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The Commonero
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
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Lincoln, Nebraska, December 28, 1906. .
Vol. 6. No. 50.
Whole Number 310.
CONTENTS
Tiik Income: Tax
A Child Labor Bill
'Election oy Senators
A Government Ownership Pl.vn
Mr. Roosevelt's Progress
More Light On Asset Currency
Bankers Push Asset Currency
President's Message on Negro Troois
Washington News
Comment on Current Topics'
Home Department
Whether Common or N ot
News of the Week
'08 08
'08 IN 1907 j
'08 08
08 There's a wonderful work for the people 08
08 to do 08
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
08 A work needing hands that are willing 08
'08 and true 08
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
'08 The schemes of the grafters to speedily 08
08 kill; , 08
'08 To throttle the life from ship subsidy 08
'08 bill 08
08 And keep looting hands out of Uncle 08
08 Sam's till 08
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. &
08 08
& There's need of strong men to stand forth 08
& from the ranks &
-$ In Nineteen Hundred and Seven, 08
'o8 And head off the schemes of the overfed 08
08 banks 08
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
'-& There's a great need of men who are &
08 honest and square 08
08 - To head off the money schemes based on o&
& . hot air, 08
'o8 And give to the people a deal that is 08
' l square 08
'08 in Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
''8 08
08 There's work to be done to insure the 08
'08 square deal 08
'08 - In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
08 Like putting an end to the high tariff S
08 ' steal &
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
' 08 The men who've waxed rich on a privilege 08
08 bought tS
'08 Must make good the losses their great 08
'08 greed has wrought 08
!0 And this is one war that will have to be 0
08 fought J
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
'08 &
08 .The: people must rally their rights-to 08
'08 maintain &
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
08 We've got to get back to old landmarks 08
'o8 again &
'08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 0
'08 The old year is dying; the new is at hand! 08
'o8 There's work to be done in this God- 08
08 favored land! $
,08 For justice and right let all take a Arm 08
?'08 stand
08 In Nineteen Hundred and Seven. 08
'08 &
j .4 .a jt .8 .a j 08 08 08 08 08 08 08
MR. ROOSEVELT'S HERCULEAN TASK
THE INCOME TAX
The income tax which slept for some ten
years after the adverse decision of the supreme
court is again a subject for discussion. The
president's recognition has brought out the fact
that quite a change has gone on in public senti
ment favorable to the tax, but it has also brought
out the fact equally interesting that the repub
lican leaders are not going to favor the tax.
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat, which can gen
erally be relied upon to take the side of preda
tory wealth, calls a halt on the income tax. It
is afraid that so much money would be raised by
the Income tax that no import duties would be
necessary. This suggestion alone will bring all
the beneficiaries of a high tariff into opposition.
They have been collecting incomes through the
tariff law, and out of pure gratitude ought to
be willing to pay an Income tax, but gratitude is
not a prominent quality among those who enjoy
special privileges. They come to regard them
as vested rights. If the president undertakes to
push the income tax, he will have to rely for his
support upon the democrats and upon those re
publicans who are in a position to give expression
to their sense of justice. The Globe-Democrat
editorial may be accepted as evidence that there
will be strong plutocratic opposition to the in
come tax.
The discussion, however, has brought out the
fact that some of the rich men have come over
to the side of those who believe in the justness
of the income tax. Mr. M. B. Ingalls, former
president of the Big F.our railroad and an active
opponent of the democratic party In 1890, declares
that ho Is in favor of an Income tax, but he
does not want a graded one. Mr. Perry Belmont
is also In favor of an income tax, but does not
want It levied upon punitive principles, but as a
matter of revenue. Mr. Carnegie Is opposed to
the Income tax, but is In favor of an Inheritance
tax. He believes that rich men ought to be com
pelled to turn over some of their surplus wealth
at death. At the Civic Federation meeting in
New York the other day he said: "Our country
fails in its duty if it does not exact a share, a
tremendous share of the estate of the enormously
wealthy man upon his death. The money be
longs to the community. Do not mistake me. I ,
do not advocate the making of a man a pauper
or the pauperizing of his children, but it is not
the millionaire who made the wealth. He did
not make the ore or the coal or the gold that he
dug out of the ground. The Montana copper
mine owner did not make his wealth; it belongs
in the abstract to the people who use it and
who produce the use which makes it valuable.
I am with the president, then, to tax heavily by
graduated taxation every man who dies leaving
behind him his millions, for I think that exces
sive wealth left to a child is an injury to the
child."
Mr. Carnegie might give other reasons in
defense of an inheritance tax. Many of the largo
fortunes have been acquired by the monopolizing;
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