Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-03-31
DECISION OF THE COURT.
The People are the Tribunal That Nus
FINALLY Decide

Ths People Are the Tribunal That Must
Finally Decide.
The supreme court overruies every
point made against the validity of the
Mckinley bill, and does it in a style
which became familiar enough in 1876
Nothing else was generally expected,
though it was supposed by some that
the court would not go so far as to
assert the validity of a clause attempt
ing to give the president power to de-
clare levy of taxes not already levied
by law. This it does, however, but
the decision in no way affects the ques-
ton The supreme court is a tribunal
Of last resort only when it is right
When it is wrong appeal lies from its
decisions to the power and the right
whose creature it is-the power and the
right of the people, who are above the
wrongful findings Of any tribunal what
ever.
As the decision il reported by tel
egraph the court holds that the Nc
Kinley bill does not authorize the pres
ident to levy retaliatory taxes. but
prescribes taxes to go into effect under
certain prescribed contingencies. This
Is an unworthy bubble. The clause
does prescribe certain rates OF taxation
on certain articles, bat it does not levy
them nor make them operative. On
the contrary, coffee, teas and hides
being already untaxed, it removes the
taxes from raw sugar and molaSSes,
leaving these articles untaxed alto
gether. Then it prescribes certain
rates OF taxation on these articles, but
does not tax them at all. Instead of
doing SO it declares that the president
shall have power to levy taxes at the
prescribed rates after January 1, 1892,
If he chooses to do so. These taxes do
not exist by legislative act. They have
no existence at all There are no such
taxes No legislative act has put them
IN force and no date has been set by
legislative act for them to go into force.
They do not exist nor can they ever
exist by legislative act until such act is
passed putting them in force.
As every republican on the supreme
bench knows, as every one who watches
public affairs knows, the repub-
hcans of the Reed congress passed this
clause because the constitution ex-
plicitly provides that all such meas
ures as this must originate in the
house, and because they did not ex-
pect them to have a majority in the
succeeding house. Not wishing to de-
clare this levy of taxes outright, and
knowing that a democratic house
would never pass such measure,
they attempted at once to evade their
own responsibility and to bind sue
ceeding congresses, because as long as
the senate is republican the democratic
majority in the house cannot undo this
action by which taxes are to be levied
by the president
It would have been different in no
essential lad the Reed congress passed
this clause
That on and after January 1, 1892, the presf-
dent may levy by proclamation tax Of 200 per
cent ad valorem on any and all articles he
pleaSes. He shall have the power and it shall
he his duty do so when in his opinion it is ex-
pedient.
This is the taxation by proclamation
clause of the Mckinley bill. except that
here the absolutism is extended to all
instead of to specified decisions.
THIS is the longest step taken to-
wards absolutism in the. history of the
country, but it would have been ruin
Gus t. the republican party to have
had the Mckinley bill declared invalid
with a democratic majority in the
house and with a campaign opening
wsith Svsry indieatsan Of popular hess
tilitE to the Eli. There could be, no
greater or juster r&praach againSts the
courts decision, than the statement of
the fact that the dGeiSIan nowhere
creates surprise ami that none are less
Surprised than those who nas6 deplore
its aSticn. O
The republican tN&ery Of absolut-
ism in g@vernmSnt must run its course
rs its logical Nsaael uSion. Nothing will
b lost If the dsfapaers ST eonafitution-
al liberty surrandSr nothing of princi-
PIE in accepting and acquseseing in
faats as they present themselves while
repnbl1ean5sm is verls.slg out its own
d1stru6tans-St Louis Republic.