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Show oo MILLIONAIRES IN THE UNITED STATES ; At the end of each month, how many I families in Ogden are out of debt or I financially able to meet their bills? ;j The number may be smaller than any-; one would guess. And in the nation, how many homes 1 j! are free from monthly visits of per3ist- II ent creditors? j Now, on the other side of the reck-' ! oning, more definite figures are avail- lable. There are 10,714 millionaires in the United States. Ogden, with 32,- 1 000 population, has five millionaire families, which is nearly two more than the city is entitled to on a ratio basis. There are 120 persons in the United States whose Income is more than one million dollars a year each. These statistics on millionaires cause the Sacrainenfo Bee to comment as follows "Such vast fonunes are made possible pos-sible through the resources of the country and the activities of its population popu-lation Many of them grew out of in-' in-' creased land valuos, and solely from ! the fact that the work and energy of the people of America made particular spotfl of ground especially desirable for living or manufacturing purposes. I The Astor fortune is an example. A ! hundred or 150 or 200 years ago the ! original Astor was nothing more than a fur trapper and trader who peddl-furs peddl-furs in Ne w York. During his lifetime he picked up various farm lands that a hundred years later were practically in the center of New York City. From the small sums that he paid for such lands for farm purposes enormous increases in-creases in value came about solely from the fact that the population of the city grew so rapidly. Desirable locations such as the Astor farms came to command enormous rentals. That such incomes should be taxed a gradual system for the advantages j which government gives is nothing, more than right. It is a just tax, in-1 deed, based upon ability to pay and j advantages obtained; rather than a tax upon mere existence, such as va-j rious poll taxes. The day may come when this country will declare that no man's services to the world are worth $1,000,000 a year income. The suggestion sug-gestion has been made at various times that a certain stipulated sum! be designated, above which no man may enjo a bigger income. But a ' simpler way to keep down incomes is ' by a graduated system of taxation, running run-ning up to very high or almost confis-' catory rates upon those in excess of a million dollars or more a year. That ma3 appear revolutionary now, but what is radical today may be conservative conserv-ative tomorrow." |