The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-12
HOT SHOT FROM DUBOIS
The Idaho Senator Gets in His Work
for Free Coinage.
STRONG PLEA FOR SILVER
The Income Tax Stirred Up a Warm
Discussion in the August SEN
ate-HiIl Wakes Eloquent
-Quay'S Remarks.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE senate took
up the urgency deficiency bill and Sena-
tor Hill of New York spoke in behalf of
his amendment TO allow an opportunity
to test the constitutionality of the income
tax. Hill said he knew of nothing that
has taken place since he was a member of
the senate that justified the senator from
Kansas in charging that this bil.was TO
meet with filibustering as far as he is
| concerned.
Senator PETER declared that he had not
used the word filibustering since he had
been member of the senate. He had
said that the senator from New York and
| the senator from Pennsylvania (Quay)
had made up their minds to defeat tho
collection of the income tax if in their
power to do so, and the amendment pro-
posed by them was the first step in that
proceeding.
Senator Hill first argued against tho
constitutionality of the law, and referred
to the exemptions of classes. He asked,
where had congress the right to exempt
| claSs?" He did not ask that the law be
! repealed ut this session. He recognized
that as impossible. Nor did he ask its re-
peal because 1t was not apportioned ac-
| cordiug to the last census. lie attacked
the regulations of the treasury for the
| collection of the tax, anu said that he was
compelled to protest against the treasury
| interpretations of the law and interject
therein instrumentalties not contem-
plated by senators. lie was within bounds
when he characterized the future of the
pending bill relating to the income tax as
n slip-shod arrangement. Under 1t cit-
zens had no protection.
in replying to reference to the last
| nlpotiOn in NnuF NOrls h,s
said the election was a condemnation of
the income tax, a condemnation of the
| Wilson-Gorman-Bric bill, or what
ever bill it was, a condemnation of our
| legislation of last summer, n nd he thought
| the less said about IL at this particular
| time, the better. Further on Hill referred
to the statement from President Cleve-
| land, in his "famous Wilson letter." in
which he told the country how he depre-
Gated the income tax, and he (HilD did
not think it probable that the president
would disapprove of its repeal if congress
should see fit to repeal it.
When Hill concluded, Dubois began a
speech on the income tax bill, which
drifted into silver and was taken to the
| state position of the silver men in the
senate on tho currency question. As to
the income tax he said 1t should be either
culOICGu NlDGd OUT DDGdhlnk more
particularly of tho currency problem, he
said: Taking the statements of both
sides to the controversy, tho conclusion
would seem TO be that, income tax or no
income tax, there is to be no permanent
prosperity and no relief from the distress
in which tho country is, SO long as the
present laws remain unchanged. Tho
silver senators, so-called, insisted all
through the debate over the repeal of tho
Sherman act that, unless other financial
legislation took the place of tho Sherman
act, dire distress would como to the coun-
try. The distinguished senator from In
diana (Mr. Voorhees) said during that de-
bato that financial legislation would not
stop with the repeal, but that tho re-
peal would be supplemented by legislation
in behalf of silver. Other distinguished
advocates of repeal stated the same thing.
Well, Mr.. President, We have been watt
ing Is months for this proposed legisIa-
ton but nothing has been offered. The
longer we wait the worse off tho country
gets. 1t does not take much of a flnan-
cier to arrive at tho conclusion that you
cannot redeem s1,1i3, ,15O,s3O with $780,
100000. OF course, l do not admit, i'm fact
insist, that the government is under no
obligation TO redeem this volume of
paper money with gold, but tho admins
tration has insisted and still insists that,
no matter what sort of note or what is
written on it, it must bo paid i'm gold. if
its owner demands gold. There have been
two bond issues of S50,OOO,0OO each. Gold
has been withdrawn from tho banks to
buy these bonds. As soon as the gold
reached the treasury il commenced
to dwindle away. This process
can and will go OH as long
as tho government issues bonds and
redeems its paper with gold. The only
result is to burden the people with an in
creasing interest-bearing debt. Any
scheme which proposes to enlarge the cur
rency, without broadening the basis of
the money of ultimate redemption, will |
add to our complications. That has been
the chief fault with all bills for the refor-
nation of our currency which have been
formulated during this session of con-
gress. / sincerely believe that four-iifths !
of the members of this body conscen-
tiously believe that there will be no per.
manent prosperity in this country until
the basis of our currency is broadened. |
believe that they will be glad TO witness n
return TO the free and unlimited coinage
of silver as we'll as of gold. great many
senators on this floor-I think a majority
are fully convinced that there can be no
substantial relief without the unlimited
coming of silver, and IL is my impression
that no financial bill will pass the senate.
a. any rate. which does not fully recog-
nize silver.
The folly OF makeshift legislation,
enacted only TO be repealed, has fully de-
monstrated this. IL were better to con-
tinue as VIC are with a gold standard and
all of its necessary and attendant evils |
than to resort 20 any more experiments. /
We are threatened that, If the present
currency laws remain unchanged, the
country will soon be upon a silver basis. |
Perhaps this Is true. ! arm somewhat in- |
cliucl 20 think that DO is true. 10 j. proper.
however. and las no fHrrors for the silver |
advocates ILCy are c1ateudlug Tor both !