The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-01-13
NEW YORK Is SOLID.
In Opposition to the Southern
Hobby, Income Tax.
eouRkE COCHRAN VERY BITTER.
Anss Csnnings Equally Violent In His
Dsnaneistien Of the Pepuliss Meas
IRE Fereed Upon the Party.

WAeHrSGfoy STTY, An. I--tSpeciAi.lE
If the sayings of Hon. Bourke Cochran
were collected and published they would
make Q very readable and salab.e book Of
political aphorisms. When the income
tax bill was definitely announced he made
this comment: ''Ths Democratic hen has
been sitting on her nest three months aud
has finally Matched Populist policy"
Cochran il q warm friend Of Senator Car
Isle and both are opposed to tho income
tar. They lost no time in calling upon
the president and urging him to make .
public declaration against IL Cochran
says the president viii do this. Up to the
present time the White House sphinx is
still dumb. New York's entire delegation
presents solid front to the proposed tax
and viii be 30 on the floor of the house.
There can be no question that party fight
has been engendered which viii be more
intense than was that which resulted in
the repeal of the Sherman law.
It il claimed by certain representatives.
that an income tax is unconstitutional.
and even If the law was passed the tar
could not Be collected. The charge was
speedily answered and brought to light .
most interesting feature in the income tax
discussion. The law, which was in effect
until the '10s. was decided by the SUI
preme court to be constitutional. The
plaintiff in that suit was no other than
Hon. William L. Springer, of Illinois,
who refused to pay his tax. claiming that
il was direct tax, and - such under the
constitution could be levied only by ap-
portionment among the states according
to their population. In summing up its
decision the supreme court said: '0ur
conclusions are that direct taxes within
the meaning of the constitution are only
capitation taxes, rs expressed in that in
strument, and taxes on real estate"
If the solid Democratic delegations of
the North and East refuse to support the
bill. a. they now unhesitatingly declare.
unless the income tax be abandoned. it
must inevitably result in q party tangle
which it will require months to straighten
out The Democratic delegations from
the South and West are determined 10
stand by the income tax principle. They
are not divided on this 40 they were on
the repeal bill. The Democrats have
themselves precipitated these sectional
discussions. No sooner had the individ-
ual income tax been decided upon than
certain Western Democrats exultingly be-
the victory. One of them said in CONVEX
sation with New Yorker: "You forced
the repeal bill on US, and now you can
take some of the same medicine" Among
these New Workers there is q feel ing that
the South is trying to run away with all
the legislation. Amos Cummings Is almost
as bitter as Bourke Cochran in his denunci-
atoms of the bill. 1T is nothing
more nor less than an attempt
TO make US pay all the taxes" said he. at
will come cut of the working people after
all. Ny district is largely composed of
working people. We have got the worst
of it from start to finish In this bill, and
this additional burden is Just little more
than We can stand. It stands to reason
that If direct tax Is imposed now upon
those whose income is derived from rent
ais. those assessed will make their tenants
pay the tax My people live in tenement
houses and will have to bear that burden
in increased rentals. These are the per-
sonal considerations, added to which is
the fact that the tax il monarchical and
contrary to all principles of democracy"