The Paducah evening sun., 1910-02-11
Borah On Income Tax.

Washington. Feb. 11.-Senator
William +. Borah, of Idaho, took oc-
casion to attack the position of those
whose oppose acceptance by the sew
eral states OF the proposed amend
ment to the constitution of the
United States which would permit
the levying of a tax en- incomes with
out apportionment between the
states.
Incidentally the senator paid his
respects to Governor Hughes of New
York, including him by reference
among those who profess to be in
favor of an income tax, but oppose
practical measures which would per-
init it's enforcement. His allusion
was. of course. to Gov. Hughes an
nual message to the New York legis-
lature urging defeat of the proposed
amendment on the ground that its
language might be so construed as
20 authorize congress to tax incomes
derived from state and municipal
bonds.
Senator Borah pictured the mind
of the public as in a state of suspi-
cion and discomfort toward the gov
ernment. and declared that the peo-
pie could not much longer be with
held from radical action if taxation
were continued in protection of
wealth and in exemption of ''in-
comes which sustain luxury and
breed idleness and idiocy."
Supreme Court Charges.
The senate said in substance:
"The history of the income tax
since 1894 has not been one which
any citizen can recite with pride.
For a hundred years a rule of con-
struction as established by the men
who helped to write the constitution
had received the approval of an un-
divided court time and time again.
During this period there sat upon
the bench of the supreme court some
of the greatest lawyers of that or
any other period of this or any other
country. During this period the
wealth of this country had not be-
come so domineering, so powerful,
so determined to have its own way.
During this period therefore, we had
under the constitution the right to
impose a par of the tax upon wealth
and a part upon consumption and
we did SO.
"In 1894 and 1896 these prece-
dents were overturned and this con-
stitution received an Interpretation
unknown to its makers. In the face
of two most powerful dissenting opin-
ions to which two other judges as
sented, the humiliating and astound-
ing doctrine was announced that the
makers of the republic had hedged
wealth about so that the taxing pow
ers of the government could not
reach II even in time OF war; that
the founders of a government based
upon equality and justice had made
it impossible to divide the burdens
of government between consumption
and large class of gathered wealth.
Scheme to Defeat it.
AT the last session of this body
we were called upon to ratify and
declare by express act our assent to
thart Interpretation. Under the rule
of the majority we did so. We sub
mitted his proposed amendment TO
remedy this supposed hideous defect
in the fundamental law.
Now the scheme and plan is TO
defeat the amendment. Having as a
lawmaking body solemnly accepted
this construction of the constitution
Thereby making it Impracticable
again to appeal to the court, II this
amendment can be defeated, this, the
government of the people, for the
people and by the people, will stand
alone among all the civilized nations
of the earth shorn of the power tt
tax that form of wealth best able Il
bear the burdens of government.
Futures shown Up.
Defending the cotton exchanges a
the gatherers of true information
that is disseminated by thousands o
brokers to everybody interested
solomon Napoleon Cone of Greens
boro, n. c.. attacked the proposes
anti-option bill during the hearin
lbefore the house committee on agri
culture. Mr. Gone described him
self as spot dealer. stockholder 4
various mills. a member "of all tn
cotton exchanges of the world" an
the handler of over 100000
worth of spot cotton annually.
The sessions today were deyote'