Evening star., 1925-01-18
BY THOMAS r. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President of the
United States

ROFhcF vice fEcS1ucnT OF the
United States.
I find myself wondering whether
under present conditions any one who
struggles to acquire great wealth Is
quite of sound mind. 1t has often
been advanced that soundness of mind
consists in obtaining for ones self
as much content and satisfaction as
are commensurate with the duty
which one owes God, his country and
his family. If this be a half-right
Interpretation of sanity, a man who
plunges himself into all sorts or trou-
bles in order to accumulate great
wealth ought not to take umbrage
when comment on his mental condi-
tion is made.
Consider for a moment the results
in the present condition of affairs of
efforts OF man to accumulate riches.
The Government spies upon him. In
spector after inspector examines his
books, approaching him upon the
theory that the accumulation of
money necessarily implies devious
ways of accumulation and all sorts
of devices to cover 1t up and hide 1t
from the Government; approach him,
also. upon the theory that his sue
cess is traceable TO the Government
and that therefore the Government
ought to share ii. This would not be
so bad If the Government shared his
failures, but if the citizen is unsuc-
cessful in any of his ventures, only
his own folly is TO blame. None of
the failure is chargeable to consti-
tuted authority. Even when the man
dies. content perhaps in the belief
that he has left something to his
heirs and to those designated by him
to benefit by his thrift and enterprise,
nrncpA6g n
help itself in the form of inheritance
taxes. Each State in which any Aor-
ton of his property may happen to
be also steps in and helps itself. Cases
have been cited where 100 per cent
of the estate of a decendent has been
acquired by the Government, Federal
and State.
If all this be needfuI for the sup
port of economical government. the
right kind of citizen ought not to
complain, probably would not COM
plain. but when II is not needful and
is induIged in largely for the purpose
of trying out some theory of taxa
ton, IL would seem that a man who
fights to make money is not as sound
in mind AS his successes at money
making marked him to be.
The man of means is a prospective
victim for the rest of us. We organ
ize all kinds of schemes, benevolent.
educational, patriotic, each one, no
doubt, good in and of itself, but as
impotent IS a leprous hand without
cash to move its machinery. We have
in mind the salvation of the repub-
lie, the education of its citizens. the
uplift of humanity, the bringing in
of the dawn of brotherhood. but we
feel that We have done our part when
we have proposed the reform. sug-
gested the plan Of its operation, got
the thing started. Then we turn to
the men who are making money TO
furnish the gasoline with which to
run the engine And we are not mod
est about making our demands. We
do not request consideration of the
thing we propose, and suggest fnan-
cial aid IL IT stands the test. Upon
the contrary, we seem TO regard our
selves as the distributors of the for
tunes OF others. We appraise the
property and income of the man
whose aid we wish, and then notify
him that he ought TO contribute so
much, that we have put him down
for a specified sum. If he hesitates
or refuses TO meet our demands, we
at once Join the crowd and talk about
the 'piggish rich"
i x = x
Out OF the ending demands
on business men and wealthy citi-
zens developed the idea of the COM
munity chest Many ci promptly