The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-04
CRESHAM'S SCHOLER UP
The Secretary Is Boiling Overwith
Rage at Bynum's Conduct.
He Told the President He Would Fix"
the Indianapolis Congressman on
the Income Tax Question.
BYNUM WOULDN'T BE "FIXED"
And Voted for the Measure, to the
Dismay of the Secretary.
Proposed Method of Taxing IncOrpora-
tiOns Explained by Mr.. Mcaillin
Jerry Simpson Happy.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 3.-There is trouble
between Walter Q. Gresham and William d.
Bynum. All day the Secretary of State
has been walking the floor in his depart
ment saving the air and abusing the In
dianapois Congressman. He wore the til
ing off the floor at the Arlington Hotel not
little last night, performing the same
labor, and, it is said, he took pains to call
on the President to-day to make a personal
explanation.
Mr.. Gresham claims that day or two
ago Mr.. Bynum promised" him to vote
against an income tax. At the meeting of
the Democratic members of the ways and
means committee, last evening, when 1t was
decided to adopt that inquisitorial war
measure-an income tax-Mr. Bynum voted
In the affirmative-cast the deciding vote, as
was stated by your correspondent last night
When the Secretary of State learned OF Mr.
Bynum's vote he flew into a rage and
roundly denounced the indianapolis member
for having deceived him. 1t seems that Mr.
Gresham assured the President some time
ago that he would see Mr.. Bynum and "ix
him on the income tax business;" that he
would turn him from his position in favor
of the proposition and have him vote against
it. Mr.. Bynum has, from the start to the fin
ish, favored income tax. He has not,
however, cared very much about the princi-
pie involved; he has simply preferred to levy
an income tax rather than place a duty
of one cent a pound on raw sugar, as de-
manded by the President, because he be-
lieved that income taxes would be paid by
those who could afford to do so, while the
burden of higher priced sugar would fall
upon the poor man. He says he would not
g
the fact that more revenues are needed, and
he would prefer an income tax to duty on
sugar; that an income tax is necessary If
we are to adopt the English revenue system
and reform the tariff to the extreme pro-
posed by the Wilson bill. He believes that
inheritances and legacies should be the first
to pay tax as the beneflciaries of legacies
most frequently have done nothing to merit
their good fortune
What Mr.. Bynum probably told Mr.,
Gresham was that he would not vote for
an income tax if it did not provide for tax
on private incomes; that he would not sup
port measure which simply taxed corpora
ton shares, as it had been ascertained that
most of the corpora ton shares in the coun-
try were held by the common people, and
the only true index to wealth was shown i'm
the private income-the individual resource.
When the proposition came up last night it
was in the form of tax on private incomes
as we'll ts-on corporation revenues above
operating expenses, and so Mr.. Bynum
voted for it meeting his primary demand
If it had added legacies it would have
pleased him all the better. So it develops
that Mr.. Gresham has simply failed again
to handle the Indiana delegation for the
administration. May be he will learn some
time that he cannot rule the Hoosier roost
1t Is likely that the ex-Hoosier Secretary of
State and the Indianapolis Congressman will
hereafter not speak as they pass by.
The income tax has added a new feature
Of unpopularity to the Wilson bill. There
are now scores of Democrats who declare
they will vote against the measure. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the Democrats in
Congress can claim their ownselves; whether
they have any independence. If they have
half the courage they profess to have the
Wilson bill will never become a law The
income tax has drafted into the opposition a
score or more Democrats in the House and
several in the Senate. 1t looks as though
the bill may be defeated ultimately