Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-03-29
BITTERLY OPPOSED.
The Fight Against the Wilson By
ard Income Tx:


Monday and even from Thursday, md no
secret is made Of the fact that the spokes-
men use the time in examining for the tar
in debate The Republican senator's are
unusualIy communicative as to tho line
they WIN take and listen willingly and In
some cases eagerly 70 any one who has
suggestjou 10 make. In fnct, their unusu-
ally receptive condition raises doubt II they
are not seeking to create contrast with
the action Of tho finance COMMITTEES IN re.
fusing heafipgA. We are also promised
that there will be something really new in
this debate.
The general line Of the opposition, Of
course, will necessarily be as it always has
been, but there will be some special attacks
on the bill which win give scope for new
matter. Two or three New England sena-
tors will devote themselves largely to what
they consider the extreme secti0nalism OF
the measure In Its present shape. They
say 1t was very bod as II came from the
house, but has been made very much worse
by the senate committee, and that 1t has
been very skillfully framed with view TO
giving enormous advantages 10 the cheap
labor of the south; that II will make that
labor destructively effective as against the
higher paid labor Of the far northern
states.
A Fierce Fight.
From the Pacific coast will come . Wig
orous assault on the alleged antircciproci-
ty features OF the bill, and 1t is limited that
New York and Ohio will combine without
distinction of party In fierce fight against
the income tax. The history Of income
taxes In all ages ID to be exhausted for prec-
edents, and it ID scarcely an exaggeration to
say that all the books In the Congressional
library which bear on financial history
hnve been examined by senators or their
secretaries and all pertinent passages noted
and many OF them copied. OF course there
will be specific attacks upon the sugar,
iron, earthenware and textile schedules.
It seems to be admitted on both sides
that the adoption Of an income tax at this
time would be the entering wedge for
general change in the system Of taxation.
"fhis is," say some Of the conservative
senators, ''probnbly the beginning OF a
very long and heated controversy. 1t Is
distinctly communistic measure, Populist-
ic for the present, and its triumphs ut this
time would be- serious matter indeed. 1t
would at once crafty the communistic el-
ements and give them just encouragement
enough to make them fight all the harder
and for many year to come for more rad
ical measures.' All the figures that the
department can furnish on the operations
of the income tax during ths war have
been tabulated aud are being studied and
arranged for effective presentation In the
debate. In general 1t may be said that
there Is at present promise Of . debate OF
very high order.
Committee Dlmculties.
The spectator or reader OF congressional
debates at present has his attention con.
c,ntrated on very few leading issues
and can form but little idea of the volu
minous mass of work done In committees.
J ust at present three Of the committees arc
worthy of particular attention. That on
Indian affairs, which awhile back was sup
posed to be through the heaviest part OF
its work, ia now heavily charged with new
questions. The proposed removal of the
Utes from southwest Colorado to Utah
has excited the friends Of the Indians, al
though the white settlers are unanimous
In desiring their removal. and the Indians
nre very eager to go. Only few years ugo
the region between western Colorado and
the Mormon settlements west OF the Wa
satch was almost all available for reser-
vations, but now every fertile valley has
It's settlement The Morrnons have pushed
70 far eastward that they have one bishop
ric In southwestern Colorado, and all their
must be paid for II their
section In to DO reserved for the Indians.
In the San Juan valley, where the Indians
want to 20, there are as yet but two land
entries, and both Colorado and Utah men
agree In stating that that Is about the last
chance for the Utes. And this case may
be taken as specimen of the many diff
culties which confront the committee In
dealing with the Indians Of that region.
Considerably over 5000 bills have been
introduced into this house, and 40 per cent
Of them have been referred to the com
mittee on war claims. A brief examine
tion of a mass OF these bills and accompa-
nying claims shows some queer features.
There are literally thousands Of cases Of
claims apparently valid which come up
anew in every congress, and every year
few hundred Of them get through. There
are hundreds Of cases where men furnished
hay and corn for the army at points desig-
mated, where the material spoiled bcforcit
was removed and the army, officials refused
10 accept 1t.
Rsjectcd Claims.
There are still hundreds Of cotton claims
and soldiers claims, many Of the latter
being for pay for the interval after the
soldier went into camp and before he was
mustered in. In many instances compa-,
MES were organised and the soldisrs
drilled for weeks before regiment was
formed and mustered. The government
has uniformly refused pay for that inter
val, and yet the claims come up by hun
dreds and thousands every year. Some
thing over 80, 900 claims rejected on their
face BY the war department and yet hnv-
ing some show Of merit are still liable to
be brought forward in congress. There
are still some Revolutionary claims. and
taking the whole nass before the commit
tee there are more northern than southern
claims. Only few hundred can filter
through the committee each year, and IN
the papers many pathetic stories are told
Of claimants whose all Was invested in
materials for the army. and who have been
utterly ruined by this delay.
Before the judiciary committee are over
100 bills, each Of which seems important to
the man who introduced it-bills to estab-
lish lighthouses, marine hospitals, ports OF
entry 1ud tlistrihutiun, pUtuts u rgistfa-
tioh and the like. A bill by Mr.. Coombs
provides for the protection Of distinguish