Omaha daily bee., 1894-01-04
AN mplvltrAL INCOME rAx.

@0I1 HEn
among the democratic members Of the
ways and means committee Of a tax on
individual incomes have won, and q
proposition to tax such incomes, in
excess of $4,000, > per cent will be sub
mitted TO congress "a q part OF the demo-
cratic revenue policy. President Cleve-
land and Secretary Carlisle are not in
favor of an individual income tax, unless
they have changed their minds since
their recommendations regarding in
ternal taxation were made to congress.
In his annual message the president did
not refer to the proposal for n tax on
individual incomes, but approved the
plan of "a small tax upon in
comes derived from certain corporate
investments" Secretary Carlisle also
recommended taxing incomes acquired
from Investments in stocks and bonds OF
corporations and joint stock companies,
saying in advocacy of such a tax that it
is not inuuisitorial nor liable to evasion
by the fraudulent suppression of facts,
in this respect differing from a tax on
individual incomes. The leading demo-
cratic organs Of the country are opposed
to an income tax, and especially on such
a basis as is proposed, which would ex-
empt a very large proportion of the
people having incomes from the opera
tion of the tax, thereby making it
rank class legislation. One of these
organs recently declared that there
could be no equitable income tax
in this country that should
not be levied on all incomes from high
est to lowest, and that ''there could be
no more insidious and dangerous enemy
of popular and free institutions thai a
system of taxation that should exclude
the masses of citizens from q just share
of the burdens as we'll as the benefits Of
government"
The action OF a majority of the demo-
Gratis of the ways and means committee
in favor Of taxing individual incomes is
therefore in disregard of the evident
hostility of the administration to such a
tax and of the pronounced opposition to
it of the leading democratic journals of
the country. How will the proposition
probably be treated in congress? There
would seem to be small rea-
son to doubt that it will be
overwhelmingly defeated. 1t will re-
ceive the nearly unanimous support of
the southern democrats, and perhaps
it would be safe to count all of them for
it, because the revenue from such an in
come lax as is proposed would come
almost entirely from the north and
west. Thus far but three democrats
from northern states are publicly known
to favor the tax and it is questionable
whether as many as a dozen can be in
daced to support it, particularly if it
should encounter the active opposition
of the administration. The republicans
will of course cast a solid vote against
it. Even if it were clearly possible to
pass it in the house it would certainly
fail in the senate. There is consequently
no apparent reason to apprehend the
imposition of an income tax, at any rate
upon the basis proposed, and there is no
democrat in congress who will venture
to advocate a tax on all incomes, from
the highest to the lowest, which is the
only way the tax could be maze equit-
able and relieved of the odium Of being
class legislation. That would raise q
storm of opposition hat would be ire
sistible.
The proposal Of an income tax, as it is
made, is demagogic and sectional. Its
most ardent advocates are politicians
who believe it will help the party, at
any rate in their districts. They think
it will draw to their support the people
who are exempt from the tax and par
ticularly the laboring classes. Making
a low estimate of the %intelli-
gence of these classes and of their
sense of what is fair and just, it is as
sumed by the political demagogues that
the workingmen Of the country will APP
plaud legislation which makes an in
equitable discrimination against their
more prosperous fellow citizens. They
arc gravely mistaken in this. Every
intelligent and fair-minded workingman
desires to bear his fair share in sustain
ing the government as well as to enjoy
in equal measure the benefits conferred
by government. He will not approve of
a policy the tendency of which is to
divide the people into the classes and
the masses, with the former claiming all
the honors and rewards by reason Of the
greater support they give the govern
ment. 1t is a sectional proposal for the
reason, as already stated, that the south
knows that nearly the entire revenue
from an income tax, such as is con-
templated by a majority of the ways and
means committee, would be derived
from the people of the north.
THE WAY TO SUPPRESS GAMBLING.
The BEE has never been known to
crawfish or run away from O fight.