The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-01-08
Mr.. VESTS ROAST
The Missouri Senator Fires a
Shot at the Supreme Court.
Particularly DenOunces the In
come Tax Decision.
1T Is RESPONS IBLE
He Says for the Present Trou-
bles of the Treasury.
Takes a Turn at Mr.. Cleveland's
Financial Policy.

WASHINGTON, Jan. s.-The Senate
was treated yesterday to one of Sen
ator Vests characteristic speeches
He arraigned the Supreme court for
the income tax decision; he laid the
responsibility for the lack of revenue
at their door, when they exempted the
.'sordid wealth of the land" from tax
alton; he contrasted the records of the
present and past administrations; he
denounced the financial dependence
of this country and of others upon the
monied influence; he attacked the
President and the Secretary of the
Treasury for their proposition to re-
tire the green backs and place the cir
culation in the hands of the national
banks; quoted Secretary Carlisle
against himself, and. in conclusion,
declared the conflict between bi-met-
allism and the gold standard was ir-
repressible, and that the sooner it was
decided the better it would be for our
public and private life.
On the income tax decision Mr.. Vest
said: THAT the court should have
rendered such a decision, was matter
of surprise to every intelligent lawyer
in the country, and especially to those
of us in congress who were engaged
in formulating the legislation.
in my .juJ gment," he continued,
mo judgment has ever in the history
of the country been rendered which
has done so much to destroy the int1u-
ence of that high tribunal and excite
distrust on the part of the people of
this country. The country had" he
said, "been used to rely upon the
opinions of this court because its judg-
ments were supposed to be above the
caprices and Prejudices and sudden
changes which might characterize the
decisions of lower courts, not so far
removed from outside influences.
That this court should have reversed
its own decisions for 100 years in a
question vitality affecting the IN
terests of the entire population
and placing the government in
the attitude of violating the
constitution during the entire history
of the Union must, he declared, be a
matter of sincere regret. From the
Hilton decision in 1896 to the Springer
decision in 1866 the decisions had been
uniform in upholding the power of
Congress to tax incomes on real and
personal property without apportion-
ment among the States. He quoted
from various decisions in support of
this assertion and proceeded to show
that Mr.. Seward, one of the counsel
against the government in the recent
ca Ses had conceded that the Springer
decision was to this effect. In view of
this fact it was not a matter of sur
prise that Justice Harlan had declared
that the age of miracles had not
passed.
Mr.. Vest declared that he would not
trust himself in the Senate to say
what he would be tempted to say of
this opinion, but would leave to the
members of the court to stigmatize it
as 1T deserved. With this introduction
he had extracts read from the dissent
ing opinions of Justices Harlan and
Brown, saying that if he had made the
declaration made in these opinions he
would be charged with partisan malice
and misreprese tation, but coming as
they do from this high source, they
certainly constituted most powerful
arraignment of this court of last re-
sort.
Mr.. Vest was most severe in his
Characterization of the conduct OF the
justice who changed his opinion after
the first decision before the second
was rendered. He would not, he said,
attempt to enter into that Justices
motives, but that justice, and he (Vest),
did not know who he was, had been
mainly responsible in fastening the
sordid despotlsm of wealth upon the
country by his change of front
Certainly he had the right to change
his mind, but it was a matter of regret
reasons on record for this far-reachinp
and terrible decision. The JUSTICES
name was, he continued, unknown.
except to himself and his associates.
MIR. Vest said he did not believe that
the terrible effect of this decision had
vet been apprehended by the people of
the country.
ut marks a new era" he said, land
I greatly mistake if the time does not
come when neither soft words nor
honeyed phrases will prove a sufficient
apology"
1t was beyond credibility, he con-
tinued, that a Vanderbilt, with his
hundreds of millions, should have to
pay no more than the poorest of men,
and that the army and navy must be
used to support HIM in his rights, as
must be the case if the decision was
to stand He predicted that the time
would come when the truth of Justice
Browns opinion would everywhere be
recognized that the decision of the
Supreme court had fixed for all time
the freedom from federal taxation of
the "sOrdld wealth of the land"
Hon. H. c. Ireland Dead.