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III
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Income tax under tho amendment would bo paid
by citizens of Now York. That Ib undoubtedly
true, but tboro 1h all tho nioro reason why our
legislature Hhould tako special care to excludo
overy narrow and selfish niotlvo from influonco
upon Us action mul Hhould consider tho proposal
In a Hplrlt of broad national patriotism and
Hhould act upon It for tho best Interests of the
whole country.
Tho main reason why the citizens of Nov
York will pay so large a part of the tax is that
Now York City Is the chief financial and com
mercial center of a great country with vast
resources and Industrial activity. For many
years Americans engaged in developing tho
wealth or all parts of tho country have been
going to New York to secure capital and market
their securities and to buy their supplies. Tliou
nands of men who havo amassed fortunes In all
sorts or enterprises In other states havo gono
to Now York to live because they like the lifo
of tho city or because their distant enterprises
requlro representation at the financial center.
"Tho incomes of New York are in a great
measuro derived from tho country at largo. A
continual stream of wealth sots toward the
great city from tho mines and manufactories
and railroads outsldo of Now York. Tho United
Statos Is no longer a mero group of separato
communities embraced In a political union; it
has become a product of organic growth, a vast
Industrial organization covering and including
tho wholo country; and tho relation of New York
City to tho wholo organization of which it is
a part is tho great sourco of her wealth and tho
chlof reason why her citizens will pay so great
a part of an incomo tax. We have tho wealth,
because behind tho city stands the country. Wo
ought to bo willing to share tho burdens of a
national government In tho samo proportion in
which wo shnro Its benefits.
"Tho circumstances that originally justified
tho establishment of tho rulo of apportionment
havo long slnco passed away. It is universally
conceded that its application to existing condi
tions would bo so unjust and Inequitable as to
bo Impossible. Tho power of taxation which tho
rulo makos it impossible for tho nation to oxer
ciso may bo again, as it has once been, vital to
tho preservation of national existenco. It would
bo most unfortunate If the several states of tho
union woro to Insist upon tho continuance of
this unjust and useless limitation upon tho nec
essary powers originally and wisely granted to
tho national govornmont."
An Albany dispatch quotes Sonator Davenport,
who received tho noot lotter, as saying that a
dlfforenco of legal opinion botweon two men of
tho calibor of Senator Root and. Governor Hughes
had In it no olomont whatovor of personal con
troversy. Yot nothing could bo clearer, ho said,
than tho lino of cleavago between tho two
opinions.
"Speaking for myself," said Sonator Daven
port, "I do not regard this dlfforenco of view
botweon legal experts, Important as It is, as at
all fundamental in tho final determination of this
issuo. I think it will turn out to bo pretty near
ly tho univorsal opinion of tho economists and
exports in practical financo that tho governor's
fears aro ill grounded. No harm can come to
tho crodlt of stato or municipal bonds through
the lovying of a general Incomo tax. There re
mains of course tho selfish consideration that
tho stato of Now York, with its great ability,
would bo called upon to pay a considerable por
tion of an incomo tax. But this unworthy con
sideration is so thoroughly demolished by Sen
ator Root in tho closing paragraph of his letter
that horeafter it ought to hide its diminished
head."
A BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
A Washington dispatch says that Secretary
MacVeagh estimates that there will bo a defi
ciency of moro than $34,000,000 in tho ordi
nary receipts of tho government for the fiscal
year of 1910. But they could cut down their
oxponditures $34,000,000 and still bo a quarter
of a- billion dollars too high, according to Sen
ator Aldrich, In their oxponditures. If they
can not roach Aldrich's figures of economy they
might try a thirty-four million dollar reduction
Surely n party that in addition to being a "God
and morality" party, is tho "business man's
party" ought to be able to handlo a little finan
cial problem like this.
To' all subscribers who renew their subscrip
tions to Tho Commoner during tho month ot
March wo will send tho American Homestead
ono year, without additional charge. Tho two
papers will bo sent to different addresses unon
request, v
The Commoner.
Where the Old
Ship is Leaking
A REPUBLICAN'S PLAIN TALK
If Curtis Guild's editorial denunciation of J.
Pierpont Morgan, recently printed in the Com
mercial Bulletin of Boston, had been written
by a prominent democrat instead of by a re
publican ex-governor of Massachusetts, what a
howl of "demagogue, socialist and anarchist"
would havo gone up from the republican press
of New England. Editor Guild described Mr.
Morgan as a "beefy, thick necked bully, drunk
with financial power" and charged him with de
fiantly breaking the laws of Massachusetts. Ho
adds that opposition to Morgan and to Morgan
rulo is a part of a movement which will develop
into a national propaganda for the people's
rights. Language such as that on the part of
Mr. Bryan, Sonator Tillman or any other promi
nent democrat would be greeted with sneers by
our political opponents. What can they say
when it comes not only from a republican of
Guild's standing but from a man who represents
the real old fashioned, Harvard college, back
bay aristocracy of the most conservative north
ern state in the union? Guild's outbreak Is but
a sign of the present division in the ranks of
the dominant party, a division which speaks
well for its conscience and integrity and proves
that there is still left in it a little of tho spirit
of Lincoln and that the sordid policy of com
mercialism which has so long dominated it does
not appeal to all of its members. The repub
lican party may hold together for a long time,
tho patronage, its prestige, the cornering within
it of the great business interests, all make for
cohesion, but It will lose many of its most val
ued members unless it substitutes patriotism
for dollar chasing. Tho Maine Democrat, Wa
terville, Maine.
i
Washington, D. C, February 28. Represent
ative Lindbergh, of Minnesota, a republican in
surgent, aroused by the refusal of Postmaster
General Hitchcock to accept his recommenda
tions for postofilce appointments, has written
the latter a letter in which he calls him a "po
litical dictator" and denounces him for an
alleged effort to defeat Lindbergh's renomina
tion. Mr. Lindbergh charges in substance that
Postmaster General Hitchcock has entered into
an alliance with the stalwarts of the Sixth Min
nesota district to prevent his re-nominatlon.
