The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-08-20

porate person created by law as well as tf
the person OF flesh and blood created hx
the Almighty. No government is wortby
oi the name which is not able to protect
from every arm uplifted for his injury the
humblest citizen who lives beneath the
nag. 1t follows as a necessary conclusion
that vicious legislation must be remedied
by the people who suffer from the effects ot
such legislation and not by those who en-.
Joy its benefits
The Income Tax Decision.
Inc Chicago platform has been con.
denned by some because it dissents from
an opinion rendered by the supreme court
declaring the income tax law unconstitu
tlonal. Our critics even go so far as to ap
ply the name anarchist to those who stand
upon that plank of the platform. 1t mast
be remembered that we expressly recoe.
nlZe the binding force of that decision %
long as 1t stands as part Of the law OF
the land. There is in the platform no sug
gestfon OF an attempt to dispute the au-
thorlty of the supreme court The party is
simply pledged to use "all the constitu-
tional power which remains after that de-
cision or which may come from its reversal
by the court as it may hereafter be consti-
pledge? For hundred years the supreme
court Of the United States has sustained
the principle which underlies the income
tax. Some 20 years ago this same court
sustained without a dissenting voice an in
come tax law almost identical with the
one recently Ovcrthrown. Has not q future
court as much right to return to the judi
cial precedents of q century as the present
court had to depart from themp When
courts allow rehearings, they admit that
error is possible. The late decision against
the income tax was rendered by a majority
OF one after a rehearing.
While the money question overshadows
all other questions in importance, desire
it distinctly understood that shall offer
no apology for the income tax plank of the
Chicago platform. The last income tax
law sought to apportion the burdens of
government more equitably among those
who enjoy the protection of the govern
ment. At present the expenses of the fed
cral government, collected through internal
revenue taxes and import duties are espe-
cially burdensome upon the poorer classes
of society. A law which collects from some
citizens more than their share of the taxes
and collects from other citizens less than
their share is simply an indirect means
of transferring one mans property to an
other mans pocket and while the process
may be quite satisfactory to the men who
escape just taxation 1t can never be salts
factory to those who are overburdened.
The last income tax law, with it's cxemp-
ton provisions, when considered in con-
nection with other methods of taxation in
force, was not unjust to the possessors of
| large incomes, because they were not COM
| pcllcd to Iay total federal tax greater
hon bnir chs fov fc or
| new nor is it based upon hostility to the
| rich. The system is employed in several
| of the most important nations of Europe,
| and every income tax law now upon the
| statute books in any land, SO far as have
| been able to ascertain, contains an exemp-
| tion clause. While the collection of an in
come tax in other countries does not make
! it necessary for this nation to adopt the
| system, yet it ought to moderate the Ian
| guage of those who denounce the income
| tax as an assault upon the well to do.
Not only shall refuse to apologize for
the advocacy of an income tax law by the
national convention, but l shall also refuse
| to apologize for the exercise by it of the
right to dissent from a decision of the su
preme court. In a government like ours
every public official is a public servant,
| whether he holds office by election or by
appointment whether he serves for q term
| of years or during good behavior, and the
| people have Il right to criticise his official
acts. Confidence is everywhere the parent
| of despotism. Free government exists In
| jealousy and not in confidence " These are
| the words of Thomas jefferson, and sub
| nit that they present Il trucr conception OF
| popular government than that entertained
| by those who would prohibit an unfavor-
| able comment upon q court decision
! Truth will vindicatc itself. Only error fears
free speech. No public official who con-
scicntiously discharges his duty as he sees
it will desire to deny to those whom he
| serves the right to discuss his official con-
| duct.
| The Paramount Question.
Now let mo ask you to consider the para
| mount question of this campaign - the
money question. 1t is scarcely necessary to
defend the principle Of bimetallism. No
| national party during the entire history OF
the United States has ever declared against
it, and no party in this campaign has bad
| the temerity to oppose it. Three parties
! the Democratic, Populist and Silver par
tics-have not only declared for bimetal-
| lism, but have outlined the specific legisla-
| ton necessary to restore silver to its an
cicnt position by the side of gold. The
Republican platform declares that bimetal-
| lsm is desirable when it pledges the Re
| publican party to aid in securing it as soon
! as the assistance Of certain foreign nations
| can be obtained. Those who represented
| the minority sentiment in the Chicago con-
| vention opposed the free coinage of silver
by the United States by independent ac-
ton on he ground that, in their Judgment,
it would retard CT entirely prevent the
| establishment of international bimctal-
i o1,hi i.l, hn off of q
mcnt should be steadily directed" When
they asserted that the efforts of the govern
| ment should be steadily directed toward
the establishment of international bimctal
| lism, they condemned monOmctallism.
The gold standard has been weighed in the
balance and found wanting. Take from II
the powerful support of the money owning
and the money changing classes, and it can
not stand for one day in any nation in the
world 1t was fastened upon the United
States without discussion before the peo
pie and its friends have never yet been
willing to risk verdict before the voters
upon that issue.
There can be no sympathy or co-opera
ton between the advocates of q universal
gold standard and the advocates of bimet
allism Between bimetallism whether in
dependent or international, and the gold
standard there is an impossible gulf. i
this uuadrennial agitation in favor of in
ternational bimetallism conducted in good
faith or dc our opponents really desire tc
| maintain the gold standard permanently!
Are they willing to confess the superiority
of a double standard when joined in by
the leading nations of the world, or dc
they still insist that gold is the only metal
suitable for standard money among civi
lized nations? If they are, in fact, desirous
of securing bimetallism, we may expect
J them to point ont the evils Of q gold
standard and defend bimetallism as q sys.
tenn. If, on the other hand, they are bend
ing their energies toward the permanen
establishment of a gold standard unde
cover of a declaration in favor Of interna
tional bimetallism am justified in sug