INCOME TAX PLANK

Indianapolis, July 13.—Samuel E. Morse, Indiana's member of the resolutions committee at the democratic convention, in a signed interview makes the following explanation of how there came to be no income tax plank in the national democratic platform as adopted by the committee on resolutions of the Kansas City convention.

The platform as originally drafted and unanimously agreed upon by the committee on resolutions of the Kansas City convention contained a declaration on the adoption of constitutional amendments authorizing an income tax, and providing for the election of United States senators by the people. No objection was made to this resolution, and I am convinced that the omission of reference to the income tax was the result of an oversight due to the haste with which the sub-committee was obliged to act to put the platform, as unanimously adopted, in shape to be submitted to the convention.

The idea that the declaration for the income tax was purposely omitted by the sub-committee, out of deference or preference for Senator Hill or any of his supporters, is preposterous.

When Senator Tillman had nearly finished [reading] the platform, some of the Indiana delegates said to me that nothing had been read about the income tax. I said to them that the platform, as agreed upon by the committee, contained a declaration for the income tax, and if it had been omitted it was due to oversight either by Senator Tillman in reading or by the copyist who had transcribed the document.

I went to the Illinois delegation and asked Mayor Harrison of Chicago, who was the Illinois member of the committee, if he had noted the omission. He said he had not, [...] and was about to go on the platform [when I] called attention.

Mayor Harrison called to me and said that Mr. Abbott told him that the income tax declaration had been read by Senator Tillman. Unless Mr. Abbott's ears deceived him, it was read and the omission occurred by accident in the copies furnished to the press.

I have no doubt that Mr. Bryan will define his position and that of his party on this subject in his letter of acceptance. Mr. Bryan has long been an advocate of the income tax, and the democratic party of the country is united in advocating it.