The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-30
THE INCOME TAX.
Favorable Claims on the Part of it's
Friends-They Think IL Will Pass
Both Houses,

| FRIENDS Oh the income tax on the
ways and means committee express
themselves with great confidence that
1T Will be made part of the Wilson
bill, despite predictions to the con-
trary. 1t will pass the House and will,
also, they say, pass the Senate. They
have made some careful inquiries into
the subject and count upon forty-five
votes in the Senate. This would easily
insure its passage, whether the finance
committee should make q favorable
report or not This poll includes u
considerable number of Republicans,
and among that number they name
Senators Teller, Stewart, Pettigrew,
Hansbrough, and others. AS Mr..
Teller is understood to favor this tax,
they conclude by inference that Sena-
tor Walcott also my be included in the
list, although his position has not
been sounded to justify reliable pre-
| diction.
In the House, said one of the mem
bers last night, the entire opposition
among the Democrats to an income tax
is confined to fifteen. This informa-
tion has been obtained as the result of
u careful investigation by tho friends
| of the measure. The calculation is
made with reference solely to the re-
suit that will be shown whom the mem
| berS are called upon to face the ordeal
of yea and nay vote. This takes into
account only what is likely to take
| place if the measure is made an inde-
pendent issue before the House and
does not come before it as q part of the
Wilson bill. The expressed opposi-
ton, as evidenced by talk in the cloak
rooms, is estimated to be confined to
thirty-five Democrats. Should the in
come tax be attached to the tariff bill
| a - a hn nh,
in the minds of nearly all these Demo
cratic members will be resolved in
favor of the pending measure. and the
actual opposition will probably not eX-
ceed FIVE. To Offset the most liberal
estimate which the friends of the in
come tax have formed of the strength
OF the opposition, they say they can
rely upon ten Populist votes for the
Wilson bill if the income tax is incor-
porated with it, hut that in either case
the Democratic vote is strong enough
to carry both propositions unaiGed.
Representative Siblcy, of Pcnnsyl-
vania, takes another view of the
chances which the income tax has of
becoming law.
"This opposition" he said, in his
| picturesque way, "to the income tax
comes from less, much less, than | per
cent. of the population of this country,
who from their abundance would be
asked to pay taxes proportiOned to
their prosperity. Can Eastern mem
bers, in compliance with the demands
of less than l per cent. of the people
by threats of defeat of the tariff bill,
force an abandonment of the income
tax, and be called good Democrats ?
And if members of Congress here"
contintinued Mr.. Sibley. responsive
to the demands of over 80 per cent. of
of the people, insist that this shall be
made q feature OF the bill and we say
that unless the demands of 80 per cent.
of the people are needed, we will not
support the bill, are we to be read out
of the party? Which is the Demo-
end backed by 80 per cent. of the
wealth and 1 per cent. OF the popula-
tion, or the end which has 20 per cent.
of the wealth and over 80 per cent. of
the population? My conception of
Democracy impels me to believe that
pure Democracy is represented by the
wishes and the welfare of the masses.
Are the howlings of syncophatic poll
ticians, and the adverse criticism of a
subsidized press, controlled by a money
ed aristocracy. perforce to fix our
status. Democrats =? No; the fire,
sweeping from the gates of hell. re-
|
Babylon founded near the gates there
Of, shall never reach the feet of those
who stand on the mountain tops of
Democratic truth. But farewell in
come tax for this year. Your friends
are not lacking, but your enemies
have the fortress and all the ammuni-
ton"
The opponents of the income tax
| have been stirred to renewed activity
since the details Of the measure have
become known. Mr.. Sporty says the
committee has not overcome the main
| objection, that an income tax is in
quisitorial. They do not pry into the
incomes of citizens, but leave it for the
citizens having an income of over
$1,000 to voluntarily make report as
to whether his income exceeds 81, 600.
This voluntary" provision gives no
protection to the citizen. The Govern
mcnt assessors will select such citizens
who have not made voluntary state
ment. and will pry into their affairs.
Mr.. Sporty says that the voluntary
system puts a premium on liars"
Business men who are in the habit of
giving credit at from four to six
months cannot tell the amount of their
income. he says. If the book accounts
are paid, it represents income, other
wise it represents loss. Mr.. Sperry
says there is no practical means of
obviating this difficulty. The plan to
have the disbursing officer of firms or
corporations pay the tax on salaries of
employees, Mr.. Sporty says, is mani
testify unjust. A salary is easily ascer-
tainable. and is not like the uncertain
profits of business firm.
Mr.. Hall, of Missouri, who is looked
upon us the originator OF tho income
tax proposition, has this to say in reply
to some of the objections 20 an income
tax:
lone Of the objections urged against
the income tax is that it is inuuisitorial
in its character. So is the custom
house tax inquisitorial. Does not the
custom-house officer not only ransack
and go through every trunk and box
that you have, but take you into a
separate room and strip you naked and
: examine every crevicc of your cloth
ing? Is not the internal revenue tax
on in its character. So is the customs
whiskey and tobacco inquisitorial Is
not personal property taxation, which
is resorted to by thirty-nino out of
forty-four States Of the Union, inquisi-
torial when it requires man to make
an affidavit to every dollars's worth OF
personal property that he has. notes,
bonds and property of every kind and
character, and allows an officer to go
into his wifc's wardrobe and drag out
her watch and jewolry and all her
Al