The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-13
TRICKY As SPANIARDS
EARLHAM TEAM SAID TO HAVE
BEATEN DIE PAUW BY FOUL MEANS.
Charged with SpringinE "a Forged
Statement in the IncOme-Tax
Debate-State News.
snecial q thn 1ndianapoIls journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
GREENCASTLE, Ind April 12-There is
no disposition AT De Pauw to feel sore
over the defeat Of the debating team which
represented the university in the late con-
test with Earlham, but the De Paw team
and their supporters think that their OPP
ponents should have been fair in their ar
guments. The De PAW team directly
charge that the Earlham debaters were MOI
fair and that they used and attributed
statement to prominent authority that was
false in every respect. The De PAW de-
baters quoted at length from the works of
Richard r. Ely, professor of political econ
omv in the University of Wisconsin, and
made a strong argument that Professor
Ely believed in an income tax. The De
PAW debaters had made an especial study
of the works of Prof. Ely and thought
that they were thoroughly familiar with
them. and at a critical moment and what
they believe to have been the turning point
in the debate they were dumfounded to
have the following sprung on them by Mr..
Widup, the third debater for Earlham:
After rehearsing all the theoretical adj
vantages Of an income tax, Prof. Ely says:
All this presupposes the tax to be equitably
levied and were this the condition, or even
Were this condition possible, no tax would
be more in accordance with economic prin-
cipies. No objections based upon general
principles can be raised against the assess
ment and collection of q moderate income
tax, based on incomes above what is nee
essary to existence, If it could be assessed
equitably and justly and If it could be col
lected with facility. But such tax can
exist only in theory, and when an attempt
is made to put it in practice it becomes one
of the most unequal taxes that can be I'M
posed. the difficulties being almost wholly
in the assessment: Such tax cannot under
any of the methods Of assessment that have
peen suggested. be made an equal tax
without raising up such q complex system
of enforcement as to create insuperable OBJ
StacleS to it's collection
After the debate was over and after De
Pauw had acknowledged defeat, which was
taken gracefully. the De PAW debaters
challenged the statement above quoted by
the Earlhamites as coming from Professor
Ely. The Earlham debaterS claimed that
they had made no mistake in giving their
authority and in their private talk reiter-
ated their statement of the platform that
Professor Ely was the author of the quota
ton. The De PAW debaters took the sheet
that their opponents had quoted from and
mailed it to Professor Ely with request
that he say whether or not he had ever
said or written the quotation alleged to
him by the Earham team. A reply was re-
ceived from Prof. Ely this afternoon, which
is as follows:
University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis,
Il hereby certify that never said or
wrote anything even remotely resembling
represents my views. l have said that I
believed an income tax practicable and de-
siranle ana such IS my. present conviction.
cannot help feeling indignant that my
views should be so misrepresented. IT is bad
enough when newspapers invent interviews
and attribute to writer views the exact
opposite of those which he entertains. Col
lege students ought to be too high minded
to do such thing.
RICHARD n. ELY"
Professor Ely wrote his reply in a foot
note on the. bottom of the original manu-
script which the Earlham debaters used
on the platform and which is now in pos
session of the De PAW students. The De
Pauw team state they have no complaint
70 make over losing the debate, but they
felt that the above statement attributed to
Prof. Ely was not true, and their corre-
spondence with the professor sustains their
belief. They further believe that the policy
pursued by Earlham INSCRIPTIONS and
a serious. breach of intercollegiate ETH
quette- The De Paw Oratorical Associa-
tio1l AT a meeting this afternoon passed res
olutions condemning the tactics of Earl
ham.