Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-20


ments not heretofore made public
/ touching the payment by the United
States Of S425,0OO to Great Britain for
damages growing out of the contro-
versy as to the fur seals in Behring
seq or the seizure Of British vessels
engaged in taking ais in these
waters
Mr.. Linton introduced a bill pro-
hibiting the printing of any words or
devices upon the American flag by in
dividuals.
Washington. Dee. I'm the sen
ate. on motion of Mr. Allen. of
Nebraska. the amendment to the
bill amending section 3 of the act
of March 3 passed, withdrawing GER
tain lands from entry. Mr.. Allen eX-
! planned the bill was important, in
view of the large number of persons
in the northwest driven from their
homes By drouth.
Mr.. Gray moved to take up the sugar
| bill; lost. % to 81.
Mr.. Plat, of Connecticut. spoke
briefly on the bill introduced by Mr..
Berry to establish the territory of In
dianOla from the lands now occupied
| by the five civilized tribes. The bill
was referred to the committee on In
dian affairs.
The resolution of Mr.. Higgins, call
| ing for the correspondence relating to
| offers of mediation by this govern
ment between China and Japan then
passed. The senate proceeded to the
consideration Of the pension bills on
! the calendar Among those passed
was bill granting a pension Of 500
per month to Major General A. Nc
! Clernand.
Washington, Dec 1.-THE house
went into committee Of the whole on
the urgent deficiency appropriation
bill. The only disputed items are
S245.00O for collection of the income
tax and S25O,OO0 for special examiners
Of the pension office. Mr.. Bartlett,
of New York, led the fight against the
former, and Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa,
against the latter.
Mr.. Henderson vigorously attacked
| the appropriation for special exam
liners criticising severely the conduct
of the pension officers. The examiners
of pensions boosted that $4,000 in
money was saved to the government
last year. The mission of examiners
was to secure evidence against, not in
favor of pensioners and claimants.
He advised an amendment that would
cut off this auxiliary force of exam
~ +J,o al nr11ry no
regular number, one hundred.
Mr.. Sickles, amid roar of repub-
lican applause, repudiated the charge
Of wholesale fraud made against the
pensioners.
After some further debate Mr.. Bart
lett opened the discussion against the
income tax appropriation. He gave it
as his opinion that in the supreme
court it would be decided to be a capt
tati0n tax and therefore not being APP
pOrtiOned among the states according
to population, unconstitutional Mr..
Mcmillan defended the income tax
as a just, constitutional and demo-
cratic measure. In the course of a
hot colloquy with Mr.. Bartlett, Mr.. Nc
MILAN said: I'm order to show the
fragrant wrong done by the system of
taxation under which we have been
living | will call your attention to
William Waldorf Astor. This gentle
man ran Tor congress once against the
present governor of New York, and
was defeated. His defeat soured and
embittered him against the govern
| inS a
! abroad and, not content with what he
could say against America himself and
our American institutions, he pur-
chased one of the ablest journals in
Great Britain. He lives there now and
his paper is doing it's work against our
| institutions. The income of this man,
derived from property in New York, is
more than five millions of dollars a
year, and he does not pay (he does
pay state tax, county tax and munich
pality tax, it is true) but he does not
pay the government of the United
States, and has not paid ten dollars in
ten years, although he has this colos-
! sal fortune which is protected by our
army and defended by our navy"
At this point Messrs Henderson and
Cochran both stated that they consid-
cred the debate on the merits of the
income tax improbable. Both hoped
| the elections had furnished an intel
| lectual awakening on the democratic
side which would result in a repeal of
''this odious tax" After a short speech
by Mr.. breckenridge, defending the in
come tax, Mr.. Bartlett moved to strike
out the appropriation for the collection
| of the tax