The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-09-27

In that platform which ought 10 he mp
permost In the minds Of all men who
have to deal with governmental affairs
First, that NIL property should bear IL
jnss proportion II taxation. Ny friends,
il that one single rule could be put into
operation III this country It would have
most powerful and transforming effect
upon the individual prosperity o. the
mAsscs " the people from the Atlantic
Is the Pacific aud from the north To-
the south.
sow ooRponAfipas EgEs CT.
"I.et alf property bear its due pro
portion ii taxation Is that true today
our system d taxation, from the begin
ming, has been that u permitting taxes
ID finally find the low man; they finally
reach the man least able IL pny il, They
passed on and % down tilthey feaeit
"a the man Who cannot pay IL especial
IN u he has nothing 70 pay il with. M.
1879 Wespassed Tor they passed. . bill
which was designed tntax the standard
Oh company aud the sugar refinery coin
pany such and such per cent o. their
output, and they also laid heavy taS
upon the tobacco trust, Nov, do you
know what hapPenedf They raised the
price III oil just the amount u these
taxes, and you paid il. They lrssened
the s!ze IL the tobacco package which
yuu buy, Just onehal. 70 cover the ad
ditionai tax aud you paid III They pass
ed X on I'd the consumer, and while the
government Of the United States prided
itself that ii was taxing them, the great
trusts and combines, IL was really only
adding additional power FOR the trusts
to tax yun, and when the government
| finally repealed those taxes, asst did af.
ter the Spanish. American war, the
trusts forgot 10 repeal the prices and
| the people u this country continued e
pay the taxes which the government
was not getting
/ KXpLAIas HIS yoTE.
So ii il that our system 81 taxes fine
the man whose property Is IN sight
| finds the farmerthe small business man
the small merchant, and those with Ger
tAinty and doflniteness, and just 80 IA
as they can BE- moved along they are IN
Individually moved along, Two Or thre'
years ago we PASSED corporation tn
. aw, / have been criticized for having
voted against tho corporation tax, Th
two and a half years since lts pasaag
has demonstrated two things. First
that the great corporations, those whic
are working In the field whore there
10 competition, can fix their own prlee
for their articles, while the small Co
porations, composed 81 small bushes
men III communities such Az this an
other communities, working IN tiele
where there II competition, have no q
portunity to tix their prices, aud so III
taxea come ous or the pockets af Oh
small stockholders and small bushes
men throughout the community, wheI
. il would have to come FROM anywa
, sooner or later Now, during this lai
congress-, The house sent us an excise ia
bill, and ! both spoke and voted agalni
that bill. Doubtless you may consldt
that ii was an error on my part. TIL
bin provided that the carrying on I
business should bear nm excise tax tai
ing tho right 10 carry on business. Wei
the result 81 II has been that every rna
under that law would have to pay a
, exuise tax. no difference how small h
income. ho would pay tax The roe
son | voted against it was because
again reached those upon whom Ii
great burden Of taxes already rest
this country.
INCOME TAN rHE HEMEnY,
Now, there is only one way, in n
opinion 10 remedy this 10 far az the NJ
tionai government Is concerned, an
: that Il TO tax incomes u we had tina
! in some instances they would transfer !
= but in seven cases out Of ten the
! couldn't do so. Now, let us discuss 4
? a few moments this income tax from
national standpoint in view Of the Ia
I ing system generally. when our fathe
framed this government they suppose
: they were giving congress the right
! levy an income tar, and for too years q
J supreme court OF the United States su
! tanned the power of the government
levy an income tax, but finally, in ls'
: and 1906, tho supreme court, that b
y divided court, held that the income II
was unconstitutional, becuse it was
Y direct and not an indirect tax. Tn
y left ms in the position where it was n
. within the power Of the government
! levy single dollar upon the great
y comes OF this country, even for the pI
- pose of protecting the life OF the govel
y ment itself, over in New York q
10 there is gentleman who owns seyeI
~ large business blocks ond has n large
come. ue lives in Europe. He trav