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The Commoner
8
WL. 19, NO,
4
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War-Made Million
aires Congressman Henry T. Rainoy of
Illinois, addressing the houso of rep-
, roBentatlvei on tho rovonuo bill at
tho recont sosslon of congress, spoko
In part as follows:
"Wo presorvo (n this bill these
throo raothods of lovying taxes. Tho
estato tax as the years pass will bo
apparently more and more necessary.
Wo havo at tho present time in tho
United States I do not know how
many millionaires, developed by this
war. Whon the war started wo had
7,000, tho noxt year we had 10,600,
and the noxt year 17,085. If that
ratio of progress, which of course
has not been kept up sinco wo com
menced to lovy taxos, if that ratio
continuod wo would havo 60,000 at
tho prosont timo.
"It, is safo to say, without any
expectation of successful contradic
tion, that at tho present timo wo
havo in tho United States 30,000
milliona'.ros, 22,000 of whom havo
been created by this war. Those in
creased estates must bo taken caro
of in some way. Wo must distribute
them by estato taxes upon tho death
of tho persons who now control
them. Some days ago I estimated that
wo havo at tho present timo 25,000
millionaires in tho United States. I
havo roason to believe that estimate
vas much too small.
"It is an easy matter to distribute
estates by this mothod of taxing
them; I do not caro whether it is
done by tho states or by tho national
government. I know the states will
not do it unless tho national govern
ment does do It. They .havo been
trying, somo of thorn, to' lovy taxes
on inheritances or upon estates for
ovor 100 years and havo accom
plished practically nothing in that
direction. I would like to seo at
some timo In tho futuro a tax lovied
by tho national government upon
estates, a high tax, graduated, high
est upon tho groatest estates provid
ing for credits of tho amount levied
by tho various states. In that way
wo will bo ablo to distribute largo
portions of these largo estates at' tho
death of tho persons who control
them. If wo do not do it at their
death, wo will find mobs in this
country insisting in doing it while
they livo."
MR. BRYAN'S ILLNESS
With tromondous ability and un
quenchable ambition to see his coun
try not only grow In wealth but be
como an example and an ideal of all
nations in tho uplift of humanity;
with lovo, rospoct and confidence of
millions of his fellowmon through
out tho nation; with his helpful and
charming wife living to enjoy his
good fortune; in tho prime of his
manhood and usefulness to his coun
try and humanity, Wm. J. Bryan is
confined to his room in Washington
City by illnoss. Tho first intimation
of his sickness by his friends
throughout 'tho country, and ho
has warm porsonal friends in every
town and hamlot in America, came
through an Associated Press tele
gram that Mr. Wilson, from his
steamer in mid-ocean, en route to
Franco, had sent him a message of
sympathy. Notwithstanding his ill
ness, Mr. Bryan dictated, to a news
agency an interview giving his en
dorsement of a league of nations, an
interview that is sure to attract wide
attention, Bhowing his illness was not
oi a character to cause his friends
immediate alarm. While endorsing
tho league of nations and declaring
it was tho greatest stop taken in the
direction of universal peace in a
thousand years, ho declares it should
bo amended in many respects. Ho
made several practical suggestions
as to needed amendments to tho
league's constitution, all oZ which
are vital; and ho seems to havo been
ablo to meet by his suggested amend
ments ovory reasonable objoction
that could bo urged to the league of
nations by tho opponents of tho
league. Ho has pointed the way to
tho peace conference and tho con
ference will in all probability, favor
ably consider his suggestions. Ono
suggestion was that the Monroe doc
trine should bo made clear in its
provisions, and another that it should
bo made clear alBo that the" league
could not interfere with the internal
affairs of a nation. There were
others equally vital.
It was a most timely statement
from Mr. Bryan, the man who has
for many years been fighting for
peaco among nations and opposing
war us a means of settlement of dis
cussions arising between them.
He was instrumental while secre
tary of state in securing the adop
tion of treaties with thirty nations;
and if those treaties had beon exist
ing between those nations at war as
they existed between tho American
and those thirty nations, tho present
war, or tho war just closed, would
havo been highly improbable, if not
impossible.
