The San Francisco call., 1895-05-23
THE INCOME TAX DECISION
Clerks Thrown Out of Employ
ment by the Recent
Decree.
Collector Welburn Thinks the SUI
preme Court Made a Great
Mistake.

The decision rendered by the United
States Supreme Court declaring the income
tax unconstitutional seriously affects a
large number of clerks.s
1t means that something like 500 men
will be thrown out of employment in the
United States, though the Pacific Coast is
less seriously affected than any other por-
ton of the country. Only FIVE men in this
there will not be exceeding fifteen in all
the coast States thrown out of work. AL
though the act has been declared unconsti-
tutional, there is still lot of clerical work
to be done, and the five employees in this
district will continue to draw Uncle Sam s
coin for several weeks to come.
This district is the only one in America
where the tax has not been collected.
Many of the people subject to the income
tax desired to pay cash when their state
nents were filed, but in every instance
Collector Welburn refused to accept it.
He told all who desired TO pay that they
had better hold on to their money until
the matter was finally acted upon. He
held all along that the Supreme Court
would declare the act unconstitutional,
and consequently did not care to burden
his Office with lot of money that would
finally be returned, which would mean q
be troublesome, if nothing more.
If the income tax had been declared
valid thi. department would have handled
exactly s49S, ,736. As it is months of extra
labor and hard work GO for naught and
Mr.. Welburn has only a lot of wo, thless
paper that at one time was worth thou
| sands of dollars to show for his work. The
| following telegram shows what disposition
| will be made of the books and returns now
| in the Collectors possession:
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 20.
| Collector WeLburn, San Francisco: Income
tax law declared unconstitutional by the
| Supreme Court Stop all work in connec-
| tion herewith and send to this Office at once,
under seal, all books, assessment lists, returns
and records In your ONCE or the hands OF
! deputies relating to the income tax.
JOSEPH S. MILLER, Commissioner.
Personally am very glad that such a
| decision had been reached said Mr.. We'll
| burn yesterday. II mean, of course, as
| regards the clerical work OF the office.
| While it throws five men out of employ
| ment. it relieves the Office of lot of extra
work, the time for which we could i'll spare.
| ~ wish the people to understand that
all the returns made by them will be sent
to Washington. l expect hundreds will
write for their statements, and to answer
each would mean a lot of extra labor for
| this Office. 1t will take several weeks to
| finish up the office work relating to the
income tax, after which the men now en-
| ployed in that work must go. l regret it,
but can't help the matter in any way.
II think the Supreme Court made a
mistake when it decided the income tax
unconstitutional, if for no other reason
| than that such a course will create a lot OF
dissatisfaction throughout the country.
| The decision means that large number of
people who have hitherto been opposed to
silver will now join the silver party. They
will do this because they believe that Wall
street is at the back of the decision.
Fully two-thirds of those subject to the
income tax were heartily in favor of the
measure. / know this to be true from
actual contact with the people If this be
true of those subject to the tax, then it
must have been a popular law with the
masses"