Morris tribune., 1909-06-12
NEW VIEW OF INCOME TAX.

as one or the most equitable metnOdS OF taxa
ton, and especially has been urged of late as
means of getting fair share of taxes from the
very rich We were surprised therefore, to-
find the following objection urged in one of the
ably edited country newspapers OF New York,
and reproduce it as valuable contribution to-
the present discussion
"Having made study of the operation
and effect of All income tax system in England
and other countries I have heretofore written
in this column that topic. To me it is mat
ter of keen regret to learn from the press dis
patches that President Taft has announced
himself in favor of such tax, and even that he
had his Attorney General prepare bill for in
PRODUCTION in Congress, framed with view OF
obviatng objections pointed out by the Supreme
Court when it set aside and declared an income
tax law, as then framed, to be unconstitutional
"The income tax has long been established
in England, in Germany, in Italy, and in every
other country where abject poverty is the dis
feature of society among the COM
mon people. In none of these countries does
the income tax seem to have any beneficial
effect on civilization. recent report publish
ed in London states that over five million peo
pie in England are suffering from want, not hav-
ing enough food to eat, let alone proper cloth
ing In Germany poverty also prevails among
the masses, and in Italy poverty is supreme. So
it can be safely asserted that whatever may be
said in favor of an income tax, it does not bene
fit the common people-it does not cure or lessen
poverty.
"The English nobility and the wealthy
Iapd fact all tha paoD1a who reve1
in unearned riches-make little or no objec
tion to the income tax. Their reasoningis very
simple. They are annoyed, and somewhat
by the clamor of recent years against
unearned wealth. They fear the righteous in
dignation of the suffering common people when
the matter becomes fully understood. Their
is quite ineligible. They regard
the income tax as buffer between themselves
and the people who wronged
"Take, for example, a man with an income
of, say 100000 yearly. Unless he is earning
that income by industry and enterprise, he
knows that he does not deserve to receive it;
who earned it, even although the law of the
land permits him to take it. He is very glad to
pay tax of five to ten per cent on this income,
as he can then say to the public that he is a
patriotic person, and show how he contributes
of his income for the benefit of his country. The
real reason for his Willingness is that he would
rather give up five ten or twenty per cent of
an unearned income than to lose it all, and he
knows that by the cheerful payment of an in
come tax he does allay some popular feeling
against the rich.
"The burglar who has just gotten $1,000 out
justice, would gladly drop 5000 or even $500 to
the watchman or policeman to prevent a chase. |
The income tax is paid cheerfully for the same |
reason and until recently it has been effectua1
in queting the proletariat.
"Such wealthy people Pulitzer, of the
World, and Hearst, of the Journal and other !,
papers, are constantly urging an income tax for
this country. The proletariat may some day
get after Pulitzers big fortune in watered stocks
and bonds or Hearst's unearned wealth derived
from the peoples mines. An income tax might I
ward off this trouble, and their advocacy of |
such measure may possibly agree with the |
proverb that self-preservation is the law of
nature
"But President Taft should be too broad |
minded man to advocate an income tax the I
main purpose of which is to prevent proper |
and equitable distribution of the earnings of the
people among those who earn them. It would |
be an additional shackle on freedom; it would
still more efectually rivet the chains of bond