Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-14
oAuy KrSNrBEc JouRS A. WEDNESDAY, a,
THE MAN FROM TEXAS.
He Comments on Burke Cochran's
Income Tax Speech.
whsre the 0rpo iiisa Comes Frem-senti'
mens Regarding ths Wilson Bill.

/ WAsEIxGToS. D. c.. Feb. f3.-lSpcciai.l-
"Has the income tax measure hurt US, OF
| will it hurt u.s." Such is the question
| asked by almost every Democratic member
| OF almost every visitor from his section OF
| the country aud from those with whom he
| corresponds, for it cannot be denied that
very considerable number OF members are
| on the anxious seat upon that SUBJECT.
| The answers are from everywhere-vernat
| and by letter. Incoming visitors talk with
| great freedom, and there are funny results
| The important ones may be mapped out
1 thus: Take as a model one of those disease
/ maps which accompany the census and by
| various shadings mark out the strength of
| local opposition to the income tax. Then
| take another and mark ont the region
| where a great deal of wealth has concen-
| trated. especially where il is concentrated
| in u few hands, and the two maps will cor
| respond to the tenth of l per cent i'll the
| shading. After all, this is only what we
! should expect for there is a heap of human
nature in q man, and it is those who object
/ to paying out money who generally succeed
! in acquiring most of it. New York is by
! common consent recognized as the head
| center of the opposition. The other At
| lantic coast cities come along in the exact
| order OF the number of their millionaires,
! but as one goes toward the west the oppo-
sition steadily decreases.
''Debasing" New York City.
| Take in like manner line of cities along
| the northern edge of the country, in which
| the opposition is strong, and going from
there southwark it as steadily decreases,
and this is true to so great an extent on
many other financial and revenue issues
| that Il man who is q stanch Democrat III
! New York or Massachusetts would make
very fair Republican in Missouri or Kansas.
| Ii is now asserted positively by the party
| calculators that without the income tax
feature there would only have been seven
| Democratic votes against the Wilson bill
namely, the Louisiana sugar men, one from
| New Jersey and two others who are not
named. Perhaps the best speeches thereon
were made in the house, but certainly the
most emphatic are made in the hotel lob
beS and committee rooms. One of these by
| Texas member, commenting on Bourke
| Cockran's speech, is good enough to report
| in full
/ There are three strong arguments urged
! against an income tax. The first is that it
would debase the morals of the rich, and
| what Il pity that would be in New York!
|
know, and now if we debase the rich, what
will become of that city? Sodom and Go
morrah will not be in it for comparison.
| You see it will work just like this: A man
has an income of. say, $1,000 a year. OF
| that $1,000 are exempt On the 5000 he
would have to pay $40 income tax. OF
! course he must swear to a lie to escape it,
and he would have to keep on swearing to
u lie year after year or AS long as he had
| that income and when a man gets in the
habit of swearing to Il lie he is liable to
! take to tobacco and whisky, or even to pro
gressve eucher, and then run into all man
ner Of outrageous vices.
Uniform Laws Unknown.
1.-The second great objection is that it
| would check enterprise. The man with an
income of Sc, 600 who is too conscientious tic
swear to lie would say this: IF go on
ms ing $1,000, those pesky collectors will
U.ake me pay $40 a year, and so, by the holy
| hockey, I'll quit. ] won't make any income.
But the chief beauty in the bouquet of
| arguments is that the tax is sectional or,
| Ms they say, not uniform III its application.
! Well what law is uniform OH individuals?
| None that | know of. If they mean uni
form in its equal application to every sec
tiol of the Union, it certainly is. BIT i
| they mean uniform to all classes and indi
viduais alike then there is no such law
neither indeed caa there be. The tax on
whisky doesn't apply in prohibition com
munities. The tax On tobacco is purely
| voluntary.
Ia fact the statelaw against horse steal
ing doesn't apply to one in a thousand of
the population. Nevertheless the argument
that the bill Is sectional has some force.
There is only one man in my county who
would pay any income tax. He owns most
of the ncighborhood he lives in and is lay
! ing up money to buy all the land that joins
him. As his income is probably 5000
year, this bill would make him pay $50, and
know to a moral certainty that it would
break the old fellows heart. 1t is indeed
sectional so far rs he is concerned "
Public Sentiment.
| The senate finance committee, on motion
| OF Chairman Voorhees,, has decidedly out
done Shakespeare's Iiotspur or was it
Owen Glendower? Said committee has
called spirits from the Vastly deep, and said
spirits, contrary to experience, have come.
The circular sent out calling for notes and
| suggestions on the Wilson bill has brought
from every part of the United States volu-
minous replies, which might be described US
one long, loud and not at all hilarious howl
SO far as looked over, about one-half OF
these replies declare the country is ruined
if the Wilson bill is passed. About one
third declare that the country is ruined if it
is not passed The remaining sixth is about
equally divided between those who declare
that the country is ruined any low and past
redemption already and those who say that
the country can't be seriously hurt and will
adjust itself to any law that may be passed.
But, just the same, this little minority
would like TO have some important changes
| in those parts of the schedule which affects
their particular industry. In reply to an
inquiry as to the length of time required to
classify the replies and the general senti-
ments therein, one of the clerks says the
present force might do it in seven years if
they worked iudustriousiy.