The Butler weekly times., 1896-02-20

that was the author of the income
tax bill, We will say, and that l was
the man to whom credit ought to be
given, and if they should conclude
that l was right about it, that I was
talking according to the Record" j"
they would give me credit to which
| am not entitled. / simply was one
of hundreds here in favor of that
measure It had not been discovered
lstel y. The nations knew about it..
1t was IN the law of our own country
years ago on the same basis. Likewise
if nay colleague from Missouri were
to pose, e,or were to allow himself to be
posed, as the author of the income
tax bill, knowing that he is not, he
would be taking or receiving
credit where it is not due. If he
were to appear before his people as
the midwife present when the in-
come tax law was born, the wet nurse
that cared for it in the hours of it's
pulling infancy,as the godmother that
was present at it's christening,as the
steadfast guardian and protector of
it in all the years that followed, and
if people were to give him credit for
that sort of thing,he would get cred.
it..beyond his deserts, because, like
the rest OF US, all except the gentle.
man who really drafted that bill, he
simply supported it, he simply voted
for it. All these things and great
many suggest themselves to our
minds if We will allow our minds to
stop and reflect for a moment-all
these things suggest to us that per-
haps we may make mistake when
we ASSUME to be so much better
than the people, that perhahs
we may drop in error when We
assume to have acquired wisdom
which the people who chose us did
not possess, and take a course con-
trary to that which they directed US
to take.
REFERENCE TO sHIRAS.
Speaking of the income tax I
might say further that perhaps as
long as judicial history shall last, as
long as men shall read decisions and
OF those who made them, only one
little thing connected with that in
come tax law and with its overthrow
will drift down and carry the name
of at least one man to the far distant
future, to be queried about and com.
mented upon when the names of
greater and better men shall have
long since sunk beneath the foods
Of oblivion. That law, Mr.. Chair
man, was to compel wealth to bear
its share of taxation and TO give to
poverty measure of relief from un
just burdens. That law had behind
it the wish, the prayer and hope of
millions of struggling men and wo-
men in this land. 1t had against it
the concentrated power of wealth.
It had for it when it was first passed
upon by the courts one of those
who occupies place upon that e1-
alted bench. It had against it. a
few weeks later. upon the same
question when the vote was decisive.
the same person.
We all ought to be charitable in
this matter. think. of judging peo-
pie on account of a change of opin
ion. I have cited some instances
from history. some remote, some re.
cent, to show as far as one can show
in this casual way that merely be.
cause man has changed In opinion
or in conduct, merely because be
has come to face in a different d;rac.
ton, that We ought not. if the mat.
ter is OF much consequence, to con-
clude out of hand. right away, and
of course, that he has risen above
the level of ordinary morsals when
perehance he has dropped below
that common level upon which so