The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-18

Mills of Texas and Crisp of Georgia. OF
these, so far as eau be seen from Wash
ington Mills seems TO have the lead and
to be gaining. There is no question as to
the competency OF either man but. while
| Crisp's success woull mean the election
of good presiding officer, Mills success
won d mean the election OF leader. Mi Is
much more represents the aggressive
| spirit OF the radical democracy, and that
| His election will mean that the
day of tmidlty on the tariff
question has gone and that the strengr IA
of the democratic organization has passed
over from an attempt 10 reduce protection
! to an attempt to destroy il. 1t is sugges-
tive of what lies behind all personal pref
erence on this speakershlp question that
| Tom l.. johnson of Cleveland, who was
elected not as a tariff reformer, but as an
| avowed free trader, and who fairly repre-
| sents the more radical element that is CON-
| ing into the democratic ranks in the new
congress, avowed himself on leaving here
last week as the strenuous advocate OF
Mills election. And the feeling is grow
ing that If the democratic party is TO pre-
vent breaking on the currency question,
it can only be by taking the radical ground
on the tariff question. The representa-
tives OF the farmers alliance who are
here actively working the plans for the
combination OF all the elements of socia-
dissatisfaction into third party move
ment, laugh at the idea of any mere ques-
ton OF percentages of tarilf reform sutiic-
ing to keep the elements on which they
count in the democratic line in the next
election. And trustworthy observer re-
Gently sent into the west by certain New
York supporters of Cleveland for the pur-
pose of observing the political indications,
came back with the report that the only
thing that could prevent a disastrous
split on the currency question would be
the pushing of the free trade issue in the
most aggressive form.
Direct Taxation.
But the most startling thing that the
talk of thoughtful men in Washington
makes one feel is already looming before
the coming congress-and the thing that
will most hasten radical dscussion-is the
imminence or direct taxation. Like the
spread of thunder cloud over the sun
shine of a summer sky, we have sud denly
passed from the question of how to get
rid of the surplus to that of how to keep
up the revenue. / had a talk this week
with Logan Carlisle, the compi er of the
last democratic congressional campaign
book on this subject. He puts the mat
ter in this form:
"The last congress has enacted laws that
will make large appropriations hereafter
necessary, so that the next congress must
repudiate some OF the obligations made
by this one or it must devise means for
increasing the revenue. There seems TO
be but two practical ways OF obtaining
that increase. One is to so increase the
nfA srfrv hat l,a =
tons will be increased, and, therefore, the
volume OF revenue augmented. The other
is by levying additional taxes. l do not
think 1t Is possible, because Of the oppo-
sition of the senate, to get through bill
reducing the rates OF tariff taxes suffi
GENTLY to make the required incre Sc in
revenue. In my opinion, the people OF
this country understand enough in regard
to the incidence OF taxation 10 Justify, ii
not to make necessary, the imposition
of some sort of a direct tax, If addi-
tional taxation is required at all.
OF course q direct tax as commonly
understood is not what is called a direct
tax under the constitution. There are
only two direct taxes according TO the
supreme court; one, poll tax, the other
a land tax. But an income tax and
various other taxes are commonly said to
made the object OF any additional taxa
ton lies within the boundaries of proph-
ecy, and L am no prophet. 1 have no
wei settled conviction as to what is the
best object of observation-disclosures, inherit
ances or land values-but if we can once
get direct tax of any kind in operation
it will not take very long to determine
what the best kind of direct tax is.
There were great number OF men in the
last congress who We're in favor of an in
come tax, and there will be many more IN
the next congress. Meanwhile the Hand
to Hand club is doing all it can to de-
stroy the protective fetch"
Jerry simpson.
The people in Kansas who predicted
that Jerry Simpson would not get out of
the obscurity of the cloak room of the
house of representatives would have been
astonished had they been here, at the
figure he cut in the closing days Of the
session. A speech he delivered on the
evening of the Bird of March, at meeting
of the Citizens alliance here, made
nothing short of a sensation. II called
forth more enthusiasm than, to the mem
DRY of many men, had ever been wit
messed ct a public meeting here, for
amount of oratory in congress, Is not
demonstrative place Though the night
was very stormy 1900 people crowded
into the hall. Senators-elect Pc er and
Kyle spoke first, picturing the condition
OF the western country and declaring that
the currency question was the all import
ant one, and that through its settlement
lay the only possibility of relief to the
people. Jerry Simpson followed. He
frankly stated that he differed with the
gentlemen who had preceded him as to
the relative importance of the currency
question, and proceeded to argue, first,
that the transportation question was, for
western farmers, at least, as important as
the currency question, and secondly, that
the question OF natural opportunities was
the most important of all. His speech
lasted about twenty minutes and reused
his audience to the highest pitch of en-
thusiasm. He made his points with great
clearness and force, and struck straight
out in this fashion:
"You have fooiishly allowed a few peo-
pie to get hold OF all the land and hold it
out of use, and now you have got to pay
them for the privilege of living on the
earth. Where did they get their titles?
Can they trace it back to God Almighty?
No, sir. If not, then it is not any more
their land than it is mine. We should
go, th<,,,. ,,o,, xr,ll bo1I chic Land