The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1895-05-25
ThEiNcOME TAX AND THE COR
MERCIAL APPEAL.

does not deserve the respect OF
even the most craven being that
crawls the earth. There are
many dignifed and honorable
ways in which a government car
take care of itself, but when il
wilfully neglects the proper
course and stoops to the stealthy
creeping of the midnight thief to
the rich mans Golfer for self-pro-
lection, we say it is debasing.
Yet this is precisely what the Un-
tied States was trying to do; but
thanks to a few brave men with
sense of equity and justice this
Infamous measure has been driven
from our constitution and will
now sink to an unhonored grave.
The only regret is that the stigma
must remain to shame us eter-
nally.
But some newspapers evidently
void of power to discern right
from wrong, grieve for the de-
parted infamy and would abuse
it's destroyers, and among the
number we are sorry to find our
valued exchange, the Memphis
Commercial Appeal. This paper
loses sight of the real object of
the income tax and dwindles it
down to an issue between the rich
and poor, for it says: "The peo-
pie viii regard the decision of the
court simply as another victory of
the money power, as an evidence
that it's fatal grasp has extended
to every branch and department
of the government" Had the
editor stopped right here readers
of that paper might have believed
that he only said what "the peo-
pie" thought and not expressing
the views of that journal, but, in
the very next breath it says:
"The caustic language of the dis.
senting justices will not tend to
moderate the growing antagonism
of the people to the powerful
classes that have assumed the
right to control the government
for their own selfish ends, who
have plundered the people by q
most unjust and oppressive sys-
tenn of taxation, while refusing to
bear their fair proportions of the
burdens The Appeal uncon-
sciously or deliberately makes an
idiot out of our government. If
the moneyed fraternity steal from
our government are we to satisfy
ourselves by attempting laws to
force back a portion, in other
words a mere bribep Should a
theft enter your home would you
allow him, with your eyes open,
to take away what he chose,
thinking that you could ON the
morrow recover a portion of the
stolen goeds?' What nonsense! !!
When a tree becomes dangerous
lay the ak to the very root, do not
go about like a child and cut limb
after limb believing that you will
ultimately destroy It.
A people cannot logically refuse
to obey the law, and if rich peo-
pie are insufiiciently taxed, see
that they be taxed fairly. 1t is
as easy to legislate direct taxation
as it is an indirect one. 1t fur
ther says: "The constitution has
never checked their greed nor
protected the people from their
frapacity, it has only served to
perpetuate their favored position
under the law" Does the Com
mercial wish to assume that it is
within scope of Republican form
of government to abrogate the
freedom of people-particularly
commercial freedom, for it il
through this medium that for
tunes are accumulated? if it doe.
it mistakes the constitution.
Our contemporary is mistaze1
all around. The original objec
of the income tax is bad enough
but the Commercial would distor
its already distorted feature int,
a horrible face. The income Ia,
was never an issue between capi
tai and labor but a thing whicl
might help to support the gov
ernment. It has been crushed
However, it will not go withou
leaving one good effect and tha
is the government will exercis
better judgement in the future.