Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-05-26

And when he got through asserting that
there would not be dollar more of total
taxes collected and total principal and
interest paid, and when I told him it
could not possibly be so, he thought ]
was an exceedingly ignorant fellow who
was hardly worthy of his consideration.
"When il came to be investigated, he
was found to be $74, 900, 600 ont of the
way, as his proposition would have in
creased the public debt in interefk and
principal $74, ,000, 900. Now, lave
this to soy of him: That in my 'judg-
ment no man ever sat in the Office Of
the secretary of the treasury that ad-
ministered the treasury of these United
States with any more safety and ability
than the man who now sits in the treas
ury department of the government, but
I want to say further that have never
seen a man in that high Office that
would give his opinions offhand ON i'm
portant measures 80 carelessly as the
present secretary Of the treasury.
Laughter and applause.
Annoying Taxation.
"We ought not to accept this bill as
1t is, and hope 1t will be recommitted-
recommitted to the committee-which
shall vote for when the motion is
made. Every Republican ought to vote
to recommit, that it may be perfected
on proper lines. We have no right to
put in any bill the most vexatious and
perplexing and annoying tax that could
be devised. How will this bill work all
throughout the sparsely settled south
and northwest and the agricultural SEQ
tions Of this country? How will 1t work
to the common people? A man wants to
give bis note to his neighbor and before
he can give note he has to go ten
miles to get a stamp Our farmers and
our mechanics cannot go about the
country carrying an assorted lot OF
stamps in their pockets ready to put on
notes, receipts, etc Tax the rich. The
rich do not object to taxation any more
than the poor. Put the tax where they
will be bound to pay, but do not make
tax that will be an annoyance.
"Ah, but the chairman Of the COM
mittee on ways and means Mr.. Ding
leyl and probably the chairman of the
committee on appropriations [M1.
Cannonl say, The banks and corpo-
rations will print the stamps on their
checks and other legal papers Certain
ly, and about two-thirds Of the tax will
be collected without especial annoyance,
but the other third will be collected
ct
tive body has a moral right to put ON
the people. The principles on which
this government are founded are con-
stantly ignored-viz, that "a wrong to
the meanest citizen Is an injury to the
whole community. Have We got to an
noy and to invalidate legal instruments
and cause excessive and unnecessary
loss to large number of men compara-
lively poor in order to get the necessary
amount of taxes?
'f was told when a boy that a penny
saved was a penny earned. think it Is
true now, and would like to ask the
chairman Of the committee if he has
gone over the expenses of this govern
ment to see II we cannot save few
millions here and few millions there.
Why not put an import duty on silks
and the same duty ON all manufactures
of silks? Silk is manufactured in large
establishments in a few localities, and
1t could be very easily done. Why not
tax luxuries instead Of these taxes Of
annoyance2 [Applause on the Dem
ocratic side We want to do the
work, and we ought to pay the taxes.
ALI over this country men will have to
throw away all the blank money instru-
ment books they have, ell the check
books, ETC.
Reeds Cat o Nine Tails.
"I wish to say that want to vote
for this bill. There is no man who
wants to vote for it more than I, but
when the end comes the people will
want to know why we provided long
time bonds. The people will want to
know why we repealed these taxes, II
we do repeal them before the war bonds
are paid, rather than pay the bonds,
and when the people ask rs why we is
sued these long time bonds in such q
manner as to compel us to repeal this
tax law before they could be paid, when
we go upon the stump and we under
take to answer them, what are you go
ing to say about it?''
This and much more of the same en-
tertaining character did Brother Walker
say, but his remarks fell upon 'the
leaden ears and hardened consciences of
the Republicans
Later in the day Mr.. Brumm, a Penn
sylvania Republican, put in strong ar
guments in favor of greenbacks, but the
worshipers of the golden calf treated
Brumm's logic with oontumely and
scorn.
Privately many Republicans vowed
that they were in favor of an income
tax-said it was wise, just and patriotic
but when they saw the speaker swing
his cat O. nine tails in air and heard its
threatening swish they walked up to
the mark, "meek as Moses" and swa1-
lowed the nauseous dose.
They voted to fasten 5000, 900, 900 Of
bonded debt upon the people with as
little ceremony as they would order q
suit of clothes, knowing full we'll that
not one bond is necessary to thrash the
Spaniards out of their boots. Seryile
fear of their masters caused them to
commit this outrage.