Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1870-07-01

its face temporary only, -shall now be con-
tinued in their behalf forever Sir, think
as there has been no lack of iar1r 10 them,
no sbort-handed allnw auce Of goea f8ilh to-
ward them, they should be satisfied now TO
take their rank with other classes OF the
citizens OF the United States, aud to be dealt
wish according IN the same measure of even
handed Justice. | would dea with them
with perfect good faith; but ] would not
exempt them from paying their iair share of
the public burdens, nor discriminate In their
favor against other classes OF ny country
men, Then, sir, the object OF this income
tax having ceased, other means for procur-
ing the same amount of public revenue
being, as have stated, directly at hand, the
retention of this five per cent upon the in
lerest of the public debt te same rate
which 1t has been paying heretofore, a tax
Imposed directly upon accumulated property,
will, think, amply supply the deficiency
which may be caused TO the publc revenue
from the destruction OF this income tax upon
other property.
Sir, il has been said that there is aa opinion
in the community more acute, more able,
and more wise than that Of even the wisest
ind yidual in Il and that u The grea result
called public opinion. Many men ia the
mass come TO conclusions perfectly In and
irreaistibly srur. for wbicf, perhap hey
were pressed Individually lhis whAt-Tmay
be called the sum and essence Of popular
intelligence that forms 10 my mind oreQl
the safest guides for Legislation. l dS8
believe that this income lax would nave
reached the unpopularity- that il has, that il
would be felt to be so injurious TO the public
as IL is felt to be, If its evils were not real
instead of imaginary. i do not thlnk il
would be difficult to trace the reasons why
these evils should be felt, and be felt by the
poorest man as well as by the most wealthy,
simply for the causes that have given here,
of the easy method by which these burdens
that are paid by the landlord and the cap-
talist in gross may be transferred to bis de-
pendents in detail. The consumer will pay
it at last the poor tenant will pay II at last (;
and you make take from the lands oil the
rich landlord what you please, he simply
has an immediate remedy by tacking that
amount to those from whom lis revenues
are derived. Such Is the case, such II has
been; such 1t always will be; and whe0 tue
people of this country complain OF the pay
ment of tax of that kind they know pre-
cisely where the shoe pinches, and they
best can judge of their own suhsrinss
under it.
Mr. President, believing, then, thai this
tax is, under our written Constitution, for
bidden by the clause which l have read;
believing it TO be an unjust tax 10 its rtsulls;
believing its determinations 10 be uterly
unjust; believing its exemptions 10 tadeu-
siye, failing to affect iavorably those classes
who appeal most To our sympathies and our
sense OF protection-I mean persons Of o
decent condition of life with fixed incomes
drawn from the stock OF incorporated com.
panies, who are deprived of all benefit TO
this so-called exemption under the present
form of your law, believing this, anssurlber,
that the Generalization arising from the
pressure upon men either to conceal the
proper amount of their incomes 10 escape
tax, or upon those who are struggling under
financial troubles TO exaggerate their income
in order TO gain credit and deludo thoss to
whom they are indebted; believing 1t to be
accompanied by inquisitorial features which
tend to create discomfort In the hearts OF the
citizens against the Government under which
they liYe-all these things Justify me in ex.
pressing the hope, and certainly shall in'
dicate ii by my vote, that this income taz
may cease to exist as feature oil American
legislation.