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Show THE INCOME TAX IS RIGHT. Tho people of the nation tho millions, regardless re-gardless of individual ostalo provide tho fortunes for-tunes of tho very rich. Whatever tho business, from corn to cotton, from stool to ohowing gum, the fat income derives from tho fact that millions mil-lions and millions of American citizens buy. Tho plutocrat couldn't plulo to any fattening extent without tho crowd on tho buying sido of tho counter. No Big Business thrives in tho solitudo. You may provide conditions in tho tho oongostod centres, cen-tres, and you may provido conditions in tho desert. des-ert. But before you cash your chips you have to do "business with the populace. Tho presence of tho populace is what makes the cashing pos- siblo. You can't got along without him. That is, you oan't accumulate the Prodigious Pile without with-out him. And ho can get along without you. Ho may not and he will not have as much fun as if ho dribbled his nicklos to your enrichment, enrich-ment, and to your railroad rides, your cl- " ectric toasters and your moving pictures, but ho will got along. The actual necessities neces-sities of life are really few and inexpensive. 'i His fathers and his grandfathers mado a living without the accessories which contribute contrib-ute to the uncounted income. So that, the people the general mass, the millions are entitled to some share in the fat fortunes which the few accumulate. They are not, of course, entitled to all of it. They are not ontit,lod, even, to any portion that you need, or that you can enjoy. But boyond the usable income in-come there is a vast territory from which both factors of contribution are entitled to help. You aro entitled to all you can reasonably use. He is entitled to a percentage on the balance. Congress has fixed the limit of income, and given you abundance. Beyond that, congress says you will have to share your income with the peoplo who provide the income, rt doesn't seem to be intended that you shall forfeit any right, lose anything of value, or forego any reasonable rea-sonable enjoyment. It may mean a decrease in the number of monkey suppers, of dog dinners, and even alimony to your first wife while you dump your dinoro in the lap of a later charmer. But that really will be a favor and not a detriment detri-ment to you. It also will bo a favor and a measureless benefit to the whole American people, peo-ple, to the nation whose existence is the founda7 tion an which your income rests, and to the good name of the manhood to which you are an ornament orna-ment or an excrescence depending on yourself. The proposed law is so graded as to permit the rich man to bo as rich as he can make himself, him-self, and yet recognizes the fact that there is a point boyond which ho now takes from the peoplo money the peoplo nocd, without at all supplying any legitimate need of his own. And it is becauso of the essential justness of this consideration, and bocauso many of the very rich have insistod on demonstrating to their beneficiaries benefic-iaries the peoplo of the nation that they have no reasonable need of thooxcess; that they held tho people in contempt, and that they would rather offend Christendom's general sense of proprioty than do any useful or helpful thing in mankind's advancement. It is far too late for Great Wealth to complain com-plain of tho income tax. Thoro is too much hell in tho avenues and too much hunger in tho slums; too much vice in tho palacos and too many victims in tho homos of tho poor. Of courso tho inoomo tax will not wholly rodoom tho one nor banish tho otho.r. But it will holp. |