The Washington times., 1915-08-23
MILLION LIMIT ON
INHERITANCE URGED
Chairman WaIsh's Report Sug-
gests Measure As Remedy
For industrial Unrest.

CHICAGO. Aug. 8.-A limit Of 81. .ooo,s
po0 on the fortune that any man may
leave to his heirs is the remedy for the
social and industrial unrest in the
United States suggested by Chairman
Frank p. Walsh and John B. Lennon.
James O'Connell and Austin B. Garret.
son. three Of his associates in the Fed
eral Commission On Industrial Reiat tions.
The fve other members Of the COM
mission do not advocate this specific
limitation Of inheritance. Nor do they
hold that the present social and indus-
trfal unrest is primarily due to the un.
equal distribution Of wealth. but rather
that 1t Is due to the failure to ad-
minister the labor laws and to the
popular distrust Of the municipal.
State and National Government.
To remedy the conditions of social and
industrial unrest the other members Of
the commission. Mrs. Florence J. Har.
riman, Prof. Commons and Messrs.
Weinstock. Ballard and Ashton. would
establish a permanent industrial COM
mission which would be supported By
an inheritance tax on large fortunes,
this tax to be graduated from Dor
cent on the excess OF $4,000 fortune
left to direct heirs to Is per cent on a
fortune more than 100000.
John D., Jr., Like Louis XVI
The mental attitude Of John d
Rockefeller. jr.. 10 likered to that OF
Louis XVI. King Of France. in the re-
port which Chairman Frank p. Walsh
and Commissioners Lennon, O'Connell
and Garretson will submit to Congress.
Elsewhere in the report a. illustra-
Industrial world are references to tie
fSna.iens RosRefeII.r h h.. % eetensiSe interests.
It was because Of TIL. attack upon
Hartman. Prof: John r. Commons,
Harris Weinstock. s. Thurston Ballard
and Richard H.. Ashton refused to sikn
| the report recommended by Basil y.
Manly, the commissions director OF re-
search and Investigation.
The minority report declares that =
condition Of feudalism exists In the
mining regions Of coloradc; but rton,,S'o i e.
any single individual. 1t emphasizes
Colorado, West Virginia and other
places where Industrial warfaIe nas
not be remedied by the public abuse OF
! an Individual"
Concentration of Wealth.
The report summarizes evidence show
Ing that forty-four families possess
|
$6O,O00,OOO a year. while between one
in factories and mines eighteen years
OF age and over earn less than 80 PER
| week, and only about one-tenth earn
more than $40 per week.
To abolish unemployment and denial
of opportunity to earn . living he
all land. water power and mineral
rights secured from the Government By
| fraud: revision Of the land laws and
TIN: hs q 20 all grant: sna q ny III d 6.
forcing Of unused land into use by max
Ing the tax on : non-productive tho
same As on productive land of the aarno
kind.
The report signed by Mrs. Hartman
and Prof. Commons and. with certain
exceptions explained in a separate re-
port by Commissioners Weinstock. Bal
lard andIAishton, holds that the great
breakdown IN the administration Of
labor laws and the distrust Of our mu-
nicipal. State and National Governments
on the part of a large portion Of our
people"
Recommends ations for additional
leg islation would be futile, says the
report, until methods are provided
for making enforceable the laws now
on the statute books.
Remedy Proposed.
To remedy the conditions criticised
the report recommends the creation
Of q Federal fund for social welfare
maintai ined by an Inheritance tax ON
large fortunes and administered by a
commi ssion on industrial relations
aided by an advisory council com-
posed OF representatives Of employ.
ers and employees
| Commissioners Weinstock. Ashton.
and Ballard say:
I'VE dissent from the recomme enda-
tion that the secondary boycott
should be legali1cd. We regard the
able and vicious. in that It sub }ects
third and innocent parties to injury,
ana at times TO great loss il not
ruin, We are therefore as much op.
posed to It as we are to the black
list"