The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-04

platform upon which | was edected
! shall call congress into extra session.
to meet on the fifteenth day of March.
In order that consideration may be at
once given to bill revising the Ding
ley act. This should secure an ade.
quate revenue and adjust the duties in
such a manner as to afford to labor
and to all industries in this country,
whether of the farm, mine or factory,
protection by tariff equal to the diff
ference between the cost of produc-
ton abroad and the cost Of production
here, and have provision which
shall put into force. upon executive
determination OF certain facts. high.
er or maximum tauff against those
countries whose trade policy toward
us equitably requires such discrimi-
nation 1t is thought that there has
been such change in conditions since
the enactment of the Dingley act,
drafted on a similarly protective prin-
ciple, that the measure of the tariff
above stated will permit the reduction
of rates in certain schedules and will
require the advancement of few, If
any.
The proposal to revise the tariff
made in such an authoritative way as
to lead the business community to
count upon II, necessarily hats all
those branches of business directly af.
fected, and as these are most impor-
tant, II disturbs the whole business Of
the country. II is imperatively neces.
sary, therefore, that a tariff bill be
drawn in good faith in accordance
with promises made before the cleo
tion by the party in power, and as
promptly passed as due consideration
will permit II is not that the tariff
is more important in the long run than
the pcrfecting of the reforms In re.
spect to antitrust legislation and in
terstate commerce regulation but the
need for action when the revision of
the tariff has been determined upon,
is more immediate to avoid embar-
rassment of business. To secure the
needed speed in the passage OF the
tariff bill, IL would seem wise to at
tempt no other legislation at the eX.
ira session. ! venture this as a sug.
gestion only, for the course to be TAX.
en- by congress, upon the call of the
executive, is wholly within its discre
tion.
Graduated inheritance
Tax Is Recommended
In the making Of tariff bill, the
prime motive is taxation, and the Sc
curing thereby of 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 re.
ceipts by S1O0000,OO0. II is impera-
tive that such a deficit shall not con
tinue, and the trainers of the tariff |
bill must of course have in mind the |
total revenues likely to be produced |
by II, and so arrange the duties as to
secure an adequate income. Should II
be impossible to do so by import du-
ties, new kinds OF taxation must be
adopted, and among these recon-
mend a graduated inheritance tax, as
correct in principle and as certain and
easy of collection.
The obligation on the part Of those
responsible for the expenditures made to
carry on the government, TO be as eco
nomical as possible, and to make the
burden of taxation as light as possible,
is plain and should be affirmed in
every declaration of government pol
icy. This is especially true when we
are face to face with a 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 1t to accomplish its proper OBJ,
jects, the result is as much to be con.
demned as the waste OF government
funds in unnecessary expenditure. The
scope of a modern government in
what 1t can and ought to accomplish
for its people has been widened far
beyond the principles laid down by
the old laissez faire school of political
writer's and this widening has met
popular approval.
In the department of agriculture, the
use of scientific experiments on a
large scale, and the spread of informa-
tion derived from them for the i'm
provement Of general agriculture, must
go on.
The importance of supervising bust
ness Of great railways and indus
trial combinations, and the necessary
investigation and prosecution of I'M
lawful business methods, are another
necessary tax upon government which
did not exist half a century ago.
Necessary Work Calling
for Large Expenditure.
The putting into force of laws which
shall secure the conservation of our
resources, so far as they may he with.
in the jurisdiction of the federal gov
ernment including the most impor-
tant work OF saving and restoring our
forests, and the general improvement
OF waterways, are all proper govern.
ment functions which must involve
large expenditure II properly per,
formed. While some OF them, like the
reclamation OF arid lands, are made
to pay for themselves, others are OF
such an indirect benefit that this can.