Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-17
Woodrow Wilson's
Greatest Work

w nat Will re the CpHCIuuliS
words OF the last chapter of really
authentic, sound history of Wood
row Wilson? If these words sum
I'D as they should his services to
this and other nations, what will
history's judgment place first in
his work?
VIII the last words read:
Here ends the history of Wood
row Wilson, who gave the world
what promises to be perpetual
peace-by his. power of will, and
his refusal to accept any compro-
mise Or,
who established in the United
States government ownership Of
public monopolies, railroads, tele-
graph, and all others. Or,
Who minimized the greatest
danger to a rapublic-eXceSsive
wealth and extreme powerfully es-
tablishing great national payrolls,
giving fair wages for fair work and
setting a standard that other en-
plOyers had to meet. Or,
who fixed fair prices for the
| farmers products, having first es-
tablished the rural credits that took
the farmer out of the hands of the
mortgage usurers and small bank
sharks Or,
/ Who, on the wars ending, ar
ranged for public work on so vast
and varied a scale IS to absorb
readily at good wages the man
power suddenly released from am
munition factories and from the
army-using the nations credit and
| heavy taxes on excess profits TO
| prevent any labor OVer-production,
making the wars ending a blessing
to this country, as he had made the
war itself a blessing to mankind %
The really great work of Wood
row Wilson, as history Will record
| it, will not be anything suggested
above.
These will be the three most i'm
portant words in his history of &C
complishments:
He taxed wealth.
Woodrow Wilson, through his
wonderful control over congress,
taught the world that wealth should
pay for the war to protect wealth,
lust as men gave their lives to the
war that will make life and free
dom safe.
The history OF the world up to
Wilson's time had been history of
the ingenious taxation Of the poor
first, the little man second, the big,
powerful man, NEVER.
Woodrow Wilson, with not one
cd
habit upside down. If the strong
est young man were taken first TO
fight, and die if necessary, he saw
no reason why the strongest rich
men should not be chosen and dis
tinguished and honored by allow
ing them to pay their share of the
war bill.
War costs Iife-the young must
give their lives.
War costs money rich must
pay the money. That seemed quite
reasonable to Woodrow Wilson.
Thanks to him, in nation where,
under all circumstances, the rich
always got richer, you find the rich
actually treated as though they
were no more important or immune
than other citizens.
One citizen pays in income tax
thirty millions in the year, another
fourteen milliOns-what . picture
of sudden accumulation and vast
profit that puts before you! Even
that United States sacred OK, the
corporation, is made to pay, and all
the rascally cunning of the corpor-
alton trust lawyer jackals could
not overcome the will of Woodrow
Wilson. The Wall street giants
that used to send for certain heroic
former presidents and give their
orders could not even gain admit
lance to the White house. They
found there a man too busy to hear
the big pocketbook tell about the
stomach-ache. And the corpora
ton assets in both houses of con-
gress dared scarcely mutter a word
of protest when their generous
friends were fried on the Wilson
excess profits gridiron.
Before Wilson's day so-calIed fl
nanciers and statesmen had invent
ed ten thousand ways of making
little pocketboOks pay more than
their share of national expense
Wilson said to his people: Don't
waste time You know where the
money is in huge heaps. Go and
get it. Don't scratch around in the
little mems pockets.
And there you have the achieve
ment that will stand out in the
presidents record above all others.
It is said that money is like snow
You may spread it out even, but it
will soon pile up in drifts.
'All right" says Wilson, edo
your shoveling in the drifts, where
the snow is thick and you can get
a good shovelful'
He taxed wealth.
That will be the best Wilson cpl
taph. And may many a year pass,
full two-score more at least, before
Woodrow Wilson ceases to be a
watcher and worker on this earth,
to become one Of its finest mem
cries A. B.