The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-19


bill. Perhaps. starting on Its basis Of fine
armored cruiser. shortcomings in other re-
spects may be made up during It's progress
through Congress.
| PETERS Latest.
The Hon. WILLIAM ALFRED PEPPER. Sen.
ator in Congress from Kansas. was known
as great economist In Fredonia and Cof-
feyville twenty years ago. He was known
as profound mind even before the gayety
| Of fate made him the successor OF Mr..
INGALLS,. He had studied the railroad
| problems. and had settled them in one small
but precious book. He had propounded the
great idea that Kansas should build rail-
roads until the lines constructed by private
capital should be frozen out and contiscated.
He had dreamed Of continental lines. north
| and south. east and west, accommodating
every county. and initiating the inter-
section OF the parallels OF longitude and lati-
tude. only nearer together. 1t was inevita-
BILE that such mind should be found In the
Farmers Alliance and the Peoples party
sooner or later. It was inevitable that such
a mind should become the ornament and the
wonder Of the Senate and the world. There
Is not q single leaf In the capillary forest
which makes venerable the countenance Of
this illustrious sage that Is not inscribed
with new and valuable financial discoveries.
"Solong as that man lives" said Gen. Holt
Of Gen. WINFIELD ScoTr in 1861. the coun-
try Is safe" q declaration somewhat hyper
bolical. But 1t may be said in all truth that
as long as WILLIAM ALFRED PETER con-
tinues to devote the best blood Of his brain
10 ho ar n COLI ~ htc MI ha
country may consider itself saved. Some
Of our best citizens are beginning to refuse
to pay their debts on the ground that II
PACroLus PEFFER's life Is spared. debt is
sure to be abolished. The "crystallized
sweat" OF his intellect. II we may borrow
one OF his own happy expressions, is already
falling upon poverty. and poverty will
cease to exist. In oil probability. before the
end Of his term. DIR. MCGLYNN and the
rest OF the poverty-punchers shrink into
nothingness before tho Coffeyville COLBERT.
He has shown how to save the suffering
agriculturists Of Indiana. That's nothing.
They are an ungrateful lot. and didn't know
there was anything the matter with them.
Greater tasks and greater triumphs are be-
fore him. He Is still in the cradle OF Fame.
1t was not till last Wednesday that the
whiskered pard OF JEREMY SIMPSON straight
ened himself up to his full height. and then
the ceiling OF the Senate chamber quivered.
On March 16. 1892. a day which the BAGEHoTs
OF the future will regard as the most mo-
mentous in the whole history OF finance.
WILLIAM ALFRED PETER. formerly of
Coffeyville. introduced into the Senate
bill which, We are informed by
one OF the computers in the Office
of the Nautical Almanac. would il
pasted page on page. reach from the House
restaurant to Harper's Ferry. But what Is
length to bill so full OF scope? The very
title OF 1t Is a revolution. 1t Is bill Great
ing fund for the payment ofpensions. and
for setting our army OF idle laborers at work
on extensive public improvements: for the
removal Of the strongest incentive to crime
among the poor. to vice among the rich; for
protecting the American from the influx of
undue alien competition: and for other pur-
poses" too numerous to mention. That Is
what 1t Is to be a statesman. Even an ex-
traordinary mind might be content to
have devised a plan to pay PEN
sions. to employ labor. to make rich
and poor virtuous and happy. But the
CofYeyville COLBERT is an extraordinary
genius. What are hurdles to himp He
leaps over the horned moon. He twists his
cowhides around the primum mobile. That
man has an intellect such as syndicate OF
HAMILToNs and GALLATINs couldn't equal.
When he brings in bill you will do we'll to
graft upon your mind notice that besides
everything which that bill Is specifically in
tended to do. it is fitted to do numerous
other things concealed In the cavities of the
makers intellectual processes. PETER was
born with general welfare preamble In his
constitution.
There are thirty-nine articles III we may
declare the fact without irreverence) in this
bill. 1t will take till at least the Fourth Of
July to grasp the scheme In all its details
Let us merely touch it. A graduated tax Is
to be levied on estates. Estates not ex-
ceeding the value OF 100000 may be ex-
empted. Estates OF from $l.OOO.OO0 to
900 are to pay one per cent; $2,0Oo.0OO
to $5.0O0.0 900. three per cent; $1,000. 900 to
$lo.0OO.oOO. eight per cent: $lO.OOO.oOO and
upward. eighteen per cent. The net pro-
ceeds Of the tax are to be distributed among
tho States In three truly statesmanlike
ways. One-third Is to be distributed among
the States In proportion to their valuation:
one-third In proportion to their population;
and one-third In proportion to their area.
This area distribution is In itself enough to
put PETER on the southerly exposure OF
glory. And here let us pause for moment
to give three cheers but no tiger
Mr.. MILss feelings might be hurt-for
area and Texas. Mr.. MILLS Is graduated
income tax man. but he has not the heroic
conceptions OF the Sunaower thinker. Then
there Is a tax from one to thirty per cent.
on inheritances from 100000 to more
than 100000. The States must use the
money for three purposes. I. Pensions and
paying the Union soldiers the difference
between the value OF the greenbacks with
which they were paid and gold. with an
other neat little present in the shape Of 8
per cent. interest from Jan. I. 1856. COM
pounded semi-annually. 2. For building or
bettering canals. and improving roads and
navigable waters. and for storage reser-
volrs in the Dryest West. 8. For national
guard. Laborers on canals. roads. and
other improvements contemplated by the
act must be citizens OF the United