The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1900-04-05

man pay more than his share and the
rich man less. Well. when the war
broke out the republicans didn't try to
yet All income tax, but looked around to
tind something to put stamp on. And
these stamp taxes don't collect from the
poor man in proportion to his income.
II you think they do, 20 into bank and
draw check for five dollars and you will
have to pay two cents tax on 1t; draw a
check for five hundred dollars and there
is only two cents tax. The man who
draws out in small amounts pays as
much as the rich man who draws in
large amounts. You will find the repub.
lican party is not trying to equalize the
taxes, is not trying TO fit the burden to
the strength OF the back, but is allo wing
instead the interests of aggregate wealth
II direct its course. Take the stamp on
the telegram; you go to send message
noes the telegraph company pay that one
cent? No, it makes you pay it. Why?
Because the law was so written that it
could shift that burden over on to your
back. And why was it 80 written? Be-
cause the republican party so wrote it.
Because the telegraph companies have
more influence with the republican party
than all the poor republicans who have
talked and hurrahed for anything that is
in the platform.
am in favor of the income tax. l
was in favor OF it when the law was writ
ten, and no part of my congressional
career gives me more qualification than
the part took in writing the income tax
law. 1t was just then; it is just now,
and shall continue to fight for it until
the constitution is so amended as to spe
officially authorize the income tax, and
then neither one judge nor nine judges
can build legal bulwark around the for
tunes of the great and throw the burden
upon the struggling backs of the poor.
But want to ask you republicans isn't
it time you were helping us to make a
law that is good for US as well as for you
Is there any reason why You should cast
your lot for those who stand for taxes
that make you bear more than your
share of the expenses of government?
But some good republicans will be pre-
pared to turn somesaults upon this tax
question. Abraham Lincoln signed the
law that gave us our first income tax,
and yet in '94 the republicans voted
against the income tax. Well, it used to
be that every republican boasted that he
was man OF conviction and the repub-
lican party was formed by the getting to-
stronger than party ties; but now the re-
publican leaders seem to assume that the
republican party is an association OF ath-
letes, trained to turn somersaults when.
ever the leaders say flop" and the lead
ers said "aop" on the tax question and
over you went. Why, greenbacks were
brought into existence by a law signed
by Abraham Lincoln, but the republican
party is now trying to retire the green
backs, and all you republicans who be-
fore believed that the greenbsck saved
the country when gold left it, have got to
turn somersaults now and vote for the
retirement OF the greenbacks and the
substitution OF bank notes. You repub.
licans used to be in favor OF silver.
remember in IS the republican national
platform condemned Grover Cleveland
for trying to demonetize silver, and the
republican national platform of 1892,
written by committee OF which Mr..
Mckinley was chairman, declared the
American people, from tradition and in
terest, favored bi.metallism, and in 1891
Mckinley made speech at Toledo,
Ohio, in which he denounced Grover
Cleveland He said Mr.. Cleveland was
trying 10 discriminate against one of the
money metals was trying to make
money dearer-to make money the mas
ter and all things else the servant What
terrible thing to bring such a charge
against public man and all you re-
publicans stood by and hurrahed and
hurrahed because he denounced Grover
Cleveland for irving to make money the
master and all things else Its servant.
Then Mr. Mckinley was elected and he
did the very same thing he said Cleve