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About The independent. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 26, 1905)
OCTOBER 26, 1905 t i A ' l I 1 I. 1 tant and valuable, not only for the revenue It will yield but for the principle it establishes. . It is a movement in the direction of scaling large estates. It is a step toward requiring wealth to contribute more to the burdens . of government. When a man possessed of great property dies his possessions, except for the operation of law, would become prey for anyone to seize. It is, therefore, proper that the law which protects it and bestows it upon his heirs or legatees should fix the terms and provide a proper charge or tax for the service. This . Is for the benefit ; of so ciety. ' The Nebraska law exempts estates less than $10,000. When estates exceeding $10,000 are left to close relatives, such as husband, wife, parent, child, brother, sister or grandchild, the tax is only 1 per cent on the amount exceeding $10,000. Where the heirs or devisees are not so close, as In cases of aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces the tax is 2 per cent. Where the heirs or de visees are more remote, a tax is levied which increases with the size of the estate. Below $10,000 it is 3 per cent. Up to $20,000 it is 4 per cent. Then it, rises to 5 per cent on $50,000 and to 6 per cent on estates ex ceeding $50,000. Thus a remote relative or a friend who receives a fortune exceeding $50,000 pays $3,000 for the privileges. Is it not reasonable and right? Uh Nebraska. Indopondcnt public. Let them make an end to all the sentimental nonsense about widows and orphans, and say bluntly: We want your money; pay us -the largest possible prem iums and we will give you the smallest pos sible returns. We will accept your money as a trust, and administer it for our own ad vantage; we will pay ourselves enormous salaries and, in one form or another, pension the different members of our families; we will load the management of the business you commit to us with the heaviest possible expense of administration; and we will use your money in all kinds of enterprises for our own benefit, employing as much of It as we see fit in buying legislators and contribute to campaign funds. If this policy of frank ness is adopted, the country will respect the courage if it cannot trust the honesty of the men whom it now holds to be not only betray ers of its honor but hypocrites as well. It is high time for plain dealing; the country is weary of scandal in high places; of men of reputation who are suddenly discovered to be without character; of moral sham and humbug among the eminently respectable There are too many pious schemers; far too many well-behaved self-seekers. If we can not be honest we can at least stop pretend ing to be what we are not. Let us hoist the black flag and stop sailing as a missionary ship. ' PAGE 5 policyholders are expected to pay extrava gant premiums, not so much for insurance upon their lives, for the protection of loved ones, but to enable President McCurdy to draw $150,000 per year, and the other mem bers of the McCurdy family $500,000 per year. That's the meaning, as he uses them, of the words "elemosynary? and "philanthropic' Perhaps he may also mean that the policy holders, when they insure, should remember that the .men to whom they intrust their money are wiser than they, know what is good for them, and therefore have a right to dissipate that money In bribing legislators, corrupting courts, and in fighting "enemies of society" like William Jennings Bryan San Francisco Star. LIFE INSURANCE GRAFT Insurance revelations are beginning to arouse indignation, disgust and protest even among the least radical publications. The Outlook in Its latest issue contains an acrid criticism of the "low moral standards, cheap deceits and callous indifference to the rights of others on the part of men of financial and business prominence." The article concludes In this fashion: If the gentlemen whose dealings with the vast funds committed to their care have re cently come to light have any sense of hu mor, they will put an end to the sham phil anthrophy which they have preached for business purposes, and make their appeals for patronage with, manly frankness. If they cannot be honest, let them at least drop the mask of honor and deal squarely with the President McCurdy of the Mutual Life says that an insurance company is not an institution founded to make money for , the policyholders, but is, or should be, a great philanthropic enterprise founded to Increase and spread its benefits over the entire earth. "There has been a great mistake made," he says, "about the real province of life insur ance companies in these latter years. Peo ple have been led to believe that the main purpose was to make money for the policy holders. In my view that Is not the pur pose of such companies. They are eleemosy nary. When a man insures In a company he should take into consideration the fact that he has entered a great philanthropic concern that is in duty bound to spread ' itself, even though this growth prevents him from re alizing as much as expected." 1 By which President McCurdy doubtless means that Large sums have confessedly been paid out by certain life Insurance companies to influence state legislatures. The inference generally drawn has been that some of the money was pocketed by legislators In return for passing bills the companies wanted or killing bills that were prejudicial to their interests. President McCurdy of the Mutual denies that any of the money spent by his company to influence legislation went for bribes or blackmail. He "resents the sug gestion" that the money was spent in im proper ways, and tells how it was used. The explanation Is interesting. When a state legis lature met the person employed to see that it did no harm to the company visited the state capital and found out where the political godfathers, relatives, and near neighbors of legislators lived. He made journey after journey to get acquainted with them and en lighten th.m on the subject of insurance. He went to Washington, talked with the senators and representatives from the state, told them how much harm unfriendly insurance legisla tion would do, and got letters from them to the members of the state assembly. Legis lators got no money, but it appears that some of the godparents, relatives, or neighbors of legislators were busy men who did not care to waste their time in listening to a talk on proposed Insurance legislation, so the com pany's agent had "to pay them to sit and listen to him." After they had listened they presumably became quite interested in the subject and used their