Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-04

openly and freely, without fear of losing
their jobs or hurting their business and
bringing distress on those dependent on
them, is shame and a disgrace to our
free institutions.
Our opponents complain that we array
class against class. Not so. The money
ed class are arraying themselves against
the whole people. They are the agrees
sors. By continuous contraction of the
currency, they are fortifying themselves
behind financial castles from which it
will soon be impossible to dislodge them,
and from which they would rule with all
the tyranny of the feudal lords of the
middle ages.
When they denounce the debtors of the
country for wanting to pay their debts
in so cent dollars, they cannot complain
when the debtors reply that they seek to-
collect their debts in a 200 cent dollar,
when the former charge is false, and
the latter is true. The creditor who
seeks by procuring or preventing legisla-
ton to collect his debt in an appreciated
money, is as dishonest as the debtor who
would pay in deprecated money.
When they call the laboring man an
anarchist for upholding the doctrine of
local self government, secured by the
constitution of the United States, they
may expect the laborng man to de-
nounce them as riding rough shod over
the constitution and laws of our country,
to accomplish their selfish ends, when they
are doing that very thing.
AS long as they cartoon the farmers of
our country, the producers of wealth, as
"hayseeds," and malign them as repudia-
tionists, so long will the farmers of the
country refer to them as a moneyed ariS-
tocracy, and tell them that their cry of
reputation is but the old cry of stop
thief" to divert attention from their own
rascality.
Their complaint about these matters is
like the billy goat who took after the
darkey and chased him round and round
a stump, but the niger gained on the
goat, and finally catching up with him,
grabbed him, when the goat said 'bah."
The "nigger' said bah, yourself, who
commenced this foolishness fust any
way"
There is not bond in the United States
payable in gold. They are all payable in
coin. And that there might be no
misunderstanding on this subject, con-
gress emphasized the fact by joint resolu-
ton. Yet the holders of these bonds,
who bought them up with greenbacks at
a discount, now dishonesty seek to have
these bonds paid in gold that has appre-
ciated two for one. And they denounce
those who oppose their dishonest
schemes, as being dishonest themselves,
and all that little class who think 1t nee
essary to maintain their own reputation
for honesty by doing so, or imagine they
are serving the Lord, join with them in
promulgating this falsehood.
The Supreme Court.
Our opponents charge that we attack
the supreme court of the United States.
That is not true. If what Is said in our
platform is a criticism on the supreme
court the people of the United States
have a right to criticise any branch of
the government. The doctrine does not
yet prevail in this country that the king
can do no wrong" We can criticize our
ino ha q
atty of high treason of the olden time.
That our supreme court, in order to de-
clare the income tax unconstitutional,
overruled the decisions of that court for
100 years is fact, and that Is all our
platform charges. The decision was OBJ
fained by one judge changing his mind
at the last moment, which gave major
ity of one in favor of the unconstltutlon-
atty of the law.
Following are some utterances OF THESE
dissenting Justices:
s1rhe nractical effect of the decision to-
day." says Judge Harlan, lis to give to
certain kinds of property a poslt4on oi
favoritism and advantage lncohsisteh.
with the fundamental principles OF our
social organiza ton, and to invest them
with power and influence that may be
perilous to that portion of the American
people upon whom rests the larger part
of the burdens of the government, ana
who ought not to be subjected 10 the 90
than the property of the country should
be at the mercy of the wless."-Pollock
VS.. Farmers Loan and Trust company.
1853 u. S. Rep, 6S5.
Said Justice Brown:
"As cannot escape the conviction that
the decision of the court in this case is
fraught with Unreasonable danger TO the
future of the country, and that 1t ap-
pr0aches the proportions of a national ca
lamity l feel it duty to enter my pro-
test against it"-Ib. 695.
Here are the words Of Justice White In
the conclusion of very aple oplnlon:
"Tt is. l submit, greatly to be depiored
THAT after more than 100 years OF our
national existence after the government
has withstood the strain of foreign wars
and the dread ordeal of civil strife, ana
its people have become united ana power
ful- this court should consider itself COM
pelled to go back TO a long repudiated and
rejected theory of the constitution, by
which the government is deprived OF an
Inherent attribute of it's being,a necessary
power of taxation."-Ib. 7l5.
Justice Howell E. Jackson, now de-
ceased, speaks thus, after showing tne
absurdity and iniquity of the doctrine OF
the bare majority of the court:
nConsidered in all its bearings, this de-
ycision is; in my Judgment, the most disas-
trous blow ever struck at the constitu-
tional power of congress-.
''9 When these dissenting opinions were
rendered the newspapers of the money
centers, controlled by our monied arts
tocracy. not only criticised, but bitterly
denounced these Judges. According to
their idea. it is all right for Them to de-
nounce the supreme court, but all wrong
for the masses even.to call attention to
| the fact-which is fact-that In order to
declare the income tax unconstitutional
| the decisions of 100 years standing had to
be overruled, and that by bare majority
of the court.