Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-12-02
Colonel Lewis On National Problems

systems in Germany, France, Sweden
and those prevailing in parts of Eng
land. Thus, in addition to what the
/ courts Of the states may afford, pro-
pose that as the manufacturing inter-
ests Of America, from the steel rail
to the pin factory-operate their con-
Germs with mechanical devices, the re-
suits Of patents from the federal gov
eminent, which is a form OF royalty,
+ privilege and monopoly, that these and
all issues springing therefrom are at
once the subject and regulation, con-
/ troll and qualification by the federal
government, the author of the gifts,
/ the giver of the monopoly.
l propose, therefore, d tax by the
federal government upon the capital or
capital stock of all concerns using any
of these patents. The tax to be for the
privilege of the use of the patent, and
for the purpose Of providing a fund
which shall be collected through the
internal revenue department The fund
to be located at Washington, D. @. This
fund to be distributed by local boards
appointed for each state, to those who
present themselves and disclose their
injuries, their dependence, and the
just need of immediate compensation.
AN ILLUSTRATION.
! l illustrate: The patent Office dis
closes this month that it has reached
the one million mark of patents. Upon
examination conducted for the last few
months this matter has been under my
consideration. | find-speaking II
round numbers - thar one hundred
thousand patents are capitalized in
concerns which are stocked and incor-
porated to the amount of one billion
Of dollars. or ten hundred million. The
tax of l per cent upon this valuation
produces nearly $40, 900. Assuming
that in each state fifty are seriously
injured per day. In thirty days We
have 1900. There are twenty states
which can be said to be the manUfac-
turing states producing, in the dis
charge of their affairs, this unfortu-
nate result of 1900 injured per month";
of course, other states and territor-
les have casualties from their mines
and other ventures; but these, il will
be seen, can be computed and included
in my general calculation. We have
here an army OF between thirty and
forty thousand men annually crippled,
manned, disabled with their families
wholly dependent. Striking the aver.
age as 10000 men, We have S1,50C,O00
Assuming that 10 per cent of these
men recover and are able to return tC
their own work, there still remains q
proportion still dependent. We have
, then an average of one million dollars
a year necessary to meet those VINO
have no recourse, or, if recourse, are
-, still in want, pending the obtaining
the recourse. For ten months in eacl
: year the s10,000,000, collected in tho
manner which l have pointed out, pays
$50 per month to each of these 10000
men, and with other sources Of capital
ization upon these patents in excess
of the 100000, the minimum to which
II have referred-it is perfectly plair
that there will be a sufficient sun
which the federal government has thu
right to levy upon, which will at ones
be accessible TO the men for the pro
lection of their families, and promptly
paid out; just as pensions are paid tC
the crippled and wounded soldiers who
lose their worth in the battles for theil
country of shot and shSII. There is nC
difference between Those and the 9th
ers who love their lives and limbs il
the battles for their country's com
merce and prosperity.
q am indebted to Factory Inspec
tor Davies of Illinois, whose dill
gence and excellence in his Office af
forded me the figures upon which
have made these calculations in re
spect to the wounded and injure
men, as herein set out.)
THE INCOME TAX.
The application of the income ia
so as to avoid tax on homes an
farms.
There remains to be seriously cor
sidered that growing evil of levyin
the tax for all our inter-develoE
ment and internal improvement c
our local institutions; upon the OWL
ers of farms, real estate, privat
homes and small business. 1t
evident that the stocks and bond
and similar property escape taxation
and no remedy seems to be provide
to take the heavy burden off the res
estate, which has ever to bear
Without asking the state of Illino
to remedy this, l propose that in IL
adoption of the income tax by til
federal government-which is 500
to go into effect-there shall promp
ly be added an appropriate provisio
prescribing that the tax from eac
state SO collected shall first be a
piled to the immediate demands
that state. as shown by figures an
estimates of its local state organic
ton, and the surplus in excess
this demand be then turned over
the federal government for gener
use.
/ regard It great injustice tn
the sum drawn from the incomes
the people Of Illinois should
spread and distributed over the ar,
Of the Pacific coast and taken fro
the naopla Of IllinOis by thu fadar