Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-03-11

TIA session. MI. Ia1t, however, ven
lures this as a suggestion only, for
the course to be taken by congress,
wholly within its discretion.
inheritance Tax.
In the making Of a 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 100000 900. 1t is i'm
upon the call of the executive, is
perative that such a deficit should
not continue, and the trainers of the
tariff bill must, Of course, have in
mind the total revenues likely to be
produced by it, and so arrange the
duties as to secure an adequate in
come. Should it be impossible to
do 50 by import duties, new kinds of
taxation must be adopted, and among
these the president recommends a
graduated Inheritance tax, as correct
in principle and as certain and easy
Of collection.
Natural Resources.
The putting into force Of laws
which shall secure the conservation
Of our resources so far as they may
be within the Jurisdiction of the fed
eral government, including the most
important work of saving and restor
ing our forests, and the great i'm
provement Of waterways, are all
proper government functions which
must involve large expenditure if
properly performed. 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 cannot be expected Of them
A permanent improvement like the
Panama canal, should be treated as
a distinct enterprise, and should be
paid for by the proceeds of bonds, the
issue of which will distribute it's cost
between the present and future gen
erations in accordance with the bene-
fits derived. 1t may well be sub
mitted to the serious consideration Of
congress whether the deepening and
control of the channel of a great
river system, like that Of the Ohio or
of the Mississippi, when definite and
practical plans for the enterprise
have been approved and determined
upon should not be provided for in
the same way.
The Militant Spirit.
We should have an army SO organ
lied, and so Officered, as to be cap
able in time of emergency, in coop
GRAFTON with the national militia, to
expand into a force sufficient to re-
sist all probable invasion from abroad
and to furnish a respectable expedi-
tiOnary force, if necessary, in the
maintenance of our traditional Ameri-
can policy which bears the name Of
President Monroe.
In d f~w yea"s the usual annual ap-
preparations for our coast defenses
both ON the mainland and in the de-
Tendencies will make them sufficient
to resist all direct attack, and by
that time we may hope that the men
to man them will be provided as
necessary adjunct. The distance of
orr shores from Europe and Asia of
course reduces the necessity for
maintaining under arms a great army,
but it does not take away the require
ment of mere prudence that we
should have an army sufficiently
large and so constituted as to 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
navy cannot be improvised. 1t must
be built and in existence when the
emergency arises which calls for its
use and operation. Our international
policy is always to promotes peace.
We shall enter into any war with q
full consciousness of the awful cOnse'
quences that it always entails,
whether successful or not, and we, of
course. shall make every effort, con-
siStent with national honor and the
highest national interest, to avoid a
resort to arms We favor every in
stTumentality, like that of the Hague
tribunal and arbitration treaties made
with a view to its use in all interna-
tionaI controversies in order to main.
tain peace and to avoid war. But we
should be blind to existing condf
lions, and should allow ourselves to
become foolish idealists. if we did not
realize that with al the nations Of
the world armed and prepared for
war. we must be ourselves in a SINH
lar condition. in order to prevent
other nations from taking advantage
of US and of our inability to defend
our rights with a strong hand. In the
international controversies that are
likely to arise in the orient, growing
out of the question of the open door
and other issues, the United States
can maintain her interests intact and
can secure respect for her just de-
mands. She will not be able to do so,
however. if it is understood that she
never intends to back up her asser-
ton of right and her defense of her
interest by anything but mere verbal
protest and diplomatic note. For
these reasons. the expenses of the
navy and Of coast defenses should al
WAYS be considered as something
which the government must pay for.