White Oaks eagle. (White Oaks, N.M.) 189?-190?, 1896-01-16
EXTRACTS FROM SENATOR VESTS
AELE sPEECM.

~ d IL
"If the Wilson tariff law had not. as
to between Si000)O0O and $50 OO0,OG0 of
taxation, beer declared invalid by the
supreme court of the United States,
there would have been no deicit in the
treasury, as every intelligent man must
concede. That tie supreme court made
this decision was a surprise TO every in-
telligent lawyer in the United States,
and especially TO those of us engaged in
the legislation of this country. x
II do not propose to analyze this de
cision Gor shall trust myself to enter
into coujt cture as to the reason that
caused one member OF that court after
agreeing on deliberate argument, as 20
the consitutionnlity Of the largest por-
ton of the law in two weeks afterward,
upon a motion for a rehearing, to reverse
his decision and rasten upon the couptry
the scrdid dospotism OF wealth. This
justice unquvstiona5ly had tho right to
change his opinion. 1t is TIE highest
prero, ,ative Of a iudiaitl officer. But [
must say most respectfully that it is a
mttter OF regret that he did not s Q
proper to pat upon record the reasons
that caused him to make the change;
that he Gid not stand before the Ameri-
can people as the only nlcmber OF that
court really responsible for this far
reaching terrible decision. 4
Il do not prop lse to speak at length
in regard to the effect OF this decision.
My sole object is 10 repel and repue,at
[ with all my power the assertion that
congress is guilty of either recklossness
or ignorance in enacting that statute
| say that every intelligent lawyer con
cluded that the question had been Judi
cious!y determined. To have doubted
that the supreme court would have fol
lowed the decision of one hundred years
would have been reflection upon the
intelligence and Consistency of that
z rcat tribunal In the Individual sell
tishuess that always comes in times of
great depression, while gloom and dis
aster and great issues have been i'm
pending over the country, classes of our
people have not understood the full
effect of this terrible decision.
1T has marked rev era in our his
tory and | much mistake the American
people if the time will not come when
neithtr soft words nor Lonicd phrases
will be sufficient apologies for the doc
trine announced by the supreme court
The people Of this country will never
submit to the system which has been
put upon them by the supreme coult
in opposi ion to its decisions of an en-
tire century. That Mr.. Vanderbilt with
his hundreds of millions OF dollars,
should pay no more for the support Of
the general government than the poor
est man in the land, is abhorrent to
every honest mind. The army and navy
OF the United States, the military and
| FINANCIAL resources Of the government
must be used to defend MI Vanderbilt's S
untold millions, and yet he pays simply
internal revenue taxes aud tariff import
duties npon what he may choose to con
sume and the poor man does the same.
He pays no more to support The amy
and navy than 10 OF any other citizou
Of this country, without regard to his
estate or moneys.
The people OF the United States will
never concedo that either the state or
national administration SHOULD be fixed
upon basis like tLis. The decision |
say has not attracted the attention that
hereafter must be given to it. The time
will come when the prophetic language
of Justice Brown will come homo to
every intelligent and thoughtful man
throughout our wide domain that thus
adjudication of the highest tribunal in
the land has fixed upon the country the
sordid despotism of wealth"