The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-02-02
WASHINGTON.
(Coptinued from lst page.)

discuss the question of using the gold resei'
for current expenses, but he declared hat u
power conferred upon the administration
law to replenish the gold redemption fun
was absolute and unquestionabe and hs
never before been disputed.
| Voorhees, and German Defended CarIlS
Wednesday against Hosr's attack. Gorma
had prepared himself carefully, and he n
piled at length to Mr. Hoar, reading froI
the records of both congress and the treasur
department In support OF his contention th'
the treasury was bankrupt when the Demo-
racy came into office. But strong as this al
gument was be attracted more attention by
tbinIy yelled declaration OF hostility to th
Wilson bill.
The debate was one of the most exciting
recent years and there are Ominous report
that the Republicans will unite with the 81
yer senators to pass resolution intended 7
embarrass Secretary Carlisle and force tn
of the Wilson tariff bill. This Is what Stew
art o. Nebraska, IL arguing.
The Income Tax Debate.
The debate on the Income tax opened Mon
day. Mcmillan opened 1t with motion t
add 1t to the Wilson bill as an amendmen
and With a strong argument:
| "If man owns fifty or one hundred million
worth OF property In the United states, as SOM
do, he pays only on what ne eats, what NJ
| uTlDKb, WnaL He WtdIbs anu VIC oeuOh e"i"Ho ~
uses. The time has come when this should b
changed. l ask of any reasonable person
whether 1t Ia unjust TO expect that small piece
Of this enormous revenue shasl be placed upod
of placing all upon the consumption or thf
country. 1t is not time that great estates. which
| are protected BY our army, which are deienueo
| by our navy. which are benefited ty the variout
| operations of government, should contribute In
| some greater degree to carry on that govern
ment through which alone they could have been
| lit m
tected. y And yet. when 1t is proposed to
shift sma II part of this burden from those who
cannot bear II to those who can, to divide II be-
tween ronsumntion and wealth, to shirt ~ IRON
the laborer, who has nothing but his power to
toll and sweat, to the man who has fortune
made or inherited we hear a hue and cry raised
y some Individuals that IT is unjust and inquis
itorial in its nature, and should not be adopted.
Others say that 1t cannot be collected. while
stil others claim that It will tend to perjury and
corruption among the people.
'In answer to those who say 1t cannot be col
lected, we give the naked facts of history. We
point back to the time when there was less
chance to enforce law in this country than there
Is n ow. when by rcasOn of the unsettled condl'
tior that succeeded the late war 1t was more
difficult to collect revenue than now. We point
back to that day. and show where we collected
from 44o.Ooo,oOO to s7o,OoO.00O year from this
source.
"In reply to that class who say that 1t will be
fruitful of perjury, say that have greater
IL the American people than they
have. am willing TO trust the American PEG
pile. do not believe that the masses OF the rich
or the poor of our country are capable OF COM
hitting perjury to escape very small portion
Of lust tsxation. Unlike the old law, II
Only hose that have $4,000 income have to
make return. There is nothing in this agains!
which any just man can complain; there Is moth
ng to arouse fear that any Ill can come from Il;
upon prosperity. tits no effort to prevent pros
perity. It's no death blow aimed at commerce.
But 1t ls an effort to In some way require each |
,it!zen to contribute to the government In pro- |
portion to what he has. Now let us see some of
ne advantages thai will flow from 1t. To. |
lay there are great contentious and strifes |
ong our people, some feeling that the others
10 not contribute their proportional pa to the
upport OF the government. Who would be dis |
onfent with a system of government which tax |
ID only In proportion to the wealth that was
3 were never accumulated In one generation or
wo before In the history of the whole world.
Dukedoms dwindle into insignifcance when
ompared to the great estates that are accumu
ated by one or two generations under the ipsti.
utions of free and happy America. ] believe
ne of the best methods that can be adopted 10
o away with class jealousies and class preju-
ices and class distinctions will to let 1t be
nown that in the matter OF the payment Of taxes
mere Is absolute equality between all the citi-
ems Of the whole country.
Ray, Reu., of New York, charged that sec
onal prtjudi,e was The direct occasion of
be proposal. He declared that the Wilson
~ would empty the schoolhouses and jails
estruction OF the present economic system
ad produced the present conditions. An In.
ONE tax. said he, was the twin sister of free
rsde. They went band In hand. Burn the
vtlson bill In the furnace under this CAPITOL"
e cried, with upIifted hand. sand within "a
ours prosperity will return. every working
ian In this country will be seen with q full
inner pail on bis way to day OF remunera-
We toll"
Tarnsey Of Mo-, said:
The income tax was FIRST resorted to In the !
ark days Of the civil! war. When the war end. /
their excessive burdens. instead Of taking
q taxes OF the neceesaries OF life by lowering
. tariff rates one BY one. the Internal revenue
xes were removed. The taxes which the rich 7
9 poor were retained. This was unjust. Men O
Oud pay according to their wealth for the r
pport and protection Of the government r
lere we're s7o,0oO.ooO Of property In this coun. =
:. one man owned el,OO0,0O8 would 1t not I
just that he should be taxed his equitable y
are for the protection of his proptery?
Williams of Miss, evolved two additions '
the vouabu airy of political economy. THE
ponents OF the tax" he said, "were pluto. y
CUES and encouragers of 'plutogogy.' A "
10; plutogogue appeals to the people who
' the mob" a
Hall Of Missouri, the author of the proposal. b.
de an elaborate speech for It; he went 10
tx to the time of Moses and quoted from tt
u'eronomy that "Men should paw taxes ac- al
ding to their ability" He followed the "
a all down through the Bible and into Gre. CT
n and Roman history, quoting copiousIy CT
~ MoGtetquleu and other writers to sus- "
D bis points. And be added: a.
hey call 1t a war tax, and yet will show You ~
1t has been used In Virainia and 1 Aassa. Ii
setts, and is recognized both In the copstitu ca
and on the statute books to this day. Penn co
vaniaevies an income tax upon corporations,
even in New YORK they have the Inheritance
which 10 the same thing In principle. only IA
v wait till the man Is dead and una BILE to bi
c before they impose 1t DO
,anies of New York had argued that the tic
was unconstitutional, quoting Samuel J. WI
EN- to thst effect. Hall quoted the decis- ta
Of the United States supreme court In "a
wer and argued: OF
is ascertain as anything can be that you
Z have tariff reform without an income tax in]
tory proves that conclusively. Sir Robert inI
1 found IL the Income tax the only means of al
aking down the protective sy stem In England Ro
it has been relied upon ever since in that ~,
ntry TO avoid the necessity OF reimposing w
q taxes. An income tax is the best tax that ira
be levied. 1t can nuctuate without Interior sci
with the business and industries of the coun- fuI
and tariff can't You cannot estimate now tQ
revenue you will want for the government rio
70 or three years from now. and for that %,
on you can never have q tariff that lie perma. III
!. II you can't depend upon It entirely for the NJ
,nues of the government. You would have WI
hange the tariff every two years. and you wa
rot charge the tariff or threaten to change IL sch
iout disastrous disturbances to business In
SITS and the impairment of the obligation OF
rscts. They say that this bill Is linguistic Z
IL there any tax that isn't? Is there any M.
that could possibly be more inquisitorial r., r.,
the present customs tariff under which mes w w,
you when you come into the country and WI
strip YOU IS make as when you were born, IN
all Your trunks inside down and ex famine Ind