Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1896-08-14


they will from those who are at thei
mercy, nor is it the fault of the genera
public that the instrumentality of tn
government has been so often prostitute'
to purposes of private gain. Those VIII
stand upon the Chicago platform bellev'
that the government should not onl.
avoid wrong doing, but that it should alst
prevent wrong doing, and they believ'
that the law should be enforced alik'
against all Of the enemies of the publi'
veal.
They do not excuse petit larceny, bu
they declare that grand larceny is equal!
crime; they do not defend the occupa
tion of the highwaymen who rob the IN
suspecting traveller, but they include
among the transgressors those who
through the more polite and less hazard
ous means of legislation appropriate tt
their own use the proceeds of the toll o
others. The commandment, "Thou Shall
Not Steal" thundered from Sinai and re
iterated in the legislation of all nations
is no respecter of persons. 1t must bs
applied to the great as we'll as the small
to the strong as we'll as the weak; to thu
corporate persons created by law as wei
as to the person of flesh and blood Gre
ated by the Almighty. No government
ia worthy of the name which is not able
to protect from every arm uplifted fol
his injury the humblest citizen who lives
beneath the flag.
THE SUPREME COURT.
It follows as necessary conclusion
that vicious legislation must be remedisd
by the people who suffer from the effects
Of such legislation, and not by those who
enjoy its benefits. The Chicago plat
form has been condemned by some be
cause it dissents from an opinion rem
dered by the supreme court declaring the
income tax unconstitutional. Our critics
even 60 so far as to apply the name ian
archist'' to those who stand upon that
plank of the platform. 1t must be re-
membered that we expressly recognize
the binding force of that decision, as
long as it stands part of the law OF the
land. There is in the platform no sug-
gestion of an attempt to dispute the
authority of the supreme court. The
party is simply pledged to use "all the
constitutional power which remains at
ter that decision or which may come
from it's reversal by the court as it may
hereafter be constituted" Is there any
disloyalty IN that pledge? For hundred
years the supreme court of the United
States has sustained the principle which
underlies the income tax. Some twenty
years ago the same court sustained with
out dissenting voice an income tax law
almost identical with the one recently
overthrown; has not future court as
much right to return to the judicial pre-
cedents of century as the present court
had to depart from themf When courts
allow rehearing they admit that error is
possible. The late decision against che
income tax was rendered by majority
of one after rehearing.
AN INCOME TAX.
While the money question overshad-
ows all other questions of Importance,
desire 1t 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 the government more equita
bly, among those who enjoy the proteo-
tion of the government. At the present
the expenses of the federal government
collected through internal revenue and
import duties are especially burdensome
upon the poor Glasses of society. A law
which collects from some citizens more
than their share of taxes, and collects
from other citizens less than their share,
is simply an indirect means of transfer
ring one mans property to another man 3
pocket, and while the process may be
quite satisfactory to the man who escapes
Just taxation it can never be satisfactory
to those who are overburdened. The
last income tax law, with it's exemption
provisions, when considered in connec-
tion with other methods of taxation in
force, was unjust to the possessors Of
large incomes because they we're COM
PEELED to pay total federal tax greater
than their share. The income tax is not
new, nor is it based upon the hostility of
the rich. The system is employed in
several of the most important nations Of
Europe, and every income tax law now up
on the statute books in any land, as far as
have been able to ascertain, contains an
exem ption clause. While the collection
of an income tax in other countries does
not make it necessary for this nation to
adopt the system, yet it ought to moder-
ate the language of those who denounca
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 shall also
refuse to apologize for the exercise by
it of the right to dissent from decision
of the supreme court. In government
like ours every public official is public
servant, whether he hold offices by election
or by appointment, whether he serves
for term of years or during good be-
havior, and people have right to criti-
else his official acts. Confidence is evory.
where the parent Of despotism; free gov
ernment exists in jealousy, and not in
confidence those are the words of
Thomas Jefferson, and submit that they
present truer conception Of popular
government than that entertained by
those who would prohibit an unfavorable
comment upon court decision. Truth
will vindicate itself; only error fears free
speech. No public official who conscien-
tiously discharges his duty as he sees it
will desire to deny to those whom he
serves the right to discuss his official
conduct.
THE PARAMOUNT ISSUE.
Nowlet me consider the paramount
question of this campsign-the money
question. II is scarcely necessary to de.
fend the principle Of bimetallism. Nc
national party during the entire history
OF the United States has ever declared
against it, and no party in this campaig .
has had the temerity to oppose it. Three
parties, the Democrats the Populsts and
the Silver party, have not only declared
for bimetallism but have outlined the
specific legislation necessary to restore
silver to its ancient position by the side
of gold. The Republican platform sx.
pressly declares that bimetallism is de.
sirable when it pledges the Republican
party to aid in securing Il ae soon az the