The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-13
A FIGHT ON THE INCOME TAX
An Effort 10 Cut Off Any AppTOpTia-
ton to Collect Il.

plies in Opposition to Mr. Bartlett's
Claims and Cites william Waldorf
Astor's Case in Support of the Jtstioe
ofthe Tax-Bourke Cochran the Next
to Take the Floor-The Motion to
Strike Out the Appropriation De-
feated.
Washington, Dec. 12.-As soon as the
routine business of the House was disposed
of to-day the urgent deficiency bill was
/ taken up in committee of the whole upon
motion of Mr.. Breckenridge. An effort
was made to agree upon a Limitation OF the
/ general debate. The opponents Of the
/ item appropriating money to make the
/ income tax law effective and of the item
| increasing the appropriation for the pay
ment Of special pension agents and
Mr.. Breckenridge could not come to terms
and the discussion was begun under the
rules.
Mr.. Henderson, rep, of Ohio. antagon-
lied the item of s25OOOo to pay special PEN
sion examiners
! The discussion was participated in by
! Messrs. Coombs, dem. of New York, Dan
iels, rep. of New York, Morse. rep. of
Massachusetts,, and sickles. DEM, of New
/ York.
! Mr.. Bartlett. dem, of New York. ad-
/ dressed himself to the item appropriating
$245,095 to execute the law for the collec-
tion of the income tax. He said he had
/ introduced on the first day of the session
| bill to repeal that portion of the tariff
/ bill, but he recognized that the bill would
never see the light of day. The only way
in which the end sought by that bill could
be reached was by defeating any appro-
/ priation for the enforcement of the law
Mr.. Bartlett discussed at some length
the legal features of the question, with
view to demonstrating the unconstitu-
tionality and lnvalidity of the income tax.
Mr.. Mcmillan, the author of the income
tax feature of the tariff bill, replied to
Mr.. Bartlett, discussing the latters asser-
tion that the income tax was unjust.
why unjust?' asked Mr.. Mcmillan.
Whence the injunction? Who does it
hurt? Fe says it falls upon the poor man,
because his rent will be Increased. The
poor man is paying 1t MOVE He will not
be in any worse condition if the taxation
/ is put on some other things than clothes
and other necessaries of life? A man
should pay to the support of the gov
eminent that blesses him, and that pro-
tects him in proportion to the blessing
he receives through the protection of his
property. If he has got big estate, then
he should pay big tax. If he has got
a little estate he should pay a little tax
and the man with $1,000 income ought not
| to pay the same tax to the support of the
| government of the United States that is
] paid by the man who has millions of in
come. To illustrate the point here. shall
depart from my usual course. In the
whole of these discussions, Mr.. Chairman,
| of using on the floor of the
House as an illustration or otherwise
| the names of individuals. But
! in order to show the fragrant wrong that
| is done by the system of taxation under
| which we have been living, l will call
| your attention to the name of one man
| who is not unfamiliar to many of you
and certainly not to any citizen of the
| state and city of New York. / speak of
| Mr. William Waldorf Astor This gem
| tleman ran for congress once against
| the present governor of New York (N1r
| Flower and was defeated and permitted
| that defeat to do for him what no man
ought to permit to be done in this
| country, that is it soured and embittered
| him against the government of the United
! States, and our institutions generally
| He moved abroad, and not content with
| what he could say against America him
! self and our American institutions, he
I
| the great government of Great Britain
| He lives there now, and this newspaper
which he owns and controls is doing its
| work against our institutions. And yet,
! Mr. Chairman, the income of this man,
! am creditably informed on what / believe
| to be good authority, derived from prop
| erty in New York, is more than $780,
/ 900 a year, and he does not pay-he does
! pay a state tax; he does pay a county
| tax and he does pay municipality tax,
! it is true-the government of the United
/ States dollar, and has not paid $40 in
| ten years, although he has this colossal
| fortune which is protected by our army
! and defended by our navy. Now, we say,
! that Notwithstanding his foreign resi-
| dence, he should be compelled to pay
| something to the support of the govern
ment that blesses and protects his vast
estate in this country. What say you?
/ addressing Mr.. BartetD. Where is the
man that will contend that there is any
/ injustice in requiring him to bear some
| of the portion of the burden of taXation?"
Mr.. Bartlett-I will answer the gentle
man that there is no better tax payer in
the state of New York than Mr.. William
Waldorf Astor. / will answer him further
that there is no family in the state or
county of New York that contributes
more largely to taxation purposes, state,
county and municipal, than does the AS
tor family.
Mr.. McMllan-I respond TO the gentle
man from New York, tax the rich and the
poor in proportion to what they possess,
and not in proportion to what they need.
1t ought to be the dollar that pays the
taxes and not the man.
Further along Mr.. Mcmillan became en-
gagged in a colloquy with Mr.. Cochran,
dem, of New York, regarding the effect
upon the government revenues of a re-
duction of tariff rates, which concluded
with the admission by Mr.. Mcmillan that
he did not believe that the Wilson bill as
framed would have the effect to raise the
revenues necessary to carry on the gov
ernment without the income tax measure.
Mr.. Henderson Of Iowa took the floor
to defend the appropriation, but yielded
most of his time to Mr. Cochran of New
York He argued that the income tax leg
islation that is levelled against prosper
ity and success in life is un-democratic, is
un-American, is revolutionary, is anarch-
istical, and ought to be condemned as it
has been by the American people. (Ap-
plause). "Mr. Chairman, IL has also, l be-
lieve, been said that this Is a proper form
of taxation. My opposition is not di-
rected against the right Of the government
to tax incomes, because / believe it has
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