The Camden chronicle., April 19, 1895, Image 2

About The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current

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THE CHRONICLE, f
Fublhbrd Weekly at Camden, Tenn.
imiiitciiiniiiiiiil,i,.CJ1lil,M
Tl inb rlption j r. ,( Tut riiH'iM-t.i !
I pr year, 60 cent f rx limiitba, a 5 rni
f.ir llr. e umi' (., is piMltivnlv mint be pi4
In a Irnw. All iil.c,ri.'.H1i:i b i r Jini.tlT
Itoj at eiptra'i-.n of timo pij for.
Obituary and ainnlar notion will be charped
foratlhe rate of 3 n,u t pr line. We will
furtutti rat. t for durylay and local adwtuiuir
Oil application.
Our J U priming laciHtirl ar flrtt-clait, and
our K-onl!r It kh1 work. Enmatt (nd
Mm) 1. 1 whure pot.blei) will ba furuUlwJ ou
application.
Nowt ooHimimiontioiit and artlolea on q'lM
tlont of pubho lut.ret art solicited, but wt
a-aurrm no rrijiotuiliility for lie exprmlont
oou'aiued in all tucU ovmi&ualctuoui aad
trtiolei rub.Ub!.
IbraittauocaeanbtmadetnvartrmtwaTttlial i
art psrreotly mfa, but til romlttatiyt suit art
at the rlk of and- r. l'oatajje atampt of 1 and
8-ctnt ctPiiomiiHtiiiin will 1 received lniumi
f 1 a than $1, provided they art tout in tucti
alitpo at to prevent thnrn ttiokiiiff tofjelher.
All rrmitutuYv and bumuen oouiuiuuioatloni
huulj be tnl to
TRAVIS BROS, Publishers,
Campem, Iran.
New York State can boat of a very
original Men, remarks tie New York
Advertiser. The University of th
State of New York has instituted a
ystem of traveling libraries by which
any existing collodion of hooka or
any community desiring it and willing
to conform to certain specified and
easy conditions may obtain a loan for
six mouths of ono hundrod selected
Volumes from tho duplicate collection
of tin university, or from books
.especially bought or given for the
purpose. Up to January 1, 125 of
theso libraries had been sent out
from Albany, aggregating 11,000
volumes, of which 7500 had been re
turned without loss or injury, 4400
were still out and only a single
volumo was missing, for which, with
exemplary probity, the sum of seventy
cents had been recoverod into the uni
versity treasury. The system is a
usoful one, providing reading matter
for many communities otherwise un
able to obtain it, and it seems capable
of wide extension. Suoh circulating
collections inspire the foundation of
permanent ones, and the traveling
library becomes the parent, and re
mains tho aid of tho local and abiding1
one. The Regents of the university
have employed the power the law
gives them in this direction wisely and
to good purpose.
Eastern capitalists are to build at
Chicago the largest tow barge in the
world, the measurement of whioh will
be : Keel 332 feet and 365 feet over
all, beam 44 feet, and depth of hold
26 feet. On the present draft of li
feet of water in tho locks at Sault Ste.
Mai ie the new boat will carry 4500
tons. On the eighteen feet of water,
when the twenty-foot channel between
the great lakes shall have been comple
ted, it will carry easily 6000 tons. The
vessel will have no spars at all for U3e
of canvas, and will be towed exclusive
ly. It will be of the best steel con
Btruction throughout. Shipbuilding
in all branches promises to have an
unprecedented boom at Chicago this
epring. Contracts for two steamers
nearly 400 feet in length, and for two
eteel schooners with keels of more
than , 300 feet, have recently been
made, and the capacity of boats under
construction on the Calumet at the
present time is about 21,000 tons.
"The remarkable increase in the size
of lake vessels this winter has been
Viewed," says a local paper, "with
undisguised alarm by tho owners of
boats which have formerly done the
bulk of lake carrying. They have
viewed witn considerable misgivings
the coming of steamers and schooners
which could take on board 6000 tons
in a singlo cargo with no correspond
ing increase in cost of operation. On
what the outcome of this struggle be
tween the old and new will be no two
marine men can agree. It is evident,
however, from the contracts which
one shipbuilding company has taken,
and the work of the other ship-yard3
around the lakes, that tho coming
lake carriers will be of the 6000-ton
class, and tho owners of boats built
beforo the twenty-foot channel be
came a part of the polioy of the
General Government must adjust their
interests to meet the competition of
the larger craft."
