New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-10

by the individual citizen "ouIu nay az 81 ~,
weight # such franchises were usually sianten 10y
Federal instead of state authority so, cornorate
Neither is the injustice OF me propoS,u Iui o.
tax mitgated by the fact that 4 + asaihsC cor
norations rather than against individuals because
a a n thereof is deducted from the dividends
paid 10 the individual stockho! dors am ~ - -
tuay tax upon individuals TOT all p'"o'''"' ''
poses.
THE TAX TOO LARGE.
This bill neither follows the recommendations OF
tbe president; and the Secretary Of the Treasury aS
10 the kind OF income tax desired nor as 10 '''7
amount or rate of the tax Itself
The President preferring not to be speo'hc' out
cautious. recommended simply "a small tax upon
incomes" The Secretary suggested tax OF ] per per
cent. The biz regulates both suggestions :, a do
adopts tax of per f ihe excess Gn as macy be-
This exemption of 50 much as Aso mcerSs'i t az
leans s IL at al it is dcult upon theory to le
fend any exemption. at Least oi an! mf f;,v-
ernmenia cha rity or favor and not matter OF src'
right and being in derGgsUn SI egHnr Such
tax being largeiy Of foreign origin; and hayng pen
hI II might be expected that the exemptions would
follow foreign precedents Prussia only toleratcs
an SarIe from SO to 500 In Denmark Is s2 and
Austria sll3 and in Enshnd , go sum of g. cS
figure for which there is no precedent ywnyIir
in the world. So large an exemption psaceble in
come twice as much as IS ordinarily necr1si,S ~
furnish fair living who pr'y pay no ' OK S1emptd
class on the one hand az against iiNpaylns class
0" ''e o'"''' IT is INouIsIToRIAL.
An income tax is Objectionable because from Us
very, nature IT must be inqusitoria in It's nposi-
,Ion and collection. The senior Senator from lhni-
ana (Nr Voorhees, calls this allegation NOISY anu
resounding charge" Let me tell nm tha' Il "
no, half 60 noisy as the constant VtuperdlIohS
witch we hear on every hand from blatant demh-
gogues who abroad in the land Loudly I'Er 49,,
Ing against the wealth Of the country ahl lmtu. .
means which their deysh ingenuity can lhTeI!' .
The charge Is indeed 'resOunding one; II W.
hoard wears ago in France against unjust ana
arbitrary taxes when Talleyrand ana others IN ue
ciared that every system OF taxation which nrcJs
eitates personal and arbitrary inqusiuons Tor l'S
execution is inG0nsstent WIZ 'm reln,cd All over
The world whenever despotisms have attempted l"
enforce similar taxes 10 the annoyhnte hi' tax is
in0uisitorial IS scarcely denied even by M as
inguished Senator from Indiana ar Is maj any S6cr
tempted to be palliaed by the pref nee NAV "n
taxes are equally but there Is no FOUNDATION even
io This bI compels the taxpayer under severe pairs
and penalties to make return under "atn 90 i-s
ma h,,smess To- the agents Of the Government. ana
r. in the opinion-the mere belefof such agents the
STATEMENT they may arbitrarily summon the citizen
before them with all his books ana palHis' 'U
thew nav question cross-exaInine and annoy him
to their hearts content There - no mint "NeN '"'
Experience has demonstrated that such penal pro
are statutes which forbid the disclosure or ne con
tents of kilograms. but leaks are constantly o.
covered Grand 1vres are sworn To secre'E, III, pIo
their proceedings often prenaturey reach the pubic
ear The executive sessions OF our senate arr secr.
hui the newspapers generally manage in some my
terious way to ind out all they ought 10 KNOW. ne
people Of this country nearly fn'Ds
privilege OF secret ballot b9i they w0ulr tss a.
that privilege as abridged ana tnat s'tny ri hoiIo,
We're required 10 he exhibited to the inspectors al
though sch inspectors were sworn to secrecy anu a
,asis o e how senator unmlndfu OF the pei,
sona rights and liberties Of he people nay ''Rn, a.,
il is a satisfaction 20 know that the best thonsht
and the fairest minds of the Nation are opposed to
them.
ELEMENTS OF INJUSTICE
Tho pub,c should not be msled into the belief that
only those whose incomes exceed 5000 are affected
by this bill That Is a mistaken idea. In the hfst
place all those having incomes less than sh"" b"'
more than $500, put to the annoyance oi max
ing sworn returns and they neglect II at thclr erh
In the second place. II may Iedsonao.y pe III 70
hended that some portion Of the tax pall WIZ re-
.mburse itself by an increase OF Teh's ct ,, -,
income derived from that sou.c.t ''aac SIAM -,
upon land regulate 10 some extent the amount OF
the demanded b. the landlord 20 p '1r ,y''rs ,
may be affected In som" degree ~ WI ~.
landlords The bill seriously affects the rights ana
interests they have been heretofore enJoyeu 81
building and loan associations throughcu the coun-
try incorporated under STATE laws ne I'h en- u
The salaries Of State. county ana municipal oil''
are exempt 9ecessariy 3d. as - aegc ~I M
their next-door neighbors. perhap. are SUBJECT
the tax The professional man will feel more krrny
He T reS fpom invested property At every point
there Is an element OF injustice and inequality which
renders an income TAX iNueleIlSOie 'AN'f' a. " wa
tax.
IT Is rNDEMOCRATIC
Let me inquire whence came this recent and I'M
| necessary camor for the imposition OF an Income
| tax as the policy OF the Government? Nothing
was heard in its behalf on the part OF either oil
two great political parties IN the gampaFn oi 3I
| proposed any such method Of raising revenues. NJ
prominent Democrat or hepnDnc a ,mited ~ th
| platform Of the newly formed POpullst party ana
| It's advocacy was restricted to Populist orators;
| But no sooner was the campaign or 1892 ended
than find it seriously proposed by a DeInocrau,
| by adopting one Of ITS principles. object 10 De-
coming a particeps crminis In any such larceny.
| a IAN TO the Populst kite | deny the right Of q
Democratic Congress to make principles for oui
| tionai convention dull assembled
President Cleveland in his second annual mcssag'
guage: ''It has been the policy Of the Government
| tax upon imports; and no change IN THIS poIcy II
Yet he fact cannot be disguised that notwith
| standing these accumulated evidences OF Demo
| cratic sentiment the authors OF this bill IN IN
| House deliberately set themselves at work to max
Violent aterat in existing tariff retesratcs no
| warranted bv existing bushes" condliohs ana lo"e
than in the Mills bllfor the very purpose Of Great
ing necessity for the imposition Of TAX upoi
| temporary expedent; there Is no limitation ilNe'
| to It's duration, nut II Is boldly proposed as pc;
| nanent policy Of the Government; It's Injustice !
vigorously defended. It's Determinations are h"art
approved and its lll-conccalcd scctlonal.sm IS IN
| bushingly excused.
WHAT IT MEAS
The substitution Of internal or direct taxes 70
! custon-bouse taxation means the reduction Of tn
wages of American worlSmen 10 the Europea
standards Ii means the degradatio Of America
labor; IT means the deprivation 10 our workmen O
the comforts and luXuries OF life TO which the
oil flgp a. "A
we NAV no other result Is possible under eXistin
European conditions. II ~ a self-cvdent propos
ton that we-paid labor cannot successfully cor
nete with underpaid labor. In Europe wages ar
low and labor Is degraded; In America wages ar
high and labor is prosperous elevated and digniieI
'rhe general Government being vested win The 80
elusive power OF custom.housc taxation ana ~