Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-13

sessions, in ability or merit; II SIMPLY
means that all shall stand equal peIo,e
the law, and that government olilclaIs
shall not, in making, constituting or en-
forcing the law, discriminate between
citizens. Ill
| assert that property rights, as wen
as the rights of persons, are saIe III oro
hands of the common people. Aprahdlh
Lincoln. in his message sent TO congress
i'm December, 1861 said: mo men living
are more worthy to be trusted than ah9 ;s,
who toll up from poverty; none less ~ in-
clined to take or touch aught winch IliSS
have not honestly earned.
7 repeat his language with unqualified
approval and join with him in the warn
ing which he added, namely: Let theIh
beware of surrenderng political power
which they already possess, ana Whlch
power, IL surrendered, will surely pc
used 10 close the doors of advancement
against such as they and to TX new ans,
abilities and burdens upon them TIL all
of liberty shall be lost"
Those who daily follow the ln]uhceloh,
an the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread" are now as they have ever been,
the bulwark of law and order-the
source of our nations greatness in time
of peace and its surest defenders IN Tune
of war.
But | have only read a part OF jack
sons utterance-let me give you his con-
clusion: "But when the laws undeftake
to add to those natural ana just ao-
vantages artificial distinctions TO grant
titles gratuities and exclusive privileges,
to make the rich richer and the potent
more powerful the humble members OF
society, the farmers, mechanics ana tne
day laborers, who have neither the time
nor the means of securing ike 1aVOrS
for themselves, have a right to complain
of the injustice of their government
Those who support the Chicago platform
indorse all of the quotations from jack
son-the latter part as well as the FORMER
part -,
We are not surprised to find arrayed
against us those who are the bensficiaries
of government fayoritism-they nave
read our platform. Nor are we surprised
to learn that we must in TINS campalsn
face the hostility of those who ma
pecuniary advantage in advocating the
doctrine of non-interference, when great
aggregations of wealth are trespasslhS
upon the rights of individuals. We well
come such oppoSition-it is the hlgheSl
Endorsement which could be bestowed up
on ms We are content to have the CO.
operation of those who desire to nave the
government administered without rear OF
favor. 1t is not the wish or the geherai
n1IbIic that trusts should spring into eX-
istence and override the weaker members
of society: it is not the wish of the gen
eral public that these trusts should de-
stroy competition and then collect sucn
tax as they will from those VINO are az
their mercy; nor is it the fault of the gem
eral public that the instrumentallties OF
government have been so often prostl-
tuted to purposes of private gam Ihose
who stand upon the Chicago PLATFORM
believe that the government should not
onlv avoid wrongdoing, but that it should
also prevent wrongdoing, and they pc
lieve that the law should be enforced
alike against all enemies OF the pupllc
veal. They do not excuse pelit larcehy,
hut they declare that grand larceny is
eonally a crime; they do not defend the
occunation of the highwayman who rops
the unsuspecting traveller, put they III
clude among the transgressors lnose
who through the more pollte anu leS'
hazardous means of legislation, appropTl-
ate TO their own use the proceeds OF the
foil of others. The commandment, lhou
shalt not steal" Numbered from SINAI,
and reiterated in the legislation OF an
nations Is no reSpecter or persons. IL
,nust he applied to the great as well as
the small: to the strong as well as the
weak: to the corporate person created by
law as we'll as to the person OIL llesh anu
blood created by the Almighty NO gov
eminent is worthy of the name Whlch Is
NOT able to protect from every arm up
lifted for his injury the humblest citizen
who lives beneath the flag. 1t folloWs as
a necessary conclusion that vicious leSlS-
lation must be remedied by tHe PeoPIe
who suffer from the effects of such legis-
lation. and not by those who ENJOY It's
THE Chicago platform has been con-
demned by some because 1t dlsSents from
an opinion rendered by the supreme court
declaring the income tax law unconstitu-
tional our critics even go so far as 10
annIv the name anarchist to those who
stand upon that plank OF the platform.
1t must be remembered that we expressly
recognize the binding force of that de.
cision SO long as it stands as a part OF
the law of the land. There is in the plat
form no suggestion of an attempt 10 as
mute the authority of the supreme court:
ale 1Oza1 n
the constitutional power which remains
after that decision, or which may come
from its reversal by the court as 1t may
hereafter be constituted"
Is there any disloyalty in that pledge?
Far 100 years the supreme court or the
limited States has sustained the principle
which uaderlies the income tax. some
twenty years ago this same court sus-
tanned without dissenting voice an IN
come tax law almost Identical with the
one recently overthrown. Has not fu-
ture court as much right to return to the
judicial presidents of century as the
present court had to depart from them?
When courts allow rehearings they adj
nit that error is possible The late de-
cision against the income tax was rem
dered by majority of one after re-
hearing.
While the money question overshadows
all other questions in Importance, de-
sire it distinctly understood that l shall
offer no apology for the income tax plank
of the Chicago platform.
The income tax is not new; nor is it
based upon hostility to the rich. The
system is employed in several of the
most important nations in Europe, and
every income tax law now upon the
statute books in any land, so far as
have been able to ascertain. contains an
exemption clause. While the collection
of an income tax in other countries does
not make 1t necessary for this nation
to adopt the system, yet it ought to
moderate the language of those who de-
nounce the income tax as an assault upon
the well to do.
Not only shall refuse to apologize for
the advocacy of an income tax law by
the national convention, but | shall also
refuse to apologize for the exercise by it
of the right to dissent from a decision Of
the supreme court.
The Money Question. 20.
Now let me ask you to consider the
paramount question of this campaign
the money question. 1t is scarcely nee
essary to defend the principle of BIZ
metallism No national party during the