Huntsville gazette., 1894-02-17
A FLASH LIGHT.

Illuminating the Responsibtllty Tor the
Income Tax Disaster.
Whether the income tax supplement
to the Wilson tariff bill passes the
house or fails to pass. the effect upon
the fortunes of the democracy will be
disastrous.
In one case the party will have taken
up and put through populistic meas
ure strange to the democratic platform,
repugnant to every democratic prin-
ciple and incomparably odious to the
country In the other case, the party
will have incurred all of the odium of
the attempt, with the additional humil-
iation of failure.
Upon which horn of the dilemma the
democracy is presently to be impaled,
depends largely upon the course adopted
by the republicans of the house, under
the smart leadership of Mr. Reed. The
disposition of the republicans just now
seems to be to assist the majority in
every possible way to commit suicide
by the more violent method.
Are the bowling populists response
BILE for the present ignominious posi-
ton and dismal prospects of the de-
mocracy? Not bit of it. If all the
populistic and socialistic voters in the
United States had marched in mob
upon Washington, waving their red
banners, they could not have forced the
democratic party to tear up its own
Chicago platform and to adopt the
Omaha platform of the so-called peo-
pies party.
Is the responsibility with the section
alist democrats, like McMillin, of Ten
nessec, who want to pile their own
share of the burden of taxation upon
other peoples shoulders, no matter by
what trick? No. They have merely
taken advantage of the opportunity
thrust under their eyes and noses by
the Cleveland administration, and its
agent in the house committee on ways
and means.
The supporters of the administra-
ton are now pretending to regret the
imminent prospect of income tax legis-
latiou. and to disclaim responsibility on
| the part Of Mr. Cleveland and Prot.
| Wilson.
Let us see how this immeasura bic
blunder has been fastened upon the
democracy. and who fastened it.
When Mr. Cleveland and Prof. Wilson
conspired to defeat the tariff pro-
gramme announced in the platform
which they were elected to carry out;
when they abandoned the fundamental
democratic principle of tariff for reve.
nue. only, and undertook to make a
tariff for protection and for an eighty
million dollar deficiency, to be supplied
somehow, but not by the custom
houses, they opened the way for the in
come tax. If they had done their plain
duty as democrats and honest men,
there would have been no more pros
pect to-day of an income tax than of a
tax on dwelling houses according to
the number Of windows
When Mr.. Cleveland in his animal
message to congress recomme nded the
enactment of a tax upon incomes de-
rived from corporate investments, he
gave tremendous impetus to the prof.
ects of the disguised populists within
the democratic party. There is no diff
ference in principle between direct
and unconstitutional tax upon the in
comes of individuals from corporate as
sociations and direct tax upon the
incomes of individuals as individuals.
Mr.. Cleveland declared for one and
has therefore encouraged and precipi-
tated the other. He has even put it
| out Of his own power to veto an in
| dividual income tax law upon the plain
and simple constitutional grounds
| otherwise at mis- disposal for effective
use in such public emergency.
Incompetency, cowardice treschery
and inconceivable folly-that is the
whole story of democratic leadership
in this tariff business. And the prin-
cipal responsibility for the income tax
disaster is about equally divided be-
tween Grover Cleveland and William
Lightweight Wilson.-N. Y. Sun dem. J..