The Monte Vista journal., 1916-01-15
BY EDWARD HEATING.


ing through it's income and inheri-
tance taxes between five and six dol
lars per capita. per year or total of
about $3OO,O0O,OOO.
At the same date the United States
was collecting from income and cor
poration taxes about so cents per
capita per year, or 4 total of about
$S0,000,000, and was levying no in
heritance tax for federal purposes.
Many of our states have inheritance
taxes, but the total revenue derived
is less than s2O,OOO,OOO per year.
The wealth of this country is es-
timated at $50 billion dollars-twice
the total claimed by England, which,
next to our country, is The richest
nation in the world.
Distribution of Wealth
We are assured on the very high
est authority that two per cent of
our people control sixty per cent of
our wealth. Thirty-three per cent
control thirty-five per cent and sixty
five per cent enjoy five per cent of
the staggering total. This unequal
distribution is regarded by all
thoughtful men as a very serious
menace to our institutions and has
caused economists to ask: IS THE
WEALTH OF THE NATION BEAR
ING ITS JUST SHARE OF THE
COST OF MAINTAINING ORGAN
IzED SOCIETY,""
Aside from the comparatively
small amount secured from the in
come and corporation taxes, our ma
tional revenues are derived from
tariff duties and internal revenue
tax. These taxes, affecting, as they
do, the necessarios of life, exact as
heavy toll from the poor man as
they do from the rich man.
l have told in these letters the
. story of how Congressman Prouty
of Iowa, Republican, in urging the
adoption of the income tax, declared
on the floor of the National House of
Representatives that a section fore
man in his district contributed as
much to the support of the national
government as did John D. Rookie
feller, the richeset man in the world.
In other words the section fore
man and his wife and children con-
sumed as much of the things taxed
by Uncle Sam IS did the Oil magnate
and his family, and, of course, the
tariff and the internal revenue tax
were edded to the price of every
thing the section foreman and his
family consumed.
AN UNJUST SYSTEM
Since Prouty delivered his speech
Democratic Congress has enacted
an income tax and now Mr. Rookie
!, feller contributes each year very
large sum to the national treasury
But does he pay enough-MEAS-
URED BY HIS ABILITY TO PAY
AND BY THE BENEFITS HE RE-
CEIvES FROM ORGANIZED So
CIETY?
Judged by the English standards,
he does not.
If Mr. Rockefeller had lived in
England before the war, he would
have been required to pay ct least
twice and probably three times the
income tax he contributed to Uncle
Sam. In addition, when he died,
from fifteen to twenty-five per cent
of his vast estates would have gone
to the government.
England to Double Rates
AS a result of the war, England
will probably double these rates.
In taxing wealth, England is not
making war on rich men. 1t is
merely endeavoring to place the
burdens of government on the
shoulders best able to support them
Some of the rich men of England
complain, but the majority are silent
and apparently satisfied.
Lord Northcliffe stated in a recent
interviews Before this war ends I
believe l will be required to con-
tribute fifty per cent of my income
to the government. After the war
the tax, in my judgment, will be
equally high. But l am not COM
planning"
In this country we arc told that