Tho treaties in question make it
obligatory for a nation to submit all
disputes to arbitration, and then to
wait a year Vefore it can prepare for
war. In other words the nations are
given a year to think it over.
Does any one believe that if Ger
many and tho other nations in the
present war had been forced to post
pone preparation for a year and to
submit all differences to arbitration,
that tho present war would have-occurred?
Somo of the most able Eng
lish statesmen say not. The effort
was mado bj England to get post
ponement of the war and to settle
tho question involved, but Germany
refused to wait, hence the bloodiest
war in all history. Yes; Mr. Bryan
can speak by authority and with
knowledge, having been a close stu
dent of wars and how to prevent
them for many years.
In the meantime, all the country
wishes Mr. Bryan a speedy and com
plete recovery from his illness.
Montgomery, Ala., Journal.
FARM AND WOMAN VOTE KEEPS
MICHIGAN DRY
Michigan stays dry by over one
hundred thousand majority. If the
decision had beon left to the people
of the cities the state would have
gone back wet; the ground gained
in this stato after, many years of
hard work would have been lost;
and national prohibition would have
received a serious set-back. Tho tem
perance forces of the United States
owe a debt of gratitude to the farm
ers and farm women of Michigan for
the splendid manner in which they
turned out on Monday and reaffirmed
their decision of 1916, that they
want a dry state. y.
gan to vote back the saloon that they
might take their "evidence" before
tho special session of congress and
prove to tho legislators that the
American people do not want prohi-
bitlon any longer. But thanks to
Michigan farmers and their wives
the wet forces will never carry out
their program. There can bo no
room for doubt as to where tho peo
ple of Michigan stand on thisissue;
by a majority fully 60,000 greater
than the dry majority in 1916, the
people of Michigan havo said, "We
don't want wine and beer, and we
don't want the saloon."
The verdict is unassailable. Re
view is as they may, the liquor
ftrc.3 und the "Hotel Men'3 Ass'n"
can find no grain of comfort in it
o: no hoiie that the people of Michi
gan retain any fondness for the booze
business and will somo day repent
tl.at they have tre. ted it so harshly.
The brewers and tho saloon-keepers
who ha o leen humbling their
"talents" to tho manufactnro find
sale of soft trinks in tho deluded be
lief that the state would co back
vet, may now ship their plants and
tnoir fixtures to Chimror some other'
benighted country vhere their wares
n-ay be appreciated. And all those
orders for beer and wiLe which the
saloonists and hotel men so thoug'ht-
ruuy oooked a few weeks back in
anticipation of a wet victory will
have to be cancelled!
"Make it a knock-out blow," said
Mr. Bryan. "Bing! Biff! Eantr!"
responded Mr. Farmer, aud the
crowd didn't even wait to hoar the
count. Michigan Business Farmer.
If fa a ant .... ..
-- . .. coiu Buuhs mat it or !,..
have to do with insis in ,5ey
predominating influence of 5a th
on the larger affairs of thiT,Ca
sphere, and the clear Mi,fff h
qualified American sovnrT :IUn
I.UJU OLU1,
MR. BRIAN. AND THE lEACinj
William Jennings Brvan iM,,.i
terday, from a sick hll ?27
markable statement with Vg r '
. m. - iifir'ri ii k i
- "u"uui part that
ner secretary nf ttnn ,ai.
the work of nJtJL
The farmers do not fully appre
ciate the importance of their verdict
to the cause of prohibition every-
hwwT,et lead?rs have beGn claim
ng that the pendulum was swinging
back; that the prohibition movement
had reached its high tide and was
rapidly ebbing. They pointed to The
Ittle towns of Rhode Island and to
the scattering cities of Wisconsin
which voted wet because the S ad
vocates stayed at home. They pointed
to the city of Chicago which went
wet by a largo majority be causever
a hundred thousand Qrti " "v,tr
Voted for mayor did not Tote at all
on the saloon question. And thev
were waitlnc like vnifrQO v " y
dying prey for the people of Mich
SPEAK NOW
Mr. Bryan expresses himself from
a sick bed on the subject of a league
of nations. He would not delay until
recovery. He was right in that. Now
is the time for every man of noto
with views about the matter to. give
them in one form or another to the
public. Presumably, if Mr. Bryan
were today in kelter he would be
delivering himself from tin stump.
