The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-03-12
What's the Matter With Taxation!
By DIR. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1919. by Frank Crans)

When the bill under discussion in
the national house of representatives the made
upon it were Illuminating.
Democrats and republicans agreed that it was UNI
satisfactory Mr.. Kitchn, the democratic leader while
he commended the bill as whole admitted that it
compromise, and in order to get any result at all the
conferees had to give and take
All of the conferees criticised the bill they had
brought in, and Mr. Moore Of Pennsylvania referred
it "a forbidding measure" and "a chamber Of hor-
rors." Mr. Rainey of Illinois declared it illogical
in many respects and would meet with violent crt
cism"
Naturally
All tax legislation seems to be "a battle of the
kites and crows" What else can we expect, long
we refuse to the very fundamental principle of
taxation?
1t is simply that a tax should be a fair payment !
for value received.
That's all.
Once you start from that, and keep it in your eye,
the rest is plain sailing.
You get something from the government; you
ought to pay for it more, less.
If you buy the land the Chicago Beach hotel is
for $1,000 and away to Europe, and come back
in 80 years and find it worth 100000, where does
that 600 profit come from? Clearly, you never
earned it.
Answer: The people presented it to you, by NOV
ing out into the neghborhood by building and inn
proving all around you And you ought to pay them
for it.
That is what is meant by "the unearned incre-
ment"
There's enough unearned increment in this
try pay all taxes many times AS it is it dis
appears into the pockets of them that earned
cent of it.
The income tax is wrong, because it fines
for being efficient. The who get $4,000 year
and up the most valuable citizens of the nation.
They ought to be patted we soak them. AS rule
they their wages, and more They contribute
to the Common Good
But the man who inherits million and spends :
his days in playing bridge and changing his trousers
nothing. The state gives him ALL He is not
Person. He is a Coote the Body Polite.
There is natural" right of inheritance 1t is e
wholly artificial, species of graft, consecrated by
time. The only natural right a has is to get y
decent pay for his work. n
railroad telegraph telephone company,
public lighting plant, a waterway street line and
all such public things, make their big money by "the
unearned increment" M
The men who build promote and manage such Z
things should be paid for their services. and paid WELL
but so ought the Public be paid for what 1t does.
And if the Public got its rightfu pay would (
not have to have spies shopping around after
income taxes devillng citizens when they land at
piers from abroad and bounding efficient people gen.
orally if they criminals.
The whole spirit of taxation, as it is today, is
tainted with the Boshevik notion that wealth, pros
perity industry and crimes. and that the
shftless do-less and bedragged to be taken
of by filming their betters.
If members of congress could be locked up in a
boarding school for six months and compelled to study
the book called Progress and Poverty six hours day,
maybe they might at the end of that time be able to
produce tax bill that would not be illogical and
"a chamber of horrors"