The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-05-05

Editor Independent. MI. ~. II.
Obenchain in your issue OF March 81
says:
II hope Mr.. De Hart will put his
political teachings in concrete form
a sort of platform or declaration OF
principles, SO that we may see just
what they stand for"
In his personal letter to me OF Feb
ruary q he asks:
ssNow do you honestly believe that
a tariff for protection protects the
American workingman? II so,
would like for you to tell me how he
gets it."
Mr.. Obenchain is a southern man.
He resides in the state OF Texas, wnere
slavery once existed-and where, pei
haps, it exists now. am told that In
the cotton belt in the south, there arc
localities where the negroes don
know that they are free. At any rate,
labor is much cheaper in the south
than in the north, and many negroes
are coming here from the south 70
avail themselves of the higher wages.
Perhaps one of the causes OF the low
wages in the south is slavery, accom-
panied with tariff for revenue only
will not undertake to decide Inc
cause or causes of the low wages, nor
DO undertake to say that wages ale
too low in the south, but think that
the southern people might stop once III
q while, and inquire, why lndustrlai
conditions are different in the souln
from what they are in the north.
One thing is very certain-and that
Il that the great difference between
the north and the south makes II
hard to build mp national party. !.
IF the people of the south would
like to ioin with the north in build
ing a new national party and discard
both of the old parties, they must De,
gin nv a new system OF taxation. AND
we cannot have new system OF taxa
ton by. talking about the old system,
or bv comparing the different parts OF
the old system. We must Degin py
inaugurating system that Will 1dii
upon wealth. | do not know OF any
better system for supporting the leu
eral government at Washington thah
q taxsupon incomes. And it ought 70
he upOn such incomes as are derived
from rent, interest and dividends, ana
those who have no such incomes,
ought not to be taxed at all, until they
have them. / believe that the govern
ment at Washington can be sup
ported entirely by tax upon incomes.
Ii I am correct in this, then there IS
no necessity for duties upon imports
for revenue. If anybody asks me, IL
I am in favor of free trade, say NO,
not until we get an income tax IL
anv one asks me if am in favor OF a
tariff for revenue only, say Yes, un-
til we can get an income tax. II any
one asks me if / am In favor OF pro-
lection. / say Yes, until we get an IN
come tax.
Tn other words, let all the taxes stay
as they are-both internal and eXte1 :
nal-until we get the income tax. II
any one wants to talk about the tar
if i say. let us adjourn that ques-
ton until we get the income tax.
I believe that the first thing to DO
Is to get an income tax upon the stat
ute book. But this cannot be done as
long as all the democrats are tghtlng
the republicans about the tariff, one
side wanting tariffs for revenue only,
and the other side wanting tariffs for
protection as we'll as revenue. ! have
been waiting long time for the peo-
pie to get tired of this kind OF bust
ness, but there are so many VINO
seem to be willing to keep up the dis
cussion that it is hard to concentrate
the minds of the people upon an in
come tax, or even upon the money
question, which is almost the same as
the tax issue.
Mr.. Obenchain is one OF a great
many who believe that we ought Il
have a tariff for revenue only, and he
Is SO full OF this belief that he says.
"Your (my) advocacy OF tariff foi
protection as a reform measure passes
the bounds of my comprehension" IL
reply to this. will say that / have
never advocated protective tariff as
reform measure" All that have
ever said is. that II Is better than
tariff for revenue only. hate whai
s Is called revenue tarlffs. because. Il
the government wants or needs rev
onne, Il ought TO be had by passing al
income tax or some kind OF a tax fall
Ing upon wealth. believe that II We
are going to reform our system OF tax'
alton. we must begin by taxing wealth