St. Paul daily globe., 1895-01-29
AMONG THE MAGAZINES.

The Forum-Prof Hart opens the
topics discussed in the January Forum
with an article answering his own
question: Are Our Moral Standards
Shifting?' There is. " he says, but
one practical national standard. The
conviction Of the average person of
what is right and wrong. No mat
ter how that conviction may get into
his mind, whether born there or edu-
Gated there or beaten there, the ac-
tual American morality of the nation
is simply the average mans stamp of
conviction" This standard, he finds,
has been steadily raised during the last
hundred years and is still rising. He
finds the evidence of this progress in
the abolition of political privileges, in
the acceptance of religious liberation,
in that popular opinion which has come
to regard drunkenness as disgracefuI, IN
the greater humanity with which the
prisoner, the pauper ana the lunadc
are treated, and. Gaping the climax. in
the destruction of slavery. Churches
recognize this, and dOctrinaI sermons
are replaced by practical sermons on
the ethics and conduct of life. But
while thus in the domain Of private
life, he finds moral standards advanC-
ing in our public relations, he finds the
progress very much slower and the
convictions of the average man in
public morals very far behind those he
enteTtains as TO private matters. He
sees the public Official leaving his
post without scruple, attending to his
private or other matters while under
public pay. He sees in the f1Iibuster-
ing of minorities d contempt for that
primal principle of all Republican gov
re 11A 10 of Tn,
caImness with which the executive Of
ficers regard the laws they are bound
by their oath of office TO execute,
treating them as if it were matter OF
their own discretion whether they exc
cute them or not. and in the impatience
of the people for the observance of the
methods adopted for bringing about
changes in the laws. exhibiting a dis
respect for law, he finds other instan-
ces Of moral laXity. In the view that
so many of our people take of the
government as being a means where
by they may gain subsistence or
wealth, and the subservience OF public
Office to the private interest of persons
and Of parties, the decentralization of
that sCldierly instinct Of independence
and self-reliance which is shown in
the operation of our pension laws. the
Indulgence shown to the innumerable
frauds peTpetTated upon them and the
difficulty Of securing convictions for
violations, all indicate a moral lax
Try in everything that touches our pub
lie concerns, and a shifting of stand
ards from those formerly in vogue.
Harry p.
Robinson. he
Slashes away at Wright, Carroll D,
For his report on the strike at c.,
And Harry P.
Robinson, he
Swears he lies like a heather Chinee.
Prof James Shouler. who has earned
his title to speak authoriJatively on
constitutional questions. has a thought
full article on THE Great Danger in
Our Presidential Elections System"
No other theory of the trainers of our
constitution has been so completely re-
Versed in practice as has this, and
still the old form or shell CT the theory
remains. The design for obstructing
popular suffrage on a national scale
has failed OF its original purpose. The
dangers attendant upon a retention of
the form are clearly pointed out by Mr..
Shouler. and the necessity of reform
emphasized. The retention of the col
Icge of electors with only their moral
obligation to the behest OF voters who
elected them. the requirement that the
presidential candidate shall receive
majority Of ? Il Of the electoral votes in
stead of a plurality, and in case of a
failure to obtain a majority the cleo
ton by house Of representatives, not
chosen at the same election with the
electors, but a retiring house, consti-
tute a CumbrOus and defective system.
pregnant with possible dangers. He ad-
verUs TO the absuTdity OF elecring a
congress which does not take it's seat
until thirteen months after the cleo
ticn. a provision which might have
been well enough when it took a
month to go from Boston to Wash
ington. but an anomaly in these days of
rapid travel. He recommends
change that would bring the new
house Of representatives into action i'm
mediately following the election. The
Unsuitability OF the 4th day of March
for climatic and other reasons for the
Inauguration of the new president is
also commented upon as a feature
of our constitution which needs a
change. so that the Inauguration OF the
president and that of the new house
David 3. Wells asks, us the Exist
ing Income Tax UnconstitutionaI?'
and makes an argument to demon
suate that it is. If the tax is a di-
rect tax he comedies that the question
is not an open one, it having been de-
cided in the constitutionaIity of the
tax by the supreme court of the Uni
ted States. But there is another. view
of the case that has not been present
ed TO or passed upon by any court Mr..
Wells argument summarized is this:
All incomes are based upon and de-
rived from property. \ tax upon in
comes. therefore, is tax upon prop
erty. The constitution declares that
all taxes shall be uniform throughout
the United States. A tax is uniform
whom it is levied equally upon ell prop
crty Of the same class. Property is OF
the same class which Immediately