for by the
proceeds of bonds, the issue Of which
will distribute its cost between the
present and future generations in ac-
cordance with the benefits derived. 1t
may well be submitted to the serious
consideration of congress whether tn
deepening and control of the channel
of great river system like that of the
Ohio or Of the Mississippi when def
mite and practical plans for the enter
prise have been approved and deter
mined upon should not be provided fol
in the same way.
Then, too. there are expenditures OF
government absolutely necessary If our
country is to maintain its proper place
among the nations of the world and is
to exercise its proper influence in de
Tense of its own trade interests in the
maintenance of traditional American
policy against the colonization of Eu
ropean monarchies in this hemisphere
and in the promotion of peace and In
ternational morality. l refer to the
cost Of maintaining proper army. q
proper navy and suitable Notifications
upon the mainland of the United
States and in its dependencies.
The Army and Navy.
We should have an army so organ
lied and so differed as to be capable
in tine Of emergency in cooperate
with the national militia and under
the provisions of a proper nationa
volunteer law rapidly TO expand int
force sufficient to resist all proba bl,
invasion from abroad and to furnish
respectable expedit:onary force. If nee
essary, In the maintenance of our ira
ditional American policy which bear
the maine of President Monroe
Our Notifications are yet in Il stat,
OF only partial completeness and tn,
nuplUer OF men to man them is INSULT.
cient. In Il few years. however, the
usual annual appropriations for our
coast defenseS. both on HE mainland
. and in the dependencies. will make
.hem sufficient TO resist all direct at
tack. and by that time we may hope
that the men TO man them will be pro
J vided as n necessary adjunct The
: distance Of our shores from Europe
J and Asia, Of course. reduces the ne
| cessity for maintaining under arms q
= great army. but it does not take away
| the requirement Of mere prudence
, that we should have an army sufR
ciently large and so constituted as t
! form a nucleus out of which a suitable
force can quickly grow.
What has been said of the army
may be affirmed in even a more EN-
) phatic way Of the navy. A modern
D navy cannot be improvised. Il mus
! be built and In existence when tn,
: emergency arises which calls for ii
use and operation. My distinguishes
> predecessor has in many speeches ant
messages set cut with great force an,
3 striking language the necessity TO