The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-05-10


sion to print" but Mr.. Merrifield, undis-
mayed. began, Gentlemen" he said.
by way of introduction, and just at
that point n reproachful "What!" was
interpolated, as though Mr.. Merrifield
has made a serious mistake.
In speaking of the senior bar, he said,
he would have to go back to the mother
county. However much ill-feeling might
have been engendered by the struggle
when the county was divided he could
never forget the great lawyers of Lu-
zerne who gave that bar a reputation
which extended far beyond the con-
fines of the state. 1t produced not only
great lawyers, but great judges. when
we come down to our own county" con-
tinued the speaker, there were Silk
man. Rankin and the good Judge Ward,
whom we still have with us. OF those
who are entitled to be called the senior
members of this bar 1t Is unnecessary
to particularize. They are well known
to you all, and their worth and wealth
of intellect has done something, l feel
warranted in saying, in placing the bar
of this county I'M the enviable position
1t now occupies among the other bars
of this commonwealth.
Toastmaster Kelly introduced James
J. O'Neill. of Carbondale, to speak for
"Anthracite County" Mr.. O'Neill said
that portions of Susquehanna and
Wayne counties were anxious to have
a county of their own. for they had tired
of furnishing material for the bench
and bar of this county, and had con-
cluded that it was time they kept them
at home, and utilized their talents in
new courts to be established for the
transaction of their business. Carbon
dale was watching this movement with
a good deal of interest In the hope that
in the general roundup she will be a
named as the county seat. 1t would be
an honor worthily conferred on the
most progressive city east of the Mis-
sissippi-a city that has contributed
so many of her sons to swell the list of
men who are winning fame for this
city along all the lines of human en-
deavor. When people come to realize
that new courts are necessary to secure
justice to the persons who appeal to
them, they will conclude that it can
be done in no better way than by es-
tablishing a new county with the old
Pioneer City as it seat.
Colonel F.. j. Fitzsimmons spoke on
"The Income Tax" He said:
Colonel Fitzsmn,ons on Income Tax.
l know of no subject aside from the
currency of tariff that / would rather
discuss that the Income Tax. While
my views may not be shared by you all,
yet ! feel confident that they are as
near correct as any yet given to the
public by the legislators at Washing
ton, the most eminent advocates of the
American bar, of by the judges of the
highest judicial tribunal in the land.
They differed with each other all along
the line. No two agreed except the two
who opposed the law before the Su-
preme court and the other two who de-
Tended it, and we all know why they
agreed and how eloquently they could
have disagreed had they been on oppo-
site sides of the case. They, however,
are not as bad as the two distinguished
Philadelphians who each, recently, felt
that he only could solve a problem
that has been agitating the brains
of Statemen since long before Cleopatra
first shook the Roman Empire by fas-
cinating the mighty Ceasar One gave
leaders daily in his great newspaper
through the columns of another great
journal. They finally challenged one
another to public debate and by COM
mon consent they agreed to deliver
themselves at Harrisburg-before the
sages on the hill-they being more in
need of knowledge than any other body
In the state.
Their lectures We're beautiful essays
brilliant with epigram and dazzling
with metaphor. They spoke charming
ly about monometallism and bimetal-
lism, free coinage and unlimited coin
age, demonetiZatiOn and remonetiZa-
ton, and when they had concluded a
member of the house moved that
vote of thanks be given the speakers
for their lucid. exhaustive and compre-
hensve remarks. Not person pres
ent had gotten an idea from what had
been said, yet the motion prevailed
unanimously and wag said that it
was the most intelligent vote recorded
in the legislative body up to that time.
The speeches were published and ever
since the two advanced thinkers have
been writing editorials explaining
what they meant and wherein they diff
fered. The person who entered Mr..
O'Brien's house recently understood the
value of silver practically. He did not
wait to theorize or else he might have
been caught. Mr.. Scragg succeeded in
having two juries disagree when his
client was charged with stealing gold.
His client may have been innocent,
as he had neither gold or silver when
the case ended. Now as to the Income
Tax, l have read all about it. did SO
unconsciously. A friend handed me a
book and told me to read 1t. He said
it treated on the leading question of
the hour Thinking it was Trilby I
read 1t. l shall not speak of its doubt
full origin or buffetting voyage through
congress. The Congressional Record
may bear it, but / do not think you
could. 1 will not say that 1t is consti-
tutional or unconstitutional because I
do not know nor does anybody else.
The brilliant Choate argued that it
was a direct tax and therefore uncon-
stitutional; the logical Carter
maintained that It was an indl-
rect tax and consequently con-
stitutional, and the chief justice in an
exhaustive opinion, said they were
both right; that the tax was direct and
indirect, constitutional and unconstitu-
tional. I have not handled this subject
very profoundly because / think 1t Is
of very little consequence to the men,
bers of the Lackawanna bar.
They should consider things that con-
Germ themselves. 1t is a Just tax
Every one ought to be happy who has
to pay it. The millionaire who owns
no real estate ought not to escape con-
trbuting toward the support of the gov
ernment that protects him. I cannot
subscribe to the quotations attached to
the toast assigned me. do not think
the Income Tax should be termed "a
knavish piece of work" The language
of the mistrustful Dane is that of sus-
picion, superstition, despair and melan-
choly. While Hamlet is one of the
most famous of Shakespeare's immor-
tai creations, yet he is the saddest to
contemplate. Shelly has beautifully
said that the sweetest songs are those
that tell of saddest thought. But we
do not want sadness and gloom at our