The Van Buren press., 1900-01-27
INCOME TAX AND SILVER.
When we Tie Ourselves TO the Gold
Standard, Says Mr.. Bryan,
We Must Tremble When
Foreign Nations are
in Trouble.

The meeting was held under the
auspicies of the Maryland Democratic
Association, one of the free silver wings
Of the Democratic party of the state, and
WAS not encouraged in any manner by
the regular Democratic organization
In fact, the latter held strictly aloof
from any participation in the affair
They made no effort to discourage it in
any manner, but not one of the Demo
cratic leaders appeared upon the plat
form, and offer Of stage tickets was
politely declined by the principal mem
bers of the Democratic Central Com
mittee.
Mr.. Bryan came over from Washing
ton in special car attached to the
Pennsylvania railroad train, which left
Washington at pm accompanied by
u committee, under the leadership Of s..
s. Field. Chairman of the Committee
of Arrangements. Upon reaching this
city, about 6:l5 PM. the party drove
to the Eutaw House for supper, after
which they went to Music Hall. AT the
conclusion of Mr.. Bryan 8 address he
was the guest at Il banquet given in his
honor by his admirers in this city and
vicinity.
With the party who came over from
Washington were Senator Tillman of
South Carolina, Congressman Sulzer of
New York, Richardson Of Tennessee,
Jones of Virginia and DeArmond OF
Missouri. 1t WAS nearly o ,cloekk VI he c \
the party reached the Music Hall where
the crowd greeted Mr.. Bryan uproar-
iously. Mr.. Bryan said in part:
II want to assure yon in the beginning
that my happiness does not depend upon
any honor which the people of this nation
can confer, neither do | believe that this
nation 5 happiness or welfare depends
upon any one person. In politics rs in
the army, the generals get the glory and
the privates do the work And there
fore | feel that owe 1t to those who for
nearly four years have been bearing the
burden in the heat Of the day. | owe it
to them to say that what | have done is
but an atom compared with what they
have done.
In 1890 the voters proved that they
could control the policy of the party and
during the last three years they have
proved that they could hold what they
gained In 1895 in spite ofevery influence
supposed to obtain, the plain people of
the Democratic party have stood and
now stand for the Chicago platform
in all that it says. want to begin with
an accepted proposition that proposition
which | consider most fundamental in
government,
II find it In the Declaration Of In
dependence, II You will pardon me for
quoting anything from that old and out
worn document, as our Republican
friends seem to think 1t Is. The De.
claration OF independence was once a
highly represented document IL Is
under cloud just now, but have con,
fidence that in u few months the clouds
will be rolled by and the old document
will shine with all its former brightness
That Fundamental principle is that all
men are created equal,
II do not mean to say that all men
are created equal in physical strength ,
| do not mean to say that all men are
created equal in mental ability or in
moral worth or that under any just
form OF government u man will be equal
in capacity for enjoyment, or in the
enjoyment that we have. What mean
to say is this; That whenever govern
ment comes into contact with the citizen
whenever the citizen touches the govern
ment, then all must stand equal before
the law and there must be no high, no
low, no rich, no poor; that government
must be administered according to the
maxim of jefferson, Equal rights to all
and special privileges to none.
II am going to ask the Republicans
here to think for little while after they
20 home of the income tax, and to see
IL 1t il not in line with that doctrine of
equal rights to all and special privileges
to none. How do we collect our federal
taxes today, Well, before the Spanish
war broke out we collected almost the
entire tax from two sources-from in
ternal revenue duties on liquor and
tobacco and import duties on what we
eNt and wear and use, In what pro
portion do the people pay these taxesI
In proportion to the benefit received
from the Government Not ut all In
proportion TO incomeY Not at all In
what proportion do the people pay in
ternal revenue tayesY Why, largely IN
proportion TO the liquor and tobacco they
use, They do not use those things in
proportion to their income, and so far as
you collect taxes from liquor and tobacco
you make the poor man pay on an
average u larger percentage of his in E.
come to support the Government, and
the rich man u smaller percentage on
his income.
when the Spanish war broke ont
we had to have more taxes and the Re-
publican party looked around for any
old thing to put stamp on, and yon run
across the stamp ,taxes all the time,
Every time / sendsa telegram have to
pay the regular rate and In addition
thereto | cent IL added for the beneficial
assimilation Of the Filipao.
"Why IL 1t that the man who sends
the telegram has to pay the taxi Be
cause the telegraph company says so,
aud why was the law 30 made that the
telegraph company could shift the
burden onto the man who sends the
telegram Because the telegraph com
panies have more influence with the Re-
publican party than all the poor Re.
publicans who use the wires
In the hour fperil this Government
can take the son from his mother, the
husband from his wife, father from his
children, and stand them up In front OF
an enemys gun, but IN the hour of
danger this Government cannot lay Its
hands upon accumulated wealth, and
make that wealth bear its share Of the
expenses.
"Why Ia IN II Is because the Re.
publican party has made money more
precious than blood, My friends, you
heard men denounce our income Tux
proposition In 1890, want to say It 1,
stronger today than Il WAS then, Aud
II those who have been shirking their
taxes think that they have settled this
question forever, | want 10 tell them
that the income tax will be- IN the mex,
campaign, and II will be In the cam