The Goodland republic., 1906-01-12
a1TILLIONs FOR DEFENSE, BUT
NOT ONE CENT FOR TRIBUTE"

Charles C Pfnckney, American
ambassador to France, in Adams ad-
r1inistratiOn, replied to the demand
Of the directorate" that he pay a
sum Of money for recognition as am
bassadOr. as follows: Millions for
defense, but not one cent for tribute" +"
He was an American patriot in the
early history OF the American repub-
lie. This sentiment should be the i'm
peIling force and determination Of all,
in repelling all unjust exactiOns- It
should be both a state and national
motto. in all matters Of direct and in
direct taxation
The United States is now passing
through a crisis as well as Russia
There, it is an autOcracy and burO-
cracy versus the people Here il is
an autOcracy and burOcracy as we'll
the money power and special privi-
legged class. Before the civil war the
''reactionaries'' were the slave dig
archy," now it is the money OIigarchy-
The slave OIigarchy caused the
death Of $4,000 men and the waste
Of S3,OOO,OOO,OO0 Of money Imme-
diately after that war the money
Oligarchy began its paralyZing, de-
structive and damnable warfare on
the American people It's weapons Of
offense were money manipulation and
the protective tariff.
Abraham Lincoln was the great
central figure in ''the greatest war
of histOry'-the civil war, but was
himself handicapped by the rising
money power. In that contest il was
the money in slaves. Now it is money
in stocks and bonds, and special pri-
vileges. From present appearances,
Roosevelt is the great central figure
in a later crisis. If he continues his
conscientious career ne deserves to
be classed with the martyr president
He is the first president since Lincoln
not ''steered" by the money power.
In his fight with the trusts he deserves
the commentator Of all American
citizens. Where do the trusts origi-
nate2 In the sacred precincts Of the
protective tariff This was testified
to, if We remember correctly, by J.
PierpOnt Morgan before a congress
siOnaI committee. This Infamous sys-
tenn even demands the putting Of
tariff against American possessions,
as in the case OF both Porto Rico and
the Philippines This is the very
thing that our revolutionary fathers
rebeIled against-the taxing Of colo
nies without representation"
The present tariff originated in the
exigencies of the civil war. The means
resOrted to, to raise revenue was the
tariff and internal revenue and the
income tax After the war, a few
years, internal revenue and income
tax laws were repealed The tariff
was allowed to stand and il has built
the oligarchy Of the gigantic trusts.
with which we are now at war, and
which must be curbed or the freedom
Of American citizens will only exist
in To off Nhoze
arrogant aggregatiOns Of capital, and
to prevent the birth Of more Of this
spawn OF hell" the protective feature
Of the tariff must be eliminated and a
tariff for revenue only" and an in
ternaI revenue and income tax be sub
stituted. The attempt was made to
do this in the last term of Grover
Cleveland He traitOrOusly refused
to sign it. the supreme court declared
it unconstitutional and yet it was the
very feature of a law enacted during
the civil war. The decision was reach
ed by a majority Of one. Here is what
honest republican judges on the su-
preme bench said in dissenting from
this opinion, which should be read
carefully, and meditated upon:
Justice Brown said:
The decision involves nothing less
than the surrender of the taxing pow
er to the mOneyed classes. While I
have no doubt that congress will find
some means Of surmOunting the pres
ent crisis, my fear is that in some mo-
ment Of national peril this decision
will rise up to frustrate its will and
paralyze its arm It is a step toward
the submergence Of the liberties Of
the people in a despOtism Of wealth.
Justice Harlan:
''In my judgment this decision
strikes at the very foundations Of
national authority, in that it denies
to the general government a power
which is, or may be at some time, i'm
peratively needed. in a great emergen-
cy, say in case OF war The practical
If not the direct affect Of this decision,
is to give to certain kinds Of proper
ty a position Of favOritism and advan-
tage that IS inconsistent with the fun
damentaI principles OF our social Or
ganfzatfOn. and 10 invest them with
power and influence that is perilOus
to that portion Of the people upon
which rests the larger part Of the
burdens of the government, and who
ought not be subject to the domination
Of aggregated wealth any more than
the property Of the country should be
at the mercy OF the lawless."
Justice White;
The injustice OF the CONCLUSION
points TO the error Of adopting it It
takes the invested wealth and reads
it into the constitution as a favored
and protected class of property while
IT leaves the occupation OF the min
ister, the doctor, the lawyer, the in
ventOr, the author, the merchant, and
all the various forms Of human acti-
Eity upon which the prosperity OF the
people must depend. subject to tax
alton without representation
Justice Harlan said that he concur
red fully in the opinion expressed By
Justice White, and declared that "the
decision reverses the common rule Of
taxation by exempting those who are
best able to pay and forcing the bur
den upon the shoulders Of those who
are least able to pay.
In concluding Justice Jackson said
that in his opinion the decision was
sthe most disastrous blow ever struck
at the constitutional power OF con-
grsss- 1t struck down an important
vital and essential power OF the gov
ernment It left the government IN
case or necessity. without power TO
reach BY taxation in any form the
vast incomes derived from the real