lson Bill became a law without the approval of the President,
Mr. Cleveland taking the position that he would not permit himself
to be separated from his party to such an extent as might be implied
by a veto of the tariff legislation which, though disappointing to
him, he said was still chargeable to Democratic efforts.

There was one provision of the Wilson Bill which, I have been
convinced since, was a very wise measure, and which will yet be
enacted into law; and that is the income tax provision. That bill
provided for a tax of two per cent on incomes above four thousand
dollars. A separate vote was taken on this section and I voted
against it. It was Republican policy then to oppose an income-tax,
and the view I took then was, that if we started out taxing incomes
the end would be that we would derive, from the source, sufficient
amount of revenue to run the Government and that it would gradually
break down the protective policy. It was declared unconstitutional
by a vote of five to four of the Supreme Court. A previous income-
tax had been declared constitutional during the Civil War, and I
am very strongly of the opinion that if the case is again presented
to the Court the decision will be in harmony with the first decision,
overruling the decision of 1895. An income-tax is the fairest of
all taxes. It is resorted to by every other nation. It falls most
heavily on those who can best afford it. The sentiment in the
Republican party has changed, and I believe that at no far distant
day Congress will pass an income-tax as well as an inheritance-tax
law.

The passage of the Wilson Bill increased, rather than diminished,
the hard times commencing with the panic of 1893. The Democratic
party, or the free silver element of it, claimed that the panacea
was the free and unlimited coinage of silver at the ratio of sixteen
to one. The silver question was argued week after week in both
branches of Congress, and was never finally settled until the
election of McKinley and the establishment by law of the Gold
Standard. In recent years we hear very little about free silver;
but the Democratic party split on that issue, Mr. Cleveland heading
the faction in favor of sound money.

In those closing days of the Cleveland Administration, it was very
seldom that a Democratic Senator was seen at the White House. The
President became completely estranged from the members of his party
in both House and Senate, but it seem