The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1870-06-13
Mr.. FITCH Oh The PUBLIC DEF.

Congress passed a resolution TO ad-
ionrn for the session on the coming Ali.
Since then. We believe, the duration has
beer extended to The 18th. 1t IS most
likely the session will not extend beyond
the latter figure; for many of the WORTH
les comprising that branch of the Gov
eminent must be ont. before many more
moons have waxed, to look after the Fail
elections. A bill to modify the present
tariff rates has been for many weeks
under consideration. 1t slumbers in the
hands of the Ways and Means Commit
tee of the House. The Country is look-
ing an~xiously for the conclusion of the
House on that subject. Batter is re-
sponsible for the opinion, that it is now
too late to handle aud dispose of so
bulky a bill. We suspect he correctly
predicted the issue.
But how came it so late? Congress IS
now at the verge of n long session, and
nothing of so much importance as the
tariff bill has been disposed of. Railroad
land grants; gold-jobbing investigations;
caietship eorruptions; questions of priv
ilege; maneuvers to swindle civilized and
enlightened Indians; and a vast con-
course of private and speculative bills:
these have engaged the attention of grave
Senators and erudite Members, till it
comes down now TO the death-bed con-
f~ession. and now like the voice of the
despairing sinner tumbling over into
Hells comes bach to us the reverberation
of Buffers exclamation. like n requiem
on a cracked gong. Too latel- too late
for the tariff; too late for the Internal
Revenue; too late for the longer bondsi'
It sc turns ont; and it is a pity for the
Country it is so. A spasmodic glance
was taken at the condition of the State.
on the I'd instant. Mr.. Fitch had the
floor for five minutes, and IN that little
space. before the hammer fell. recited
some wholesome facts aid figures which
we only regret he did not put forward
earlier, and repeat them every time he
got a chance at the gen raj question of
the States condition. He has made
some beautiful speeches, but they were
on other subjects, of bat remote or
secondary interest to his constituents.
He cited, in this speech, the fact that the
present rate of revenue collections will
pay on the debt at the rate Of one hun
dred and twenty millions monthly-while
the best fnaneiers agree that n surnins
Of twenty to thirty millions yearly will
keep the public credit in good condition.
satisfy everybody. even the bondholders,
and allow the industries of the Country
to prosper. lie Thought, in this view #
the case, that Congress might safely re
duoe taxation, not merely fifty or seventy
five millions yearly, rs proposed, bnt
ninety millions. and was of opinion
that for this purpose of reduction the
income tax might well be discontinued
altogether. Setting these premises.
which We ful'yindorse. Mr.. Fitch glanced
at the nature of the income tax, Directing
to it n unnecessarily, in time of peace,
infracting the principles of free Govern
ment:
l will not attempt in the limits of a
nye-minutes speech to repeat the Rren-
ment that it is uneqal; that it is inquisi-
torial; that 1t Is oppressive; that it Is
unusual; hat it Is n war tax, and the war
is over; u troublesome tax. aud the peo-
pie are restless; an unnecessary tax. and
the people know it. l simply desire to
put on record my conviction that it
should be abolished altogether. and ii
not abolished, that it should at least have
the largest exemption possible-S2, 500. /
or even $1,000. 1t Is a tax which rests
with peculiar oppression upon the people
of my district. who pay PER capitl fre
times the airoant of internal revenue
tax that is paid by any others. ! sup
pose this is because their conaei-nees
are less elastic, or because their ability
to figure ont exemptions has not been 50
highly cultivated.
Good talk; and there is just Il bare
possibility that for the abrogation Of this
one iniquity it is not TOO late.' Mr..
Schenck's defense of the Income Tax on
the ground Of its popularity with those
who do not pay it is a downright insult
to the intelligence Of the Country.