Earthquake Shocks In Italy.
Shocks of earthquake were again
felt at Reggio di Calabra, Italy, Mon
day evening, but no damage was done.
TAX ACT IS
; Declared Unconstitutional fa
Its
Host Important Features.
NO TAX CAN BE COLLECTED
BONDS OR RENTS.
THE ICNTIKK ACT ESCAPES ONLY
II V A 11 K VOTE.
Juttlcet White and
Field Dissent In
Regard to Essential Featurrt.
Chief Justice Fuller announced the
decision of the United States supreme
court in tho inconio tux cases Monday.
Ho began by stating the exceptions to
the law as made by counsel for the ap
pellant as follows:
1. That the act imposes a direct tax
in respect of the real estate, rents, is
sues and profits of personal property
and not being apportioned is in viola
tion of section two of nrticle one of
the constitution.
2. That tho law, if not imposing a
direct tax, is nevertheless unconstitu
tional in that its provisions are not
uniform throughout tho United States
and do not operate with tho same force
and effect upon tho subject of tho tax
wherever found, and in that it provides
in favor of individuals and co-partner
ships, while denying all exemptions to
corporations having similar incomes
derived from like property and values
and provides for other exemptions and
inequalities in violation of section
eight of article ono of the conatitu
tion.
3. That tho act provides no exemp
tion of the tax upon incomes derived
from the stocks and bonds of states of
tho United States and counties and
municipalities therein, which stocks
and bonds are not proper subjects for
the taxing power of congress. Iho in
come from these securities in tho
United States amounts to over $65,
000,000 per annum, on which tho to
tal annual income tax would be $1,-
300,000.
CONSTITUTIONAL TOINT9 INVOLVED.
He then took up the constitutional
points involved, dwelling upon tho
fact that the constitution required tho
appointment of direct taxes and uni
formity in excises and imposts. He
also dwelt upon tho question of repre
sentation and taxation, which was, he
said, a foremost one when the consti
tution was adopted.
He then took np the question of tho
tax on rents, and in so doing discussed
at considerable length tho question of
direct taxes as considered at the time
of the framing of the constitution.
Tho framers of the constitution
were, he said, well versed in the gov
ernment of the colonies and of Euro
pean countries, and were well versed
in the literature of the period, includ
ing works on political economy and
were well calculated to pass intelli
gently on this kind.
He quoted various supreme court
decisions and sought to Bhow that
while the income tax question had
been before the court, tho question
had only been considered as applying
to the point at issue in the particular
cases.
TIIE TAX DURING THE WAR.
Coming down to tho present tariff
act, he said that tho law was passed in
a time of profound peace and it was to
be taken as evidence that congress had
sought in this matter to form a prece
dent and establish a departure from
established lines, and it, therefore,
became important to inquire into the
circumstances with some attention to
detail. For tho purpose of compari
son, ho went back to the enactment
an income tax during tho civil war. ilk.
quoted from the decision in tho
Springer case, giving a history'of tho
case and devoting much attention to
it, as he said that it was upon this case
that the defense had appaiently relied
more generally than any precedent
It is,fhe said, conceded in all the cases
from Hylton to Springer that taxes on
land are direct taxes, while in some
of them it is determined that taxes on
rents, derived Irom land, are
indirect taxes. Was there, he asked,
any distinction between a tax on
tho land or tho income derived
from the land! What, in other words,
was the land but profit on it? The
name of the tax is unimportant, and
the court had been unable to see any
distinction. lie closed by saying that
the court had reached the conclusion
that the tax on rents was invalid.
The chief justice then took up the
question of the taxation of municipal
and state bonds. The decision was
also adverse to this part of tho law as
repugnant to the constitution.
On the other points, the court was
divided and, therefore, no opinion
could be given.
Summing Up the Folnts.
The conclusion!! of the court were
stated as follows :
1. That by the constitution federal
taxation t divided into two great
(!u(n--diri't tales and duties, in-
posf arid excise.
2. 1 hut th') imposition of direct
inxi in gnvern ;-d by tho rult) i.f ap
portionment unions the Several state,
according to l.uiuiii r, him luti impost-
tiou of JutieN, impost and excise by
theruhtof uniformity throughi ut the
Uiiite.l Stat. .
