Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-01
Selected by Tavenner

six hundred and seventy-seven cor
porations had capital of $3.000.000 and
over and less than $4,000,000.
Two hundred and ninety-two cor
porations had capital of 81 900, 900 and
over and less than 100000.
Eight hundred and sixty-one cor
porations had capital of s5,000,000 and
over and less than $10,000,000
"Six hundred and fiifty-two corpor-
ations had capital of $10,000,000 and
over and less than $50,000,000-
"Sixty-two corporations had capital
of $50, 900 900 and over and less than
500 900, 900
"Thirty-five corporations had CAPT
tai of 500, 100000 and over"
The bill makes corporation
minor and not subject to military
duty till it has million dollars, then
exempting a million from assessment
in each corporation and divide all over
one million into units of one hundred
thousand dollars and tax each unit the
amount necessary to maintain sol
dier each year and the foregoing table
of corporations gives approximately
the following result:
1858 corp'tions support 1850 sold'rs
1899 corp'tions support 1899 sold'rs
SIT corp'tions support 1880 soldrs
292 corp'tiOnS support $3.50 Soidrs
SCI corp'tions support 1850 soidrs
652 corp'tions support $3.50 soldrs
So corp'tions support 30,380 sold'rs
35 corp'tions support 1850 sold'rs
Making 1855 corporations support
1885, 49 soldiers.
Many large corporations have been
formed in the last two years and the
corporate wealth on account of war
has in many instances increased in a
fabulous manner. 1t is entirely safe
to say after exempting all corpora
tons of one million and less the as
sessment against corporations under
this measure would maintain an army
in tine of peace of 225, COO men. Under
the bill they must maintain the cost OF
a soldier for each $4,000 in time of
war, hence the tax and men automat-
icallv double and in time of war would
maintain an army of $50, 900 men. The
tax on annuities, incomes. lnhert-
tances, doweries and requests that
arise in this country and those that
pass to persons in foreign countries
provided in the bill will add at least
25 900 more, making a total of 100000
men in time of peace and 100000 in
time of war.
This tax on doweries, inheritances,
annuities, etc, is intended to reach
such men as Aston, who levies tribute
of millions each year from American
enterprises to buy royal titles and
royal sons-in-law" in foreign coun-
tries and disdaining American institu-
tons go to these countries to live in
luxurious Incidence at our expense.
The bill would not only settle the
question of adequate defense but would
take the profits out of war that always
accrue to big business and make our
millionaireS pour out their money
while men pour out their blood. 1t
would settle the trust question and
tend to solve the whole economic prob
lem.
Then we might double the pay of the
soldier, make army service remunera-
tive, attractive. Then adopt julius
Caesars method and put the army to
building public highways in time of
peace and thereby strap our country
with great highways while we wait for
war that would never come if the
great wealth of the country had to
fight for its country the same as men.
To tell me that it is right TO compel
men to stand up and be shot at and
die for their country and then tell me
that you can't justly compel any part
of the huge piles of wealth to stand up
and die for it's country is to tell me
that money is more precious than man
hood, that dollars are sacred and di-
vine and men are mere beasts of bur
den, chattels to be sacrificed to protect
money and mammon.
Very truly yours
]. H. DAVIS.
Congressman at Large for Texas.