The Washington times., 1895-05-27
BASIS OF SOCIAL LIFE
Corporation, SAYS DR.. Kent, the
Means to Promote Common Welfare.
He Refers to the Recent Income Tax
Decision as Showing How the
Wealthy Are Favored.

r.r:e recent decision by the United states
Supreme Court making void the act OF
Congress authorizing the income tax was
touched upon by Rev. Alexander Kent in
his sermon at the Peoples Church yester-
day morning. He took as his text the
statement of a Philadelphia editor, that
every victory for one man must mean a
defeat for others This, said the pastor,
is one of the primary. mistakes of the COM
petitive system He showed that even
the present civilization is only possible by
cooperation in family, municipal, and
social life. The docttine is professed by
all creeds of politics = if not indeed prac-
ticed, that political activity should be for
the good of all, net fer the advantage of
the individual. =
I'm the new potnt-of view" he said,
1.-The things that make life rich and full
and blessed are for all, and all viii be
interested to see that they come to each.
The race is no longer divided into hostile
camps intent on winning victories from
each other. They are all in one camp,
intent on winning victories over the forces
of nature, bringing these forces into sub
lection TO the humag viii, and making
them serve the needs of the human soul.
Men are no longer enemies of each other.
They are friends, brothers, with natural
interest in the welfare OF each other. The
purpose of each is the welfare of all, and
the purpose OF all is the welfare of each
"A Just society win find ways to prevent
the-genius of the few from perpetrating an
injury to any. New and improved machin-
cry win lnot be suffered TO bring idleness and
degradation and poverty to millions. Men
and women VIII not be sacrificed to inn
proved methods OF business. Manhood
and womanhood viii count for more than
all else
Let the nation" he said, "make up to
the losers by the Introduction OF any new
machinery the losses they might suffer
These losses are Just as real and just as
severe and oppressive as would be endured
If when a park was to be made number
OF poor farmers were dispoSsessed and
nothing paid for their lands. Nobody ques-
tions the justice of making good the loss
in the latter case, and none should ques-
ton it at the other.
The recent decision OF the Supreme
Court, as viewed by Judge Harlan, is a
step retrograde toward that form of COM
petitive misrule in which the anarchists
OF wealth rebel against all government as
applied to themselves, but would use it
as an instrument OF oppression of others.
Judge Harlan says it gives to certain kinds
!
advantage that is inconsistent with the
fundamental principles of our social or
ganization.'
whether this is true OF not said DR..
Kent, lit is certain that the millionaiTes
and multi-millionaires occupy a position
of favoritism and advantage inconsist-
ent with, these principles. The possibilities
of such agsregations of wealth in the hands
of individuals or corporations was never
n Nnd of hXy ba frnp If HnTa
stitution. 1t is possible, therefore, that
they made no provision broad enough to
cover the kind of taxation which the law
contemplated But it is not possible that
these men would ever have adopted the
Constitution in its present form If they
could have foreseen the base uses to which
1t would put
IF they could have foreseen that under
its shelter men would amaSs fortunes
that would give them virtual control of
the government and enable them to so shape
legislation and so influence court de-
cisions as to hold the people at large in q
bondage more CALLING, more degrading,
and in some respects more helpless than that
of chattel slavery, they never would have
signed it,
"If they could have seen that men of
wealth would load the statute books with
all kinds of class legislation favorable to
their own interests and that the courts
would be conveniently blind to all such
infractions of the Constitut ton, and If
they could have seen these same courts
zealously using the Constitution to guard
the property which class legislation, in
violation of both the letter and the spirit
of the Constitution, had enabled men to
steal, they doubtless would have taken
some steps to preserve something of that
economic equ atty " ithout which po-
litical equality can never have existence
save in name.'