3. 'Hint thu priuriplo tl.st taxation
and r jTehi ntittiott p together wan
intended to b and prexcribed in
th constitution by thu atiiUif-hlnetit
ol lao ruin ol apportionment among
thwievtral states, so that such appor
tionment thonld be according to num
bers in each state.
4. That tho states snrretidnred their
power to levy impost aud to regultto
commerce to to tho cencral covrrn-
lacnt and gave it tho concurrent
power to levy direct taxes in relianro
on tho protection aflordod bv the rules
prescribed, and that tho compromises
of the constitution cannot bo d'oturh
td by legittlativn action.
o.rhat theso conclusions resplt
from tho text of the constitution ttT"l
are supported by tho historical evi-
denco furnished bv the circumstances
surrounding the framing and adoption
of that instrument, and tho views of
thoe who framed and adopted it.
G. 1 hat tho understanding aud ex
pectation at tho time of tho adoption
of the constitution was that direct
taxes would not be levied by tho gen
eral government except under tho
pressure of extraordinary exigencv,
and such has been the practice down
to August lo, 18JI. If tho power to
do so is to be exercised as an ordinary
and usual means of supply, that fact
furnihhes an additional reason for cir
cumspection in disposing of tho pres
ent case.
7. That taxes on real estate belong
to tho class of direct taies, and that
the taxes on the rent or income of real
estate, which is the incident of its
ownership, belong to tho same class.
8. 1 hat by no previous decision of
this court has this question been ad
judicated to the contrary of tho con
clusions now announced. That so
much of the act of August 15, 1891,
as attempts to impose a tax upon tho
rent or income of real estate without
apportionment is invalid.
Tin: advaxci: ix huf.f
lirlngs Out Some Explanations From
the Lilg Puckers.
Tho story telegraphed from New
York to a Chicago morning paper that
tho recent advance in beef was not
justified, and that tho big Chicago
packers were making an effort to con
trol tho meat market of the country
and advance prices to consumers, is
emphatically de: ied by Nelson Mor
ris, George F. Swift, Armour k Com
pany aud other packers.
"The advauco in tho prico of dressed
beef," said Nelson Morris, "is the
natural result of the scarcity of cattle.
Already this year the receipts of cattle
at the four principal points Chicago,
St. Louis, Omaha and Kansas City
are 300,000 head behind last year's
record. Last week tho receipts were
29,000 head short, which is equal to
18,000,000 pounds of dressed beef.
We are 16,000 head short already this
week. The price of live stock is now
$2 per huudred pounds higher than it
was last year, and I expect to see
prices go still higher."
Mr. Swift uiso denied that there was
a combine among the packers, and
said the cattle market was 30 per cent
higher now than it was last year.which
fact is advancing the price of beef to
consumers.
Manager Favorite, of Thilip D. Ar
mour & Co., said tho statement that a
pool had been formed by the big
western packers to advance the price
of beef was absurd. "It is scarcely
worth denying," said he. "Tho only
causes for tho high prico of beef aro
the scarcity of cattle and tho fail
ure of the corn crop. Tho latter is, of
course, tho cause of the former. We
are not working for the interest of
other packers that is certain. Be
sides, it would be impossible to form a
pool of the kind alleged, if desired, so
great is the diversity of interests
among the western packers. Last
Saturday's receipts were the lowest I
have ever known them only fivo
huudred head. I do not know any
thing about other markets, bnt ono
has only to use his eyes to see how
things are going here."
STRENGTHENING THE UNION.
Dibs Says He Has Added 2,200 Mem
bers In a Week.
President Debs, of the American
Railway Union, reports that as a re
sult of his thirty-six days of speech
making on the acme coast the Amer
ican Railway Union has been thor
oughly reorganized along the liue of
the Great Northern system to tho
coast and in California. In seven
days on the westward trip he took in
2,200 members. President Debs says
the reduction in wages of the men on
tho Southern Pacific, which recently
went into effect, has resulted in gen
eral dissatisfaction on the part of the
men with the old brotherhoods, whioh
were unable to prevent the reduction.
We frequently only express com-
meudation when we should Btrive to
imitate good actions.
WASHINGTON X0TKS
IT
i:miof Mvvs ri(Ki:i it at
Till; NAIIONAI, CAPITAL.
