Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1896-01-11

gress, notwithstanding it had only an
| ostens1ble majority in the senate and
| then passed rapidly to his subject by
| declaring that the Wilson law would
| have afforded ample revenue for the
support of the government but for the
| supreme courts decision declaring the
income tax unconstitutional.
THAT the court should have rendered
such declsion,' he said, was a matter
Of surprise to every intelligent lawyer
in the country and especially to those
Of us in congress who We're enga ged in
formulating legislation"
I'm my Judgment" he continued, mo
judgment has ever in the history of
the country been rendered which has
done SO much to destroy the influence
of that high tribunal and excite dis
trust on the part of the people,
THE country had" he said, "been
used to rely upon the opinions of this
court because it's judgments were sup
posed to be above caprice prejudices
and sudden changes which might char
acterize decisions of the lower courts
not SO far removed from outside inf1u-
ences. That this court should have re-
versed it's own decisions for hundreds of
years on a question vitality effecting the
interests 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 re
gret''
Senator Vest declared he would not
trust himself in the senate to say what
he would be tempted to say of this opin-
ion, but would leave it to the members
OF the court to stigmatize it as it de-
served. With this Introduction, he had
extracts read from dissenting opinions
of justices Harlan and Brown, saying
il he had made declaration contained
in these opinions he would be charged
with partisan malice and misrepresen-
tation, but coming as they do from this
high source, they certainly constituted
a most powerful arraignment of this
court of last resort
Senator Vest was most severe in his
direct characterization of the conduct
of the justice who changed his opinion
after the first decision and before the
second was rendered. He would not
he said, attempt to enter into that jus
tees motives, but that justice, and he
(VesD did not know who he was had
been mainly responsible in fastening
the sordid despotism of wealth upon the
country by his change of front. Ger
tainly he had a right to change his
mind, but it was a matter of regret that
he had not seen proper to put his rea-
sons on record for this far-rea ching
and terrible decision. The Justices |
name was he continued, unknown eX-
cept to himself and his associates. The |
senate had been ridiculed and vituper-
ated because of the secrecy of it's exc
cutive proceedings, but what, Senator |
Vest asked, with a display of warmth. |
would be thought of a senator who |
would change his position on a ques- |
ton of vital general interest and when |
his position was essential to success or |
failure of a cause and who should not !
have the manhood to stand before the !
country and reveal himself and his rea-
sons for such a transformation.
Senator Vest said he did not believe |
the terrible effect of this decision had |
been yet apprehended by the people Of |
the country.
1T marks a new era" he said. 'and |
[ greatly mistake if the time does not |
come when neither soft words nor hon !
eyed phra ses will prove sufficient apol-
ogy."
1t was beyond credibility that a Van
derbilt, with his hundreds of millions,
should have to pay no more than the
poorest men and that the army and |
navy must be used to support him in his
rights, as must be the case if the decis-
ion was to stand.
He reviewed the record Of the past |
three administrations Though he diff
fered with the head of his party in
many things, he declared no admins
tration in the history of the country
had been more successful than the
Cleveland administration from 1885 to
1889.
If success was to be measured by the
Of gold exported, he desired to
call the attention of the other side to
the fact that during Cleveland's first
administra ton but about SO 100000 of
gold had been exported against $213,-
100000 for Harrison's administration.
Senator Vest admitted that his side
was divided on the subject of silver. The
was divided. There was, he
said, an irrepressible conflict in the
land, as irrepressible as that which re-
suited in the clash of the armies of
oo