Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-16


burdens of taxation because, forsooth,
these select few he has selected as
only This people"
AS far as ! am concerned, sir, say
l cannot see how such a doctrine can
have place in legislative hall where
the doctrine is the law, just the law
that equal law that applies to all
mankind. Mr.. President, it is remem-
bered that Sir James Mcintosh, in a
very celebrated utterance, exclaimed /
in that certain great assemblase:
my lords, give me civil justice.
With that, all things will be equal and |
Just, and to all men. Deny 1t, and !
liberty will be deprived the humble, |
and not a crown in Britain safe from |
revolution"
No people, Mr.. PTesident-not the !
imperial state of New York, with its |!
pretensions, nor any other-has a |
right to come into this chamber
through the voice Of any man, how |
ever distinguished, and demand, be-
cause they are that which they are,
that they shall be exempt from paying
their debts to humanity. If the people
of New York have been enabled, by
any manipulations OF any legal policy
on the one hand, or any Vaccinations
of financial trickery on the other, TO
gather together the money of the peo-
pie throughout all the great West, for
which / honor myself in speaking, and
have been able through these means
not only to amass 1t but to hide 1t
I logr Tha
| eyes of the tax-administering officers
| of the law, then let them understand
there will be a method obtained in this
| government by which it will be justly
reached. If the states have failed to
do their duty, as the senator well said
in his splendid speech, lately referred
to, no state has been more marked in
| that peculiar violation of democracy
! than the state of New York. 1t was
no doubt because it did fail to do its
duty in collecting its personal tax that
here arose just such sentiment
throughout this country, crying out
for the very retaliation against which
the senator now begs salvation. join
him in his now adopted theory of gov
eminent. There is no hour in this
country, under a constitutional gov
eminent, when any true citizen can
give his approval to the doctrine that
merely because man is rich he shall
be assailed and his possessions taken
from him by any policy or process of
confiscation. There is no place in this
land for creed or statesman whose
theory is that because another man
THE $4,000 EXEMPTION.
The senator says this exemption of
$4,000 means the exemption of all of
the people in the West and putting the
, burden upon "his people" Why?
. There must be some form of exemp-
ton. Shall l assure the senator that
, he did not pause in his usual judgment
: to reflect on the reason of that exemp-
!, ton? The exemption of $4,000 is not
, put in this bill in order to give a man
! $4,000; but since the senator admits
the equity of the principle that there
r should be an exemption, claiming
$1,000 as proper, / answer him, then
} if any exemption is equitable, the ex
;, emption should be just such ar
e amount as is necessary to the main
q tenance of the individual for his mere
= living This in order that he may no
y be doubly taxed. 1t is upon that grea
army of unfortunate citizens-unfor
tunate because of the great oppression
l. that has been laid so heavily upor
l. them; unfortunate because of the yok
e that chafes on their shoulders; unfor
II tunate because they have been sub
d ject to the obedience of such master
It as the distinguished senator refers T.
IS as my people"-that taxation prin
e cipally falls. They must pay upol
n their bread a bread tax, upon thei
e meat a meat tax, upon their shoes tn
n tax of the shoe trust, upon their gal
y ments the tax of the wooden trus
m Upon their very existence they pay
:" double tax, and the exemption is mad
le because of that tax that they mus
In pay in so much greater proportio
s. that the great wealthy, because tn
In heavier tax seems TO have been lai
,e upon them. The theory is that thos
IL people should be exempt from this il
rs come tax in order that they may nc
Of be doubly taxed. II is not becaus
10 they may have $4,000 year that the
n, are not taxed. any more than becaus
o. the distinguished senator's consti
at uents. having 100000 a year the
s. should be taxed.
III Mr. President, merely rose, o.
w serving that the distinguished mer
ed bers of the committee had other thing
to occupy their minds, and possibl
III not being drawn to the observation {
re the distinguished senator. arose
IN state a view of the democracy, tht
y? the Record may be set right; thu
i'll the distinguished senator from Ne
Sc York may not labor under the apr
h hension, however flattering to h
of soul, that he has frightened or humil
w ated this side by referring to "h
by people" and picturing the awful c
ny lamity that will befall them shoul
ed justice be done them. l speak that
or might not think that his side could
TO moved from its duty as it saw it u
er der the laws of men, under the do
TO trine of justice, under every duty
nd its party and 10 the constitution by h
DIS declaration of the superiorities OF 'h