The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-12-04
FRANK E. HOWE. Editor and Pub,
MOVING ON THE CITADEL

separated yet having close relation
to each other. The first incident was
the disclosure that the Armour
branch of the beef trust made a profit
Of seven millions of dollars the past
year. The second incident was the
rejection of the budget by the Brlstish
House OF. Lords, the stronghold of
wealth and position.
The two incidents teach but one
lesson which Is that corporate wealth
Is still in control both in the United
States and Great Britain. In Ameri-
ca millions of people are paying ex-
tortionate prices for meat in order
that the Armour company can pay 35
per cent dividends annually on a cap
ital stock that is probably half water,
able attempt to make wealth pay a
fair share of the taxes is voted down
by the hereditary peers, the creatures
of pomp and circumstance, the acct
dents of birth and the opponents of
privilege, whom the great English ma
ton still allows to shape its destiny.
Corporate wealth and privileged
class have won In both countries but
it has been at the expense Of showing
their fangs and day by day the people
are getting wiser. In Great Britain
it looks as though the Lords may be
overwhelmed by popular wrath. In
this country the crisis is not so near
but nevertheless it is on the way.
We are not urging, nor is there
need of any great upheaval or distur-
bance. Congress last winter took an
important step in passing the nation
al law taxing corporations. It is only
a step but it was a start in the right
direction The country must control
the corporations or the corporations
will control the country. We must
have still further progress. There
must be absolute supervision of the
issue of capital stock, bonds, mort
cages, etc. The watering of stock
and the exoribtant valuation of in
dustrial plants must be stopped Next
the rate of profit must be subject to
control Great business enterprises
are entitled to earn a fair rate of pro-
fit but when the profit rises above
fair figure they must be compelled
to reduce their prices to the consum-
err
The next step should be the impos-
ition of federal income tax whereby
great wealth will be taxed in proper
ton to it's extent. There have been
some arguments against the income
tax in this state but in the light of
recent disclosures In connection with
the sugar trust the beef trust, the
Standard Oil company and others, we
do not understand how anybody who
has the welfare of the people heart
can object to giving congress the
right to impose an income Tux. 1t Is
urged against Il that it will interfere
with business. We hope So God
give us something that will interfere
with business like that of the sugar
trust, the beef trust and the oil trust
which have strings on every poor
mans pocket-book.
1t is said that an income tax will
allow congress to indulge in still
greater extravaganza. We presume
so. But the extrayagances of gov
eminent mean putting the money
back into circulation, through pen
sions, the erection of public buildings,
the building of ships, river and har-
Dor improvements, extension of rural
delivery, irrigation, roads and fores-
try, while if the wealth is allowed to
pile up in the vaults of the trusts
they alone will get the benefit of It,
The beggarly bit that they allow to
go out in wages to the working man
buty Ndht pIOIhptly DdNh III OAoi VI
tant profit on the necessaries of life.
The greatest danger of all is in the
selection of the men who are to con-
troll the great changes that the people
are preparing to bring about. 1t de-
ponds on the men who are sent to
congress, the House and Senate. from
the several states, Vermont with the
rest On the one side are the mil
lionaires and their agents, the cor
poratlon lawyers and the promoters
Many of them are brilliant and cap
able and fine men at heart but so
closely affiliated with wealth and pri-
vilege that they cannot be trusted. At
the other extreme is the dangerous
demagogue and chronic bawler. They
are even less to be trusted. They
pirate their devotion to the people
Hong enough to get their votes and
then become the paid tools of organ
lied greed. They are the most dan
gerous of all
Between the two extremes there is
another class. Men not too radical
or too conservative, men who are
honest and sincere and earnest and
who can be trusted; who have brains
oVouob NOT 70 ha fooIad NV ahrawd