influence in the com pany's behalf. Chicago Tribune. PACKERS PLEAD BAR ALLEGE GOVERNMENT OBTAINED EVIDENCE BY COMPULSION Technical Objection Made That Laws of United States Do Not Warrant Use of Such Evidence Against a Defendant Chicago, Oct. 23 Declaring that the testimony the packers were com pelled to produce before the secretary of commerce and labor was used by United States District Attorney Mor rison in obtaining an indictment against the packers and alleging that inasmuch as the same issues as men tioned in the indictment were raised and disposed of in an injunction writ issued by Federal Judge Grosscup, the packers who are under federal Rheumatism (s one of tho constitutional diseases. It manifests itself in local aches and pains, inflamed joints and stiff muscles, but it cannot bo cured by local applications. It requires constitutional treatment acting through tho blood, and the best b a course of tho great mc&cino Hood'sSarsaparilla which has permanently cured thousands of cases. For testimonials of rerr.arkoMa curt to4 for Book on Rheumatism, No. ?. C L Hood Co., Lowell, Mau. indictment here, charged with illegal conspiracy, today again attacked the famous so-called "Beer trust" process. Object to Government Action The special plea sets up assertion concerning investigations by the com missioner of corporations and alleges that the defendants were compelled to testify and to produce certain books and other data, and that thereafter the matter was submitted to the presi dent of the United States, and finally to the United States district attorney here, and that the district attorney used the material in seeking indict ments against the defendants. Be cause of these alleged facts the de fendants ask that tne indictment be dismissed. Regarding the Grosscup injunction, the plea filed today maintains that by the prosecution of the injunction and the entry of a final decree by the su preme court "the said United States of America did finally and fully elect to pursue that remedy, and not to prosecute the defendants respectively for or on account of the said sup posed engaging in the supposed con spiracies, which is in said indict ment mentioned." Investigation is Set Up The special plea In bar declares that the Fifty-eighth congress of the United States passed a resolution di recting the secretary of commerce and labor to Investigate the cause of low prices In beef cattle and the al leged unusually large margin between cattle prices and the cost of dressed meat to the consumer. The secretary directed the commisfner of corpor ations to make a diligent investiga tion, which, it is alleged in the plea, he did. Ills Investigation Included, among other things, the transactions, matters aud things averred In tho In dictment. This Investigation was pushed In the following cities, among .other: Chicago, South Omcha, Kan gas City, Mo.. Kansas City, Kan., Sioux City, Fort Worth, St. Joseph, Mo., I..os Angeles and East St. Louis, 111. Then it is alleged: On March 7, 1904, and on divers days thereafter wards and before the finding, of the Indictment the defendants at the afore said mentioned places and at divers other cities at the Instance, direction, requirement and compulsion: of the commissioner of corporations did at tend before him and testify with re spect to the divers transactions, mat ters and things directed to be inves tigated. "This defendant further says that on March 3, 1905, and divers days thereafterwards, the commissioner re ported the information so -athered to the president of the United States, and embodied it in a volume contain ing 351 pages, entitled, 'Report of the Commissioner of Corporations on the Beef Industry.' " Then it is alleged that on March 20, 1905, the report was furnished United States District Attorney Bethea in Chicago, and that the facts contained as secured by the commissioner of corporations was used by the district attorney and the grand jury(In con ducting the investigation, resulting In the returning of the indictment by tho special grand Jury, and was also used In preparing and searching out other evidence to be used in the trial of the beef cases. ' Samuel A. Mcltoberts, agent of Armour & Co., filed a separate special plea. In which he seeks Immunity be cause he testified before the grand Jury which afterward returned an In dictment against him. Under a fed eral statute It Is alleged no person shall be prosecuted In the caso In which ho testified. If lie Is compelled to testify acaln3t himself. This pleu Hn held to be good bv tunny and, al though it will be vIwuouhIv attacked by the government. It Is declared thero Is a likelihood of the qunshln of lhe I Indictment In the asa of Mcltobert. WeakJKidneys Itis of but little use to try to doctor the kid neys themselves. Such treatment U wrong. For the kidneys are not usually to blame lor their weaknesses or irregularltt s. Tbey have no power no self-control They are operated and actuated by a tin v h red of a nerve which is lar elv responsible for their condition. If the Kidney nerve is strong an I healthy tie kidneys nre strong and healthy. If the Kidney nerve goes wrong, you know it by the Inevitable re sultkidney trouble. This tender nerve is only one of a great system of nerves. 'Jhis system controls not on y the kidneys, but the heart, and the liver, and the stomach. For simplicity's sake Dr. Shoop has railed this great nerve system the "Inside Nerve." They are not the nerves of feeling not the nerves that enable you to walk, to t ilk, to act, to think. They are the master nerves and every vital organ is their slave. The com mon nume tor these nerves is the "sympathetic nerves" because each set Is in such close sym pathy with the others, that weakness anywhere usually results In weakness everywhere. The one remedy which aims to treat not the Kidneys themselves, but the nerves which are to blame, is known bv nhvsicians and druneists everywhere as Dr. fchoop'a Hcsiorntlve, (Tablets or Liouia.) l his remedy is not a symptom remedy it is strictly a canse remedy. WhUe it usually brings speedy relief, Its effects are also lasting. li you would like to read an Interesting book on lnile nerve disease, write Dr. Shoop. With the book he will also send the ''Health Token." an intended passport to god health. Hoth the book and the "Health Token" are free. For the free book and the "Health Token" yon must ad dress Dr. rboop, Box I'tttu.Kacine.Wis. stale which book you want Book 1 on PyspepMs. Hook 2 on the Heart Book 3 on the Kidneys. Hook 4 ior Women. Hook 5 for Men. Hook 0 on Rheumatism. Dr. S hoop's Restorative I'repared In both Liquid and Tablet farm for sale at forty thousand drugstore. Mill e are ollen reach! ty a single 1'aekag a.