The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1896-05-08

arated, and if favoritism is to be shown,
let it be to the poor.
Rep. Robertson entered the hall at
this time, and Minister Damon said:
Rep. Robertson favored me this
morning with a manly, straightfor-
ward criticism on the matter which
have brought forward to raise revenue.
/ enjoy such things, and will answer
his prepared speech in as few words
as possible. l have learned since this
session opened that the Minister of Fin
ance has to think on his feet; he has
not a great deal of time to prepare
speeches in answer to members. With
out taking up too much time, will an
swer the principal point in his attack,
which was on the score that had not
presented an income tax bill. started
out with an empty Government treas
ury barely three years ago, at the be-
ginning of this Republic, you may say
young beginner. When began as Min
lister in the Provisional Government we
had but few thousand dollars to meet
the bills due, but by careful nursing
and the cooperation of my colleagues
wemade surplus. Then came the revo-
luton and the cholera, which turned us
back SO that at the beginning OF this
period was simply on my bare bones
as Tar as money was concerned. Now
have to begin again, but under better
conditions, because matters are more
settled and we have representative
Government, and hope to build up an
other surplus. If am to be successful
must be supported. II should bring
in an income tax bill without having
statistics, without knowing how many
people would be included in the tax,
og how much money could be raised,
YOU would do nothing. If l had done
this, and with an enemy in camp, not
one who would use arms, but who would
work to defeat the measure on account
of its incompleteness, we would still be
badly off. These things must be taken
by degrees. Now / have two things
more to contend with. must meet the
House and l must meet the Senate. An
income tax bill might pass here with
flying colors. but when it went into the
Senate, to more conservative men, it
would be blocked Then where would l
be? may look like man defeated at
a prize fight when 1 get through pre-
senting bills, but it is my duty to do
that which will increase the revenue.
The bills l speak of will increase the
revenue during the period $4,000, and
this money will not all come out of the
friends of Mr.. Robertson who have ask
ed his aid in reducing the burdens they
carry. A number of friends have anx-
iously asked me about increasing the
tax, and when said / did not
intend to do they were surprised. /
found that 5000 people on the Islands
hold little pieces of property, and an
increase would bring to the Govern
ment $4,000 per year, think that is
the amount, but have not the figures
with me. The gentleman says I have
not paid enough attention to an in
come tax. l have had harder knocks
than Rep. Robertson gave me for pre-
senting species of income tax, and l
have been roundly abused for it. refer
to the funding bill. would like to ask
any gentleman if that is not an income
tax. You read in the papers of the OPP
position 1 am receiving in trying to
carry that bill. Now. if am condemned
for that, l should be simply wiped out
of existence for attempting anything
so radical as an income tax pure and
simple. Let us come a little nearer
home. arranged the appropriation bill
and it was satisfactory to the Execu-
tive, but when I brought it before the
Legislature, what was the result? Thir-
ty level-headed, intelligent men raised
it above my figures $244,0OO. 1t is very
nice to pose as a philanthropist, but
capital is a tough thing to fight. Now
let me occupy few minutes more of
your time; let us take up few of the
items in this bill. admit that license
bill is not the incest thing to handle,
but cannot afford to throw away $140,-
900 because it Is not pleasant to intro
duce it. When handed the bill to Mr..
Thurston to prepare, I suggested sew
eral things upon which we should re-
ceive revenue. Among these was the
tobacco tax. don't know of country
where people get fee tobacco 1t is a
luxury, and l expect to get $4,000
revenue out of it for the Government.
II this is accomplished 1 hope to take
some of the duty off wine, because a
of our citizens consider wine a
portion of their daily food, and I favor
lowering the duty on clothing that our
people wear and food that they eat, be-
cause they are necessities; but tobacco
is not in that category. 1 will close my
remarks by enumerating some of the
items to which objections are made
There's the business of real estate and
loans. We have people who deal in real
estate and who loan a little money.
1t would be wrong to make them pay a
tax on each branch of their business.
but think they should pay something.
Then there's the BARRIERS They petition
me to charge $50, not per man, but per
shop. / put it down as SIS, and it was
increased to $50. Then we come to my
friends, the lawyers. They are my
friends, and it is due to their assistance
that we get through the year. / never
dispute an attorneys fee; consider it
money we'll spent. The doctors have
raised more fuss than all the others put
together, and yet license is not
new thing. Then there are notaries
and agents to take Acknowledgements