White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-05

very ITCH men, large properties
are no new thing in the world. You
have but TO turn to the history of
Rome at the time when it passed
through the form of a republic to the
form of an empire and see the enor-
nous properties which were then
held by single individuals. You can
read of it in Cicero's familiar letters
to Atticus. who was one of that class.
There were enormous fortunes then;
there have been enormous fortunes
under every commercial civilization
from that day to this. What dis
tinguishes our time is. the colossal
size of the fortunes which have been
accumulated in this country, because
We have had the greatest opportuni-
ties. larger than exist anywhere else.
But huge fortunes-huge beyond
anything the world has ever dream
ed of hitherto-have in these days
been amassed everywhere. I'm
doubtedly they constitute, in some
ways a menace to free, orderly, con
stitutional government. They are
often grossly abused. They arouse
evil passions. Undoubtedly they are
a danger.
But the danger is one that is not
going TO be successfully me by allow
ing a spirit of vindictiveness to en-
ter in, and to say broadly that a man,
whether innocent or guilty, must be
punished through the taxing power
of the government for merely pos
sessing property. Make him bear
his fair burden, by all means. |
would put the burden especially
heavy on the income that is unearn-
ed but would o set a class apart
and say they are to be pillaged, their
property is to be confiscated, in order
to gain, perhaps, for myself or my
party a brief and fleeting popularity.
We shall thereby come too near to
that which proved the downfall of
the Roman Republic.
know the present ont is that any
man who has money is prima facie a
criminal and that any man who has
been successful in any way falls un-
der suspicion. But there has been
in this country for many years, and
there is today, in my judgment, a
great deal of honest success honestly
won. There have been great fortunes
made and wisely and benevolently
distributed. ! do not believe Ameri-
cans of that class are all gone. l
think this country is full of honest
men making large incomes in bust
ness or at the bar or elsewhere, and
making them honestly and fairly. |
think they are entitled to the fruits
of their success. and they as a rule
bear the burden of their duty to the
community generously and well. Ii
will be an i'll day for this country
when WI raise the cry that success
honestly won is to be punished; that
money honestly gained is the badge
Of criminality; and that we are to go
TO the people of the United States in
the search for popularity, and say to
them: Follow us. We will plum
der the people who have got the mon
ey. You shall spend it, and it will
not cost o anything" That is a
dangerous cry TO raise in any country
for when you unchain that force you
ean not tell where it will stop, and
in your eagerness to destroy property
and rob men of hope and ambition
you may bring your boosted civiliza-
ton down in ruins about you.
This government was founded ain
justice and in behalf in the idividu-
al nan OF that Thomas Jefferson
was the great apostle. | believe
we are trenching on very dangerous
ground when We assume that if a
man has succeeded, if a man has ac-
eumulated wealth honestly and fair
", therefore he ought to be brought
to the block and punished for the
mere fact that his brains and his
character and his work and his self
control have enabled him to rise.
Success used to be held out as the
prize for every American boy. Now
We are holding out to him the sugges-
ton that he can not reach success
without pursuing devious ways, and
that if he does attend success, if he
does amass a fortune, he is TO be an
object of suspicion to all his fellow
men.
Let US impose our tax in the best
and justest way We an. Let us do
ii in such a way as to make those pay
most who can best pay. Let us do il
to raise reyenue. Do not let us do
IL in order to crafty hatred and
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