The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-16
AN OLD HYPOCR|TE.
Last Legislative Work of Col.
Breckenridge,
Was to Introduce Bills for Pro-
noting Morality.
HILLS TARIFF TALK
Still Causes Comment Among
the Senators.
HILLS TARIFF TALK


nished the house with some surprises.
When Mr.. Cooper of Indiana introduced
his bill for the taxation of green backs at
the same rate as other money, it was greet
ed with good natured smile and looked
upon as merely mild piece of Populistic
legislation 1t therefore attracted atten-
ton when the committee reported by to
in favor of the bill and excited some in
quiry to their reasons, as it had gener-
ally been taken for granted that taxation
of the federal government obligations in
any form was unconstitutional The COM
mittee has decided, however, that this is
not strictly true, and that the privilege of
nOntaxatiOn may be waived by the accred-
tied agents of the government. To this
conclusion the members were led by the
argument in Judge Cooley's work on tax
alton, which is the standard authority in
the house on such matters
The Question of Taxation.
The author argues the case clearly, shows
that the exemption from taxation is only
decuced from the general power of the gov
eminent to sustain and strengthen its
credit and then states in express words
that congress has the power to declare gov
ernment legal tenders subject to taxation
under certain circumstances as it may
see fit to prescribe. The committee agree
that the reason is absolutely CONCLUSIVE,
and that con gress can therefore make green
backs or any other government obligation
used as money taxable. They differ on
the question of expediency. On that point
the two-third6 majority have some really
stunning figures tending to show that more
than half of all the paper money in the
country escapes taxation under cover of
the grcenbacks.
In one case reported a single Individual
had had ON hand 1925, 900 in greenbacks
when tho assessor called and did not pay
cent of tax on money. The history shows
that in the struggle to maintain its credit
thing nontaxable which was even indi-
rectly government support, even the ma
tional bank shares. But so much opposi-
ton was excited that in time the latter
were made taxable. The committee is con-
f1dent of passing the Cooper bill through
both houses, and thus putting all forms
of currency on the same level of taxation.
The Ford TIieater Disaster.
When the full details of the disaster at
the old Ford theaJer on June last year
were first given to the country, there
was universal feeling that the sufferers
should receive exemplary damages in some
form Individual bills were brought into
congress for paying the various claimants,
the largest being that introduced by Sen
ator VOORHEES, for paying SO, 900 to Cap
tain John B. DOwd- He is the man whose
case excited so much attention, he lay
for hours under an immense heap of bricks
and iron girders and when taken out was
supposed to be crushed out of all semblance
to humanity In fact, his presence under
the heap was only discovered by accident
after the search had been abandoned.
Such was the skill of the surgeons, how
ever the remarkable force of his consti-
tuition that he recovered without the loss
of bone or limb and is once more able to
work at his desk in the record and pension
Office of the war department.. As he was
a soldier of splendid record and twice
wounded in the civil war, it was thought
Chn he MAJ 10 al h1Yf as rem
resentativcs of the % who We're killed
and all the 70 who were injured put in
their claims the whole matter rested until
a short time ago the senate appointed a
special committee of five, of which Sen
atOr Harris is chairman, to report on all
the cases. They have just appointed a
board of three surgeons, and now it is
promised that every sufferer will be paid
according to his injuries But there are
too many indications that tho delay will
be as with many other claims against the
government.
Janus Faced Brecl1inridge.
The colleagues of the unfortunate Brock
inridge continue to bring up facts of a
more or less painful nature in the retro
spect, one of them being that the last leg
islativc work he did before taking his place
in court as defendant was to introduce two
bills for the promotion of general mOrali
ty- They did not bear that title, of course.
One is bill requiring people who live in
boats on navigable rivers to take out Ii
cense for so doing, which would subject
them to the same reguI 4tions steam boat
men and others on the river have to OBJ
serve The bill is evidently aimed at the
managers of trading boats, which often do
a very thriving business on the Ohio when
steamboats, are delayed by bars or other
wise. The laws about Sunday liquor sell
ing and the like are often ignored on such
boats. The other Breckenridge bill is one
to prevent secular labor on Sunday in this
District and other places subject to con
gressional legislation, except in cases of
extreme necessity
The Tariff Bill.
The speech of Senator Hill on the tariff,
as might have been expected, has been the
subject of general conversation, and there
is no attempt of the advocates of the bill
to deny that it has had depressing effect
nor to conceal their apprehension that the
bill may be defeated in the senate. The
general feeling was evinced by the inn
-rcnse crowd which struggled for an en-
trance to the galleries, while the floor was
well filled by members of the house, there
being a mere squad in the latter chamber
to discuss District OF Columbia matters.
1t was known in advance that with the in
come tax measure retained the bill would
lose three Democratic votes certainly and