The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-05-31
The Income Tax Decision.

Under the steady bulldozing of the
plutocratic press the Supreme Court was
at last driven to decide by a majority of
five to four that the entire income tax
law was unconstitutional 1t is more than
merely probable had no attack been made
on the law by the monopoly, millionaire
element of the country and their hireling
press, and the case had been submitted to
the court as civil cases are, that it would
have been declared constitutional with,
probably, not a dissenting voice. The
decision as rendered is a broad farce,
nearly every judge having an opinion
differing from those of his associates on
some parts of the law.
This absurd decision, or tumble of in
congruous decisions and opinions, is a
blow in the interest of plutocracy or the
money power against the people which
they will return with interest at no dis
tant day. The dangerous usurpation of
despotic powers by this court composed of
nine old granny lawyers in silk petticoats,
is too open and audacious to escape not
only notice, but denunciation by the great
mass of the plain people.
The monstrous- travesty of popular,
democratic government of nine old law
yers overriding the will of the law max
ing power of the government, the
expressed wish and will of the people,
and when they attempt to give their
reasons there are almost as many contra
dictory reasons as there are judges. This
INDUSTRIOUS decision will strike the COM
mon sense judgment for justice inherent
in the people with force that will doom
the court. No such tribunal should be
permitted for a moment to interfere with
the political affairs of the nation, and
thrust its old saws and musty reasoning
as barrier to the will of the people.
Were the law submitted to popular vote
it would be confirmed ten to one. The
people should hold the power in their
own hands to determine what laws they
want and place their construction on con-
stltutional meaning, or make their con-
stitutions as they will for the time and
occasion, not by mass meeting vote as
the Greeks, under the excitement of fiery
oratory, but vote by ballot after calm de-
liberation. That is the referendum and
it is the only hope of this or any other
people for the future of republican or
democratic government. This internal
decision in the interest Of wealth above
the rights of the citizen brings the ques-
ton of lfgovernment by the people
more prominently to the surface than
ever before. 1t is constitutional to take
the flower of the youth and manhood and
offer it a sacrifice for the nation, but it is
not constitutional to take small per-
centage of the surplus of the bloated
wealth of class who are above want, for
the use of the government in its time of
need Faugh such an insult to Justice,
outrage to common sense, servile pros
tration before the throne of Mammon and
impudent farce before the American
people The court of nine old players to
plutocracy, in silk petticoats, has written
its own decision of condemnation. 1t
must go! The decision of 10000, 900 of
American citizens would carry in it more
wisdom, more Justice than all the old
lawyers on the shady side of life, in
Christendom.
Injustice to tax millionaire incomes
Indeed Where was justice when these
incomes were purloined from the toiling
masses by the most ubiquitous system of
class laws ever bribed onto statute books.
Injustice to tax the incomes of that class
numbering but few thousand persons
who have grabbed S., 200, 100000 of the
wealth of this people in one generation
Manhood and American citizenship
must be placed above wealth and aristo-
cratic usurpation, if this Supreme court
shall be banished to hades.