The Butler weekly times., 1896-09-03
Supreme Court Dissenting Opinions.

Supreme Court Dissenting Opinions
To The Editor of The Kansas City Times.
Leavenworth, Kan.-Some OF the
critics of the Chicago platform com
plain because reference is made to
the Supreme courts decision on the
income tax. 1t is charged that the
Chicago platform is revolutionary
because OF this utteracce. What,
then, is to be said of the opinions OF
Justices Harlan, Jackson, Brown and
White,
Mr.. Justice Harlan, in his dissent
ing opinion on the income tax law
decision, says;
III can not assent to an interpreta
tion of the constitution that impairs
and cripples the just powers OF the
national government in the essential
matters of taxation, and at the same
time discriminates against the great
er part OF the people of our country.
THE practical effect of the deci.
sion to day is to give to certain kinds
OF property position of favoriteism
and advantage inconsistent with the
fundamental principles of our social
organization and to invest them with
power and influence that may be
perilous to that portion of the Amer
ican people upon whom rests the
larger part of the burdens of the
government, but who ought not to
be subjected to the dominion of az
gregated wealth any more tnan the
property of the country should be
at the mercy of the lawless'
Mr.. Justice Brown concludes his
opinion as follows:
"While l have no doubt that Con.
gress will find some means of sur
mounting the present crisis, my fear
is that in some moment of national
peril this decision will rise up to
Illustrate its will and paralyze it's
arm. I hope it may not prove the
first step toward the submergence of
the liberties of the people in sordid
despotism of wealth
''As l can not escape the convic.
tion that the decision of the court
in this great case is fraught with
lmmeasurable danger to the future
OF the country, and that it approach
es the proportion of national Ca
Iamity, 1 feel it my duty to enter my
protest against it"
Mr.. Justice Jackson sums up his
dissenting remarks in the following
language:
'Considered in all its bearings,
this decision is, in my judgment, the
most disastrous blow ever struck at
the constitutional power of Con-
gress."
Mr.. Justice White says:
ut is, l submit, greatly to be de-
plored that t,after more than one hun.
dred years OF our national existence,
after the government has withstood
the strain of foreign wars and the
dread ordeal of civil strife and it's
people have becsme united and DOW.
erful, this court should consider it.
self compelled to 60 back to long
repudiated and rejected theory of
the constitution by which the GOV.
ernment is deprived of an inherent
attribute OF its being. a necessary
power OF taxation. J.P.
SENATOR sHERMAN's SPEECH
Kansas City, Mono more inter.
esting or important speech has been
or will be made during the present
campaign than that of Senator Sher.
man. Its interest and Importance
arise from the fact that he is one of
the ablest leaders of the Republican
party, and because be has been init.
mately associated with the whole
silver discussion since 1873.
But what gives special interes. to
his speech is the fact that it reveals
that nothing can be said against the