Hjlnt nnd Ii!ii;j of the Olllelal
Ilfinlaof t bo (iuveriimrnt.
An intimation of the agres.ive fight
which the Lew silver party will mke
for tho whito metul is found in the
announcement niado Tuesday that the
e x-Congrrssmau Joe Sibley, of Penn
sylvania ; Senator Hcwart, of Nevada,
and General Warner, president of
the bimetallic league, will go to Colo
rado next week to open the campaign
in that ttate.
To Prevent "Yellow Jack."
Tho authorities charged with tho
conduct of quarantine matters and tho
general supervision of tho publio
health, are keeping atharp lookout to
prevent tho importation of yellow
fever into tho United States. Tho
euro that is being exercised by all the
quarantine official is illustrated ly
the action of tho New York officials in
ordering tho Portugese Prince buck to
quarantine for disinfection because a
fireman had died under suspicious cir
cumstances beforo tho vessel touched
at Santos. This, too, in tho faeo of a
clean bill of health by tho quarantine
official of that port aud the United
States cousul. The regular quarantine
season begins tho firt of May. All
quarantine stations aro being thor
oughly equipped, and each of tho
three ports of refuge for stricken ves
sels aro under tho charge of n physi
cian of experience, and an assisting
forco that has dealt with fever in tho
past. The insurrection in Culm causes
a condition of affairs unpleasant for
health officers to consider. Marine of
fice officials declare that tho shipment
of several thousand now Spanish troops
into Cuba at this season of the year,
non-acclimated, is' bound to precipi
tate an epidemic of fever, the ill ef
fects of which mutt, in a degree mora
! or less severe, do ieit in tuis country.
They also fear that Cuban towns, espe
cially Havana, will be overrun with
country people seeking to escape the
contending forces engaged in continu
ing or suppressing the insurrection,
and that as a consequence the snnitary
precautions will bo even more neglect
ed than before. Plans aro being per
fected by Surgeon General Wyman to
meet any contingency.
The Tax Law Scuttled.
Tho income tax law has been scut
tled by tho supreme court of the
United States, which handed down a
decision Monday, declaring it uncon
stitutional in two of its main features.
The landlords of tho country are ex
empted from an inconio tax and the
owners of bonds of almost every kind,
federal, state, county and municipal,
are also let out.
But tho manufacturer and the sala
ried employe will, for the present at
least, bo compelled to pay 2 per cent
on all incomes in excess of $4,000 a
year.
The holes made in the income tax law
are so fatal as to necessitate either its
repeal or its material amendment, as
tho people of 'the country will hardly
care to see the large capitalists and
trust companies absolutely protected,
while the poor men, comparatively
speaking, aro forced to contribute to
run national government.
The question whether tho ruling out
of incomes derived from rents would
make the whole law unconstitutional
was decided in the negative by a di
vided court, for the reason that when
tho court is divided on a question it is
neither aflirmed nor reversed, but
stands as it is. This leaves the law to
stand as enacted, except as to the two
points mentioned. The decision will
relieve from tax an enormous amount
of current money. Every man who
pays rent will pay an incomo tax on
his gross revenue and can make no
deduction for what he pays his land
lord, and tho landlord will enjoy the
money free from all responsibility of
contributing to the federal revenues.
Tho insurance companies and great
combinations of capitalists which con
trol thousands of business blocks and
tho great sky scrapers, can receive
their rents and disburse them free of
taxation. Tho men who own farms or
city property bringing in incomes
which may bo many times the amount
exempted, will,. under tho decision of
the court, be entitled, .to deduct from
their gross revenue every penny ie
ceiyed from their tenants.
Uio decision also rractical!v ex
empts the bondholder class of the
country from all income tax. United
btats bonds are specially exempted
by tbi provisions of tho law itself.
Now,under tho decision of the su
preme! conr every man receiving in
comes 'from state or municipal bonds
may diduct that the return made to
the internal revenue officers, and it is
Cifsy to see that in a great majority of
cases capitalists who may bo worth
millions of dollars, after deducting the
revenue they derive from real estate
arid federal, state, county and muni
cipal bonds, will not pay the govern
ment a dollar of tax.
The total combined debt of the states
and territories, less the sinking fund,
is $1 135,210,412, and the interest oa
thi rtioriiioiii sum, hieh h estimated
at about $,",", OO'l.OOi), is all exi tnpted
from taxation.