The Minnesota congressman says there has
been an effort to make it appear that he is not
for President Taft's legislative program, which
ho denies in his letter, and says that he "favors
tho president's progressive ideas," but does not
trust "with implicit confidence Cannon's and
Aldrich's espousal of the progressive cause." He
refers to the latter as a "great burden to the
republican party and the people." Associated
Press Report.
ROOSEVELT WON'T TALK!
Gondokoro, Soudan, February 27. Theodore
Roosevelt and his party spent today in resting.
When they arrived here last evening on the
Belgian gunboat Boch they were tired from their
few days' hunt for giant elands.
An effort was made to get Colonel Roosevelt
to make a statement about American politics and
public affairs generally, but he emphatically re
fused to talk on such subjects, saying that ho
has completely lost touch with the outside world
and must have a chance to inform himself fully
before expressing an opinion about anything
New York World cablegram.
AND FROM A REPUBLICAN, TOO
To the Editor of tho North American- In
today's editorial you state that the people havo
not lost faith in tho president's integrity but
in his ability. You aro mistaken. The people
aro next, and make no mistake about it The
president has the ability, .but Is using it for tho
interests. President Taft has been in public
life too long to bo the victim of grafting politi
cians His trade has been a game of politics
since he left college. His father before him
and, in fact, tho whole Taft family have been
like the lords of England. '
Integrity! Tell me that a president that
comes into New York or Boston before Section
?w ar?nUr ni "BC jobbers ot Wa" Street"
that he will keep his foot on tho "soft nedal
but goes out west and in his own state promis
ing his people with all the emotion possible Sat
VOLUME 10, NUMBER t
the policies of our beloved president will be car
ried out with dispatch. Oh! what's the use of
wasting ink to tell the story, as all of the boys
"on the rd" know.
It is simply a positive case of giving the peo
ple the "double cross' and for heaven's sake stop
using such words about President Taft. He is
your servant by contract for four years, and
not king, and if you had an employe on the
North American that stole your manuscripts and
sold you out to a crowd of "blackmailers," you
wouldn't use soft words, would you?
President Taft deserves the same lashing you
gave Weaver, or any one else, and if we had
the power of recall the president would be fired
so quick that he wouldn't have time to smile.
HENRY BERGEY.
New York, February 18.
WILSON AND PINOHOT CLASH
Washington, March 1. The expected clash
between Gifford Plnchot and Secretary of Agri
culture Wilson in the dispute on the question as
to whether or not tho secretary had given the
former forester permission to write to Senator
Dolliver the letter which resulted in Mr. Pin
chot's dismissal, came today before the Bal-linger-Pinchot
investigation committee.
Mr. Pinchot declared he had discussed the
matter at length with Secretary Wilson and that
he understood his superior officer had given him
express permission to write to Senator Do'lliver.
Secretary Wilson immediately took the stand
and asserted that while he had given Mr. Pin
chot permission to write to Senator Dolliver
concerning "departmental" affairs, he never did
and never would have given him permission to
write a letter criticising the president of the
United States.
Under a cross-examination, almost wholly by
the democratic members of the committee, Sec
retary Wilson was uncertain as to just what had
passed between himself and the forester and
became somewhat mixed at times as to just What
letter committeemen were referring to in their
rapid fire of questions. The secretary repeat
edly said he never saw or heard of the letter
Mr. Pinchot wrote until it was read in the
senate.
Mr. Pinchot had been reluctant to testify to
anything that would bring him into controversy
with the chief under whom he had served twelve
years. But Chairman Nelson insisted he should
go into the matter.
Mr. Pinchot declared that he and Secretary
Wilson went so far as to discuss the executive
order issued by President Taft forbidding sub
ordinate officers of the various departments giv
ing information to members of congress and
said the secretary had said "you and I will have
no trouble about that order."
Admitting that his memory failed him as to
certain points, Secretary Wilson always came
back to the statement that he never, under any
circumstances, would have given Mr Pinchot
permission to write the letter which caused his
separation from the service.
The secretary said he requested Mr. Pinchot
not to carry out his purpose to "blanket" a
message from the president exonerating Bal-
SS,? TJSiFJ? a lGttf ,to Senator Do"iver.
B,' Persisted counsel for Mr. Pinchot, "if
Mr. Pinchot was only to be permitted to write
about departmental matters, how would vou
have thought this letter would blankeTme presi
dent's message?" presi-
"I don't know, that was Pinchot's idea' "
The day was replete with incidents The
cross-examination of Mr. Pinchot was begun lato
ie,?ftepnoon and win bG continued when the
committee meets again Friday
Mr. Pinchot denied that he had been embit
tered by a dismissal which he conEpfl i
not justified. He denied, also, 3 there was
wpe? GS rvement t0 discredit Mr- BaTlinger
He added, however, that Former Secretn nl'
field and Glavis and others are concerned -movement
for the conservation of natural re
sources and they regarded Mr. Baliinger as one
of the greatest enemies of that movement
"If a subordinate of mine had taker ??-
Mr. Baliinger did," declared Mr vVXn?CAn
matically, "I would have dismissed Sffi Jt'
for corruption or incompetence and ? S?1?!
. .7 " jJiioi.
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