The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1913-02-07
THE ADOPTION OF THE IN
COME AMENDMENT TO THE
CONSTITUTION.

The ratification Of the Income Tax
Amendment to the Constitution Of the
United States this week by more than
three-fourth, Of all the States, is the
eonsummalion Of an event greatly to be
desired by the people Of the United
State. And while it has been finally
ratid 10y more States than WAS aetu-
ally necessary it is expected that still
more votes will come for it from the
States that have not yet acted on it by
the State Legislatures.
1t is probably one of the most pop
ular amendments among the people at
large Of all the forms of tax legislation
that the United States has adopted
In addition to its conceded popularity,
it will clear the way for the adoption by
Congress of many important reforms, so
greatly desired and SO urgently needed
b. all the people At this late day the
great wonder is that this form of taxa
ton was NOT adopted lou- since. Or
rather the great wonder is that there
was ever any difficulty objection or OBJ
stacle to the imposition Of an Income
Tax. 1t is a tax that has been imposed
in nearly all of the civilized countries Of
the world During the war between
the States, there was not only an Income
Tax laid on the people in their name,
but also special Excise Tax levied on
carriages, buggie>, watches. stamp
taxes on checks and notes. But after
the war the Excise Taxes and the In.
come Taxes were abandoned in order to
clear the way for the imposition OF
high protective tariff taxation.
The biz interests whose scheme was to
exploit and rob the people and make fab
uous fortunes out Of the tariff system,
and in order to do that they had to have
the pretext that the government needed
a large revenue from tariff taxation.
Under that preteXt they succeeded in
getting the rabber tariff system adopted
out Of, and by which, the widest dreams
of tariff barons, trusts and combinations,
have been more than realized in the vast
millions extorted from a long suffering
people that ever entered into tho head or
the Imagination Of any man or set of
men.
An Income Tax was passed by
Democratic Congress under Nlr. Cleve
land s second administration, but 1t was
declared unconstitutional by the then
Supreme Court of the United States, be-
cause it was not laid in the States ac
oording to population. That was the
case where the court was evenly divided,
and one Of the judges changed his opin
ion over night, which resulted in strik
ing down a most just law. That de-
cision was received with widespread con-
demuation by the people and has done
more than all else to bring the courts
under public criticism and condemnation.
That decision, among others, is the
direct cause of the demand now prevail
ing among the people for the recall of
Judges and the recall Of judicial decis
ions. The fact is, that was far reac
ing decision
1t was in fact limitation upon the
sovereign power of the government to
lay taxes, and in the event of foreign
war of great magnitude and expense the
power Of the government to defend IT.
self, would have been destroyed by this
decision of the Supreme Court.
SO it will be seen that that decision
was Of far reaching effect, and was
notification of the highest power of the
government in its greatest need.
So that the adoption Of the Income