The ineofui' tat, w ill, tlo
tri !y in the working and
r- for., fll
producing
cUsne. The busbies l II and thtf
manufacturer and the halm ied niploje
ill pay the tax on nil income over
$ I, ()')().
Tho decision will entirely uj
Tt tury Carlisle's estimate a
funiculi situation In U, ell li
'l See
to the
w mid
the dnv congress meet", but
th'le is
enough of tho law left in nil jn
ity to leep the treasury runn::.
I'ecember.
hahil
lifitil i unniF.it pKocKniM.Mis
Will be Taken In the Attempt to Over,
throw the Incoint Tat.
Sinco the delivery of the intvtu'j tax
decision, attorneys and ethers inter
ested in overthrowing tb tsx have
taken tteps to test various parts of tho
law in further proceedings. Atta.-ks
will bo made both on those portions
that were sustained by a tie Vote, aud
on somo fresh points not parsed upon
upon in tho particular cases decided
Monday,
Attorney J. M. Wilson, who repre
sented John G. Moore in tho court of
appeals in tho recent cases, says that
further proceedings will bo takeu im
mediately. "Several parts of tho law will bo
attacked," said he, "the principal ono
being tho exemption from taxation of
incomes under $ 1,000 auuuully. This
will bo attacked as an unjust discrimi
nation. I cannot say ju.-.t yel mho the
compluinants or what the titlen of tho
suits will be, but they will bo iusti
tued very soon, probably within a few
days, and bo pushed us rapidly as pos
sible." What tho President Say.
The president, ou being asked wheth
er in view of tho decision of the
supremo court on the income tax law,
an extra session of congress would bo
called, F,aid that neither ho nor the
secretary of tho trenmiry saw any
necessity for such action and that un
less there was an unexpected change
in conditions ho had no idea that con
gress would meet again before the
timo appointed for tho regular session.
English Opinions ot the Decision.
The London (Hole, referring to the
supremo court of the United States as
to tho constitutionality of the income
tax, says: "Every man in this coun
try will regret that there is no supremo
court of tho American variety here.
Never in all the long history of the
English bench have they soared to tho
heights of liberty reached by the
American judges yesterday. It is quite
impossible to establish such a tribunal
here."
The St. James Gazette comments on
the supremo court decision in a simi
lar strain, and adds: "No one has sug
gested that this august tribunal can be
bribed in tho manner familiar to liti
gants in seme of the inferior courts of
the union. Still, it is significant that
tho politics of the various judges are
carefully mentioned in the dis
patches. "
SOUTHERN MAY SLASn.
Permission Granted the Company to
Cut Uates on Their Lines.
The inter-state commerce commis
sion, in session at Washington, has
granted the recent request of the
Southern Railway company, that, in
order to meet the cut in rates made by
the Seaboard Air Line, it be author
ized to charge less for a long than for
a snort nam oi passengers, ine or
der of the commission was as follows:
"It is ordered that the prayer of
the said petition bo, and the same is
hereby granted, and said Southern
Railway is hereby authorized to charge
less for the transportation of passen
gers for longer than for shorter dis
tances over tho same line in the same
direction, the shorter being included
within the longer distance, but only
to the extent and upon tho conditions
following:
"First. Such high rates for shorter
distances shall not in any case exceed
the lower rates for longer distances by
more than 5.00.
"Second. Such lower rates for long
distances shall not in any case be less
than thoeo previously published by the
Seaboard Air Line or competing car
riers between the same points.
"Third. Such lower rates for longer
distances shall not in any case be less
than the cost of the service rendered.
"This order is hereby declared to be
temporary and provisional, pending
further investigation by the commis
sion, and tho same may be modified or
revoked at any time, and with or with
out notice, in the discretion of the
commission."
Struck Against Machines.
One-hulidred expert glass, workers
employed at Atterbury's factory at
Pittsburg, Pa., struck Tuesday morn
ing on account of the polishing ma
chines used by the firm. , The men
claim the work done by the machines
is inferior, and that the ware damaged
is charged up against their salaries.
Machine Shop? Burned.
The roundhouse and machine shops
of the Atlantic and Pacific railroads
at Winslow.Wis., have been complete
ly destroyed by fire. Several locomo
tives were burned. The loss is about
$100,000.