The public is greatly interested.
Not only the American public, but
the public everywhere. The subject
is of universal conceun.
In Paris in particular the concern
is keen. The peace conference is sit
ting there. The work of the con
ference is going forward within eye-
?? ,and, earsIlot of tne Population,
largely increased in numbers tem
porarily by visitor from all ovr
Europe and ndt a few from America
American sentiment, in whatever
form expressed, will reach Paris
tSZ ear' nd tt is certain of a
13? acurate appraisement. Ordi
narily Europe finds difficulty in
understanding our governmental pro
cesses and political mnnQ".aipr
wo do hers u,cllueB' as
D2ii- ,matter she hs been
1'iwuo tu mrnrm lCKonif m..
" MW4UC11. HUH
at
!Is ?Z the e "comes
ln as a factor in our bflnni..
ZTL? '"-tso'ns Toigt
-- w,. UUUiy lu U1Q u j draft of
the work todav in hn iiT- or
conference table. l" peace
Mr Bryan is in favor of a league
of nations, but want , 7e ague
Posed amended. Likewise, fir Taft
Likewise, many other men
quence, democrats and republicans
every day. that, th ' !neuln?
Z'T&ES;
so well unaer8tZ,.,ldab.I
attempt when he resumes his seatTt
The nuturn. a t. -
hleh and hrni.,..' .1' . le 0I
former secretary &
the work nf r.niJttyett ln
throughout th J wortiTu'SUS?
77r V""x" " imposed covenant
of tho league of nnHnnn ' .. nt
his claims to the authorship of the
idea of such n. ionn ,i r ine
versal and respectful consideration
Mr Bryan claims that tho idea of
the league, which he calls "Z
greatest step toward peace in a thou.
sand years," was taken from the
thirty arbitration treaties negotiated
by tho United States with other
tions while he was secretary of state
We quote a portion of his statement!
which is printed on another paee of
this issue of tho State:
"Deliberation before war the in
vestigation of all disputes before hos
tilities begin this almost rmi ..
The idea is taken from tho thirty
treuues negotiated by the United
States with three-quarters of the
world (while Mr. Brvan wan room.
tary of state). Our nation therefore
gives to the peace league its greatest
piece of machinery."
But may Mr. Bryan hope to estab
lish so lofty and extensive a claim
to the authorship of an idea that is
pretty nearly coeval with tho organ
ization of civil governments? It is
perfectly true that the ideas claimed
as original by Mr. Bryan are found
in tho treaties negotiated while he
was secretary of state, as will be
seen bv readinc the treaties them-
selves as published in a pamphlet
this year, edited, wjth an Introduc
tion, bv Professor Tames Brown
Scott, entitled "Treaties for the Ad
vancement of Peace." Professor
Scott says in his introduction, on
this point:
Mr. Bryan's treaties for the ad
vancement of peace .... aim to sup-
nlftmonf. nnf in Hiinnlnnt. existing
agencies by bringing to discussion
any and all outstanding differences,
not adjusted by these. or other agen
cies, in the belief that the immediate
and therefore the ultimate danger of
war would be averted through an
agreement of the parties to refrain
from hostilities pending Investiga
tion, for which a twelve-month
period is allowed."
But Professor Scott has recently
published another brochure on
in the Federal Convention of lij
and their Relation to a More Perfect
Society of Nations," in which w
holds that the constitutional conven-
tlon of 1787 was reany an iu
tional conference, and that tho rcsnu
was tho formation of a league of na
tions. " It may be, however, that tw
suggestion of the means for the aj
cussion of differences was first maw
in tho treaties negotiated while jur.
Bryan was secretary of state.
Even 60, however, it would have
to be shown that Mr. Bryan was uw
author of the suggestion We"
Know tnat tne bo-uw - e
Doctrine" inerely honors the i nam"
of tho president at the time, and wjj
the phrasing of tho doctrine was
to Secretary Adams, uuu "-;;-,-tion
to the shrewdness of Canning,
lamenamentslsand.TSrhSI
(Continued on page i.j
no
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