The age-herald., 1898-05-28
GORMAN ATTACKS
 SUPREME COURT That Tribunals Decision on Income Tax
 Denounced As Infamous. FAVORS AN ISSUE OF BONDS Condemned Proposition to Coin Silver
 and Issuance of Notes. NOTABLE SPEECH ON REVENUE BILL A Decision Against a Corporation Tax Would Not Destroy Our Financial Structure,
 But Would Destroy the Court
 Which Rendered It..
NOTABLE SPEECH ON REVENUE BILL

sa-
 Washington. May 27.-A notable speech on the war revenue measure was delivered in the senate this afternoon by Mr. Cor man of Maryland. In the course of an ar gument in support of a tax on corporations he denounced as infamous the decision of the supreme court declaring the income tax law of 1894 as unconstitutional.
 The warning sounded by some senators that if tax were placed upon corporations it would be pronounced unconstitutional by the supreme court had he said, no effect upon him. A decision against such an en- actment would not destroy our financial structure. but it wouId destroy the court which would hand it down. Mr. German took decided issue with his fellow-demo- crats upon their propositions to coin the silver seigniorage and to issue legal tender notes and made powerful argument in fa- vor of the issuance of bonds to raise funds with which to prosecute the war.
 MT. Teller of Colorado concluded his speech begun yesterday, advocating the coinage of the seigniorage, the levying of an income tax and the issue of legal tender notes, and opposing the issue of bonds.
 MT. Cockrell (dem.) of Missouri discussed the n0dnc1a1 questions III CUnltnllOH DS- tween democratic and republican parties. He urged that the bill reported by the majority of the finance committee ought to be enacted into law.
 Soon after the senate convened at Il o'clock MT. Carter reported from the mili tary affairs committee a bill providing for second assistant secretary of war to be named by the president, and to receive a salary of s40O0.
 When the bill was placed on its passage, MT Bate, of Tennessee, suggested the ab sence of a quorum, not more than e'ght or. ten senators being in the chamber. After a delay of fifteen minutes a quorum was secured and the bill was passed.
 Morgan Amendment
 MT Morgan then offered this amendment to the war revenue measure:
 a''When any of the islands of the Atlantic or Pacific oceans are owned by the United States or when they are occupied by the civil or military forces of the United States as a result of war with Spain, or as a necessary means of conducting such war, to be determined by the president as the commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States, it shall be lawful and within his discretion for the president to appoint civil or military governor of such island or any group of such islands, with full authority under such rules and regula- tions as the president shall prescribe, not inconsistent with the laws of civilized war fare, to maintain good order and to protect the lives and property and the domestic peace of the people thereof.
 "And there shall be extended over such islands and enforced therein such parts and provisions of the tax laws of the United States or of such islards, whether relating to customs duties or to internal taxation as shall, in the judgment ard dis erection of the president, be justly applica- ble to such islands during the existence of war with Spain.
 "The currency of the United States, whether of gold, silver or paper money. shall be lawful tender in said islands so owned or occupied in the same manner and to the same extent that they are a lawful tender in the United States in the payment of all debts, public or private.
 And the provisions of this act that re- late to such islands, together with such regulations, as shall be made by order of the president for executing the same, shall remain in force until the same are altered amended or repealed by act of congress-" Consideration of the war revenue measure was resumed Mr. Teller taking the floor to continue his speech begun yesterday. lJIYl- An Important Feature t9aMr Nelson regarded the proposed issue of greenbacks as one of the most import ant features of the bill. He felt that the notes of Issue would be an added manacle to the treasury and that 1t would enable those so inclined to deplete the gold re- serve and render 1t the more easily possi- ble to force an issue of bonds. Closing Mr. Nelson declared that in any way 1t might be taken the view of the majority of the finance committee was wrong and could not safely be followed.
 Mir. Cockrell followed MT. Nelson. He avowed his intention to support the gov ernment in the prosecution of the war to a successful issue Yet he must be his own judge of what was necessary and there must be dictation on this point. He con- tended that the bill as reported includes provisions for the coinage of the seignorage and the issuance of treasury notes and the elimination of the bonds would provide sufficient revenue for the conduct of the war.
 MT. German said he approved of some provisions of the house bill and some of the amendments made by the senate com mittee His efforts would, however, be directed towards making the bill more clearly equitable and just than 1t now was.
 The burdens ought to be placed upon the large interests able to pay the taxes, instead of upon the people regardless of their condition. The people. he maintain ed, should be exempted from the offensive and burdensome stamp tax. the levying and collection of which would result in mysterious difficulties. He said it had been declared during the debate that the corporation tax, if enacted into law,
 
 be unconstitutional, thus reiterating de- cision as "infamous'' as that on the income tax law
 Time For Test
 "Now is the time," he declared, while we are engaged in war to rest the supreme court upon the corporation tax question. A decision against 1t will not destroy our financial structure, but it would destroy the court The American people would fhn t,ak ft, ffx,an of war taxes might be levied upon all in- terests justly and equitably."
 MT. German then formally presented his amendment to the bill providing for tax upon corporations, which was brought out yesterday by MT. White He made a strong defense of it's provisions and appealed to the senate to engraft it upon the bill.
 In the course of a discussion of the proposed coinage of the silver seigniorage MT. German held that 1t involved 0 po-