Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-04
BRYAN FEELS MUCH ELATED
Adoption OF His Income Tax Proposition by
the Committee Pleases Him.
PLAN or TIE LAW STATED BY ITS AUTHOR
Only Incomes OF $4,000 and Upwards WIN
Be Subjected to the Impost, Which
Will he straight . Per
Cent ON All.
WASHINGTON BUREAU or The Bee, !
5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET, !
WAauINaTON Ian. g !

Ol5 FOURTEENTH STtBET,
WAsHGSGToN, Jan. 81
Representative William Jennings Bryan
OF Nebraska vent about Washington today
with his mobile face all wrcathed in smiles.
He is about the happicst man in town. He
feels, and justly, too, that he has won n per-
sonaI victory in securing favorable action at
the hands of the democratic members of the
ways and means committee last night upon
his income tax proposition. MIR. Bryan
was the first member of the COM
mittce to advocate an income tax.
1t was for that reason he was
placed upon the ways and means committee.
When Chairman Wilson divided the commit
tee into various subcommittee, Mr.. Bryan
was asked to head either the subcommittee
on general revenues or income taxes. Ee
selected the latter because the policy of the
tariff bill upon the customs revenues had
already been determined. MIR. Bryan has
gathered all of the data used by the commit
tee in determining it's course upon incomes.
All of the friends of income taxes today ex-
tended the Nebraska member their congrat-
ulations upon his success in the face of OBJ
situate and bitter opposition upon the part
of the administration.
He Downed the Administration.
Mr.. Bryan was given to understand some
weeks ago that if he succeeded in securing
n majority of tho committee in favor of his
project he would have TO do IL against the
open opposition and persistent work of the
administration He felt, however, that he
could win and that he could afford to oppose
the administration, because, it had invaded
his state recently and fought him upon the
silver question. When THE BEE correspond
ent this afternoon found Mr.. Bryan in the
rooms of the ways and means committee his
countenance bore a broad smile and he was
surrounded by a number of democractic
members of the house, some of whom were
with and some opposed to him in this fight.
"Yes, | feel that there is some cause for
me to regard the action of the committee in
adopting income taxes as a personal vic
tory" said Mr.. Bryan, to The BEE. 81 do
not, however, share in the belief expressed
by some democrats that income taxes will
be defeated in the house or senate. | be-
lieve they will be passed by both houses and
become law. | was in favor of a graduated
tax, and believed in making legacies pay a
higher tax than other incomes, but I am
very well satisfied with the outcome of the
contest so far"
Will Work Out the Details.
"Have you entered upon the work of ar
ranging the details of the proposed law, the
manner of levying and collecting the taXes9"
was asked.
NO" replied Mr.. Bryan, eve nave not
begun that work but we have the material
at hand and will begin the labor at once.
The details have all been referred to Mr..
McMillin of Tennessee and myself. We ex-
pect to have the work completed and ready
to report to the house before the Wilson bill.
as it now stands, is adopted and TO have it
made a part Of the general bill"
Have you any plans for avoiding the i'm
quisitorial and obnoxious features os levying
and collecting these taxes?"
"You may say" replied Mr.. Bryan, ''that
we have plans by which income taxes will
be as little OH the inquisitorial order as it is
possible to make them. We intend to avoid
every obnoxious feature possible. In the
first place, there will be only one-thlrd as
many persons called upon to pay taxes under
this law as were asked to pay under the war
income tax. The income tax during the war
went down to incomes as low as $500, while
we do not propose to tax any income under
81 1000 per year. The war income tax was
graduated, while ours is uniform at 2 per
cent, which is much simpler and less than
tho former law.
why, ours is about the only nation on the
face of the earth which has not an income
tax. England has had one for many years
and 1t Is much more lDquisitoriai and heavier
than the one we propose to levy. Even an
alien in England who has a residence there
for ninety days must pay an income tax. |
don't believe there will be over 80, 900 persons
who will pay taxes under this law, although
the committee has figured the number at
$1,000. Yes, If one inherits a sun OF money
after the adoption of this law, or comes into
possession of other property by inheritance
or otherwise which is worth more than
$4,000, it will under the law be regarded as
that persons income for the year, and all
above the 81, 900 will have to pay the 2 per
cent tax. But after the first year we tax