The herald., 1896-10-11

the laboring masses, and now withou
any desire to harm anyone, but as {
| necessary means Of maintaining tina
supremacy. 1t proposese to keep its fee
where they are. The sufferers do no,
enjoy 1t; they have come to realize theii
about gradually and now they do realize
It, They propose to escape If they can
The under dog is waking up. If anyone
doubts the statement that labor Is ter.
ribly oppressed In the United States lei
him not speak till he has read the evil
dence taken by Georges labor commits.
| sion a few years since. We know moth
| ing by experience In Southern California
| of what Is going on elsewhere in oul
| own country in the matter of grinding
down men, women and children by the
capitalists of the land.
A conviction, whether right or wrong
is becoming deep-seated In the minds OF
the common people that capital is con-
trolling the several departments Of oul
general government and that all are con-
spring against labor. The hope of the
people has been In the supreme court OF
the United States. The members
chosen for life by the president and SEN
ate. with ample salary which cannot be
diminished during their term, would
seem to be as far removed from tempta-
tion to do wrong as men can be. This
august tribunal, the last to lose the con-
fidence OF the people has fallen under
suspicion. The gold wing Of the Demo-
| cratic party at Indianapolis felt called
upon to condemn all efforts to degrade
that tribunal or impair the confidence
and respect which it has deservedly
held"
The silver wing at Chicago had said
there would be no deficit in the revenue
but for the annulment by the supreme
court Of laws passed by the Democratic
L., Axl1 "a L.
form decisions Of that court for nearly
one hundred years, that court having
sustained constitutional objections to
their enactment which had been over
ruled by the ablest judges who had ever
sat on that bench"
The income tax decision Of May 20,
1895,-if most remarkable and signifi-
cant as a decision-is still more signifi-
cant as evidence Of the tendency Of the
powers that be to overcome whatever
lies between the people and the gratifi-
cation of every demand made by wealth.
The broad-minded Harlan, who has no
superior upon that bench and is a worthy
successor Of Marshall and Story, in his
dissenting opinion says the decision
may not improperly be regarded as q
judicial revolution that may SOW the
seeds of hate and distrust among the
people Of different sections Of our com
mon country" 4.
Justice Jackson. dissenting, says:
considered In all its bearings this de-
oision is. in my judgment, the most dis
astrous blow ever struck at the consti-
tutional power Of congress-" Justice
Brown, at the close OF his dissenting
opinion, said: II hope It may not prove
the first step toward the submergsnce
Of the liberties Of the people in q sordid
despotism of wealth. As can not es-
cape the conviction that the decision of
the court in this great case Is fraught
with immeasurable danger to the future
of the country, and that 1t approaches
the proportion Of q national calamity,
I feel 1t my duty to enter my protest
against it."
Justice White closed his learned pro-
test with these words: TT Is. I submit,
greatly to be deplored that, after more
than one hundred years of our national
existence, after the government has
withstood the strain Of foreign wars and
the dread ordeal of civil strife. and its
people have become united and power
full. this court should consider itself COM
peiied to go back to long repudiated
and rejected theory Of the constitution
by which the government 10 deprived
Of an inherent attribute of its being, a
necessary power Of taxation"
Every law-abiding man will admit that
that income tax decision, though thus
reversed by vote OF five to four. and
against the most learned protests OF the
four. is the law Of the land and must be
supported 30 long 81 u standa. but Il