Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-08-13

less hazardous means of legislation appro
pirate to their own use the proceeds of the
toll of Others. The commandment, "Thou
shalt not steal, " thundercd from Sinai and
reiterated in the legislation of all nations,
is no rcspectcr of persons. 1t must be ap
piled to the great as well as the small, tc
the strong as well as the weak, to the cor
porate person created by law as well as to
the person of flesh and blood created by
the Almighty. No government is worthy
of the name which is not able to protect
from every arm upliftcd for his injury the
humblcst citizen who olives beneath the
flag 1t follows as necessary conclusion
that vicious legislation must be remodicd
by the people who suffer from the effects Of
such legislation and not by those who en-
JOY its benefits.
The Income Tax Decision.
The Chicago platform has been con-
1emned by some because it dissents from
an opinion rendered by the supreme court
declaring the income tax law unconstitu-
tional Our critics even go so far as to ap-
ply the name anarchist to those who stand
upon that plank of the platform. 1t must
be remembered that we expressly recog-
niZC the binding force of that decision so
long as it stands as u part of the law of
the land. There is in the platform no sug
gestion of an attempt to dispute the alI-
thority of the supreme court. The party is
simply pledged to use "all the constitu-
tional power which remains after that de-
cision or which may come from its reversal
by the court as it may hereafter be consti-
tuted." " Is there any disloyulty in that
pledgcY For hundred years the supreme
court of the United States has sustained
the principle which undcrlics the income
tax. Some 90 years ago this same court
sustained without dissenting voice an in
come tax law almost identical with the
ono recently ovCrthrown. Has not u future
court as much right to return to the judi
cial preccdcnts of century as the present
court had to depart from them? When
courts allow rchcarings they admit that
error is possible. The late decision against
the income tax was rendered by II majority
of ono after n rchearing.
While the money question overShadOwS
all other questions in importance, desire
it distinctly understood that l shall offer
no apology for the income tax plank of the
Chicago platform. Tho last income tax
law sought to apportiOn the burdens of
government more cquitably among those
who enjoy the protection of the govern
! mont. At present the expenses Of the fed
cral government, collected through internal
revenue taxes and import duties, are cspe-
cially burdcnsome upon the poorer classes
of society. A law which collects from some
citizens more than their share of the taxes
and collects from other citizens less than
their share is simply an indirect means
of transferring one mans property to an
other mans pocket, and while the process
may be quite satisfactory to the men who
escape just taxation it can never be salts
factory to those who are ovcrburdcned.
Tho last income tax law, with Its eXemp-
tion provisions, when considered in CON
nection with other methods of taxation in
force, was not unjust to the possessOrs of
large incomes, because they were not com
PEELED to pay total federal tax greater
than their share. 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 of Europe,
and every income tax law now upon the
statute books in any land, so far as l have
| been able to ascertain, contains an cXcmp-
ton clause. While the collection of an in
come tax In other countries does not make
| it necessary for this nation to adopt the
system, yet it ought to moderate the Ian
| guage of those who dcnounce the income
tax as an assault upon the well to do.
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 decision of the SUI
| premc court. In government like ours
every public official is n public servant,
| whether he holds Office by election or by
| appointment, whether he serves for II term
of years or during good behavior, and the
| people have II right to criticise his official
acts "Confldoncc is everywhere the parent
| of dCspotiSm. Free government exists in
| jealousy and not in confidence " These are
| the words of Thomas jefferson, and | sub
NIT that they present IA trucr conception of
| popular government than that entertained
by those who would prohibit an unfavor-
able comment upon IL court decision.
| Truth will vindicatc itself. Only error fears
| free speech. No public official who con-
scicntiously discharges his duty as he sees
it will desire to deny to those whom he
serves the right to discuss his official con-
duct.
The Paramount Question.
Now let me ask you to consider the para
mount question of this campaign - the
money question. 1t is scarcely necessary to
defend the principle of bimetallism. No
national party during the entire history of
| bit L llllttl ENlilltS HAS tNtI apulISu
it, and no party In this campaign has had
the temerity to oppose it, Three parties
the Democratic Populist and Silver par
ties-have not only declared for bimetal-
lism, but have outlined the specific legisla-
tion necessary to restore silver to its an
ciCnt position by the side of gold. The
Republican platform declares that bimctal-
lism is desirable when it pledges the Re-
publican party to aid in securing itas soon
as the assistance of certain foreign nations
can be obtained Those who represented
the minority sentiment in the Chicago con-
vcntion opposed the free coinage of silver
by the United States by independent ac-
ton on the ground that in their Judgment
it would rctard or entirely prevent the
establishment of international bimetal-
lism, to which the efforts of the govern
mcnt should be steadily directed" When
they asserted that the efforts of the govern
mcnt should be steadily directed toward
the establishment of international bimctal-
lism, they condemned monometallism
The gold standard has been weighed in the
balance and found wanting. Take from it
Il q.