The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-01-15
The CORMAN- HILL BATTLE
Lively Tilt of Tariff Statesmen In the
Senate.
WRANGLE OVER INCOME TAX
Maryland's Senator Censures the Course
of MIR. Hill and Appeals to the Repub.
licans to Aid in Preventing the
Bankruptcy of the Treasury.
BY the United Press.

ators German (MarylanG and Hill
New York; on the subject of Mr.. Hills
amendment to the urgent deficiency
bill, by which he seeks to confer on the
United States court jurisdiction Qn ad-
vance of the collection of the income
taxi to decide upon its constitutionality
and validity.
Mr.. German discussed with great
earnestness the condition of the treas
ury and opposed warmly any PROPOSE
ton that would impede the collection
of revenue. In doing 50 he criticised
very freely Mr.. Hills whole course In
regard to the tariff law. Mr.. Hill de-
Tended his position and retaliated upon
the Maryland senator with an equally
severe criticism of his course.
After the routine morning business,
the urgent deficiency bill was taken up
the question being on Mr.. Hills ap-
peal from the decision of the chair rul-
ing out the amendment offered by him
to authorize the United States courts
to hear and determine questions as to
the constitutionality and validity of the
income tax.
Mr.. German addressed the senate. He
quoted from Mr.. Hills speech and re-
ferred approvingly to Mr. Sherman's
(Ohio) assertion that ample provision
for the existing constitutionality was
made for this or any other law.
What Mr.. Hill Desires.
But what the senator from New
York Desires" Mr. German continued,
"is a provision separate and distinct
III. 1T.
that would enable any taxpayer to sus-
pend the income tax: by injunction to
reverse the rule and to prevent the
money coming into the treasury until
every question that might be raised by
every unwilling taxpayer should be de-
cided by the supreme court of the
United States"
Such an attempt, Mr.. German de-
clared, would be wrong, would be be-
yond the power of the senate, and
would be destructive to the interests of
the treasury. He had been opposed to
the income tax as a permanent policy
but he had accepted it as an emergency
tax, as he believed that the tariff law,
as it stood, would not produce revenue
sufficient to meet the expenses Of the
government for the fiscal year 1896.
In further discussing the tariff law,
Mr.. German said there never was a
more hazardous undertaking than that
of revising the tariff law at the time
the Democratic party undertook 1t. The
bill was compromise measure; and no
bill could have passed the senate eX-
cept by a compromise. The senator
from New York was not party to that
compromise. There is something in the
atmosphere of northern New York,
which, it seems to me, makes it impos-
sible for statesman from that section,
ever to compromise Qaughter).
Docs Not Favor Increased Debt.
The question then was-the Mckinley
act or the pending bill; but the senator
from New York told his colleagues on
this side of the chamber, Either give
me my way, or you shall never pass the
bill" In that compromise we put this
income tax. Now, I might excuse the
senator from New York for antagon-
izing the provision If 1t were not for the
fact that while we were considering
the tariff bill he not only opposed the
income tax feature of 1t, but he Joined
with all the extreme tariff reformers
who wanted to cut down the revenue
from customs. If that senator had had
his way, he would have had five hun
dred millions of bonds to issue in order
to pay the current expenses of the gov
ernment between that time and 1897.
| could never follow a leader who would
deliberately put this government in a
position to increase the national debt
to pay it's current expenses. I do not
believe that a national debt Is ma
tional blessing. l have no sympathy
with the men who proclaim themselves
advanced reformers, and who, under
guise Of reform, want to increase the
national debt.
An Appeal to Republicans.
Then, appealing directly to Republi-
can senators, Mr.. German said:
You come into power on March 4
next, under better conditions than We
did on March 4, 1893. We have re-
moved from your pathway many of the
Instructions. The responsibility will
be then on you. And say to the sena-
tor from Pennsylvania (Mr. Quay that
/, for one, will treat him and his friends
in a spirit different from that which he
has manifested to us. In any question
that affects the finances of the gov
ernment, or that is necessary to prevent
the bankruptcy of the treasury, or that
Is necessary to reform the currency, l
will help you, and you ought to volun-
teer to help us now.
Mr.. Quay Pennsylvania) declared his
To tn at
with the senator from Maryland and
with the Democratic administration in
supplying additional revenue and re-
forming the currency, as he had CO.
operated in repeal of the Sherman law.
Mr.. Hill New York; replied to the
speech of Mr. German, who should he
said. have confined himself to a vindi-
cation of his own course instead of try-
ing to put other senators i'm false po-
sition. That senator had been with
him (Mr. HID in his fight against some
of the provisions of the tariff bill. That
senator had not been alone In his pre-
dictions of the failure of revenue under
the bill. He (Mr. HID had also made
the Nike predictions. He had not voted
for the tariff bill which he again al
luded to, facetiously as "The German
Smith -Brice- Wilson & Co.'S BILL and he
declined to be held responsible by Mr..
German, or anybody else, for any of the
evils which 1t had inflicted on the
country. He supposed that the men
who voted for a bill should be held re-
sponslble for it-not those who voted
| against 1t.
The senator from Maryland, instead
of complaining of the amendment Of
fered to the urgent deficiency bill,
should have been glad Of the oppor-
! tunity afforded him to vindicate him