1910. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- HOUSE. 253 Charles Seeley, Trenton. VERMONT. Romaine A. St. John, GibboJ;l. Perley S. Belknap, South Royalton. J. H. Wilhermsdorfer, Harrison. George F. Pease, Rutland. NEVADA.. VIRGINIA.. Oran K. Adcock, Caliente. William L. Mustard, Pocahontas. NEW HAMPSHIRE. W. B. Peters, Appalachia. Charles E. Poole, North Conway. W .ASHINGTON. • l\Irs. H. P. Thompson, Troy. Noah 0. Baldwin, Pomeroy. NEW JERSEY. D. W. Hutchinson, Washougal. Walter S. Browne, Vineland. WEST VIRGINIA, NEW YORK. Hugh L Shott, Bluefield. Pryce W. Bailey, Seneca Falls. WYOMING. Harrison Beecher, Monticello. William Gibson, Basin. Adelbert C. Brink, Wolcott. Daniel E. Goddard, Lusk. Harman S. Clark, l\Iannsville. Henry Harris, Superior. Walter P. Crane, Kingston. Frank L . Palmer, Kemmerer. Lillian B. Davis, Mount Kisco. Herman Dean, Fishkill. Arthur Decker, Williamson. J. Robert Douglas, Westfield. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. George B. Helmle, Nyack. George M. Horner, Belmont. Tm:sDAY, December 13, 1910. George D. Genung, Waverly. Malcolm C. Judson, Norfolk. The House met at 12 o'clock m. Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., as William H. Marshall, Pleasantville Station~ Frank R. Pelsue, Fam;t. follows: James M. Pitkin, Newark. Almighty God, we realize that Thou art the King of Kings, but we rejoice that Thou art a father king. We realize that John Raines, jr., Canandaigua~ ; William A. Reinhart, Inwood. : Thou art the supreme judge of our acts; but we rejoice that Thou in John 1Y. Rose, Arlington. t­ art a father judge, that Thou rulest Thy children love and George D. Sharpe, Richmond. i judgest them in mercy. Thou doest reign in righteousness, and Charles E . .Sheldon, Sherman. · Thy judgments are true and righteous altogether. Help us by Frederick R. Smith, Norwood. the rectitude of our behavior and the willingness to do the William Smith, Livingston Manor. work that Thou hast given us to do to show our appreciation Albert W. Southard, Valhalla. of Tby goodness and of Thy wonderful works to the children of Frank B. Spaulding, Witherbee. men. And Thine be the praise forever. Amen. The Journal of the proceedings of yesterday was read and Lucius E~ Twinn, Akron. Sarah H. Young, Cornwall Landing. approved. Eugene Vreeland, Dundee. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED ST.ATES • . Jai:µes H. Wilson, Little Valley. A message in writing from the President of the United States NORTH CAROLINA.. was communicated to the House of Representatives by 1\fr. Fannie M. Benbow, Franklin. Latta, one of his secretaries. James A. Bristol, Andrews. • "~ _, INHERITANCE TAX. Charles E. Orr, Brevard. Mr. SUITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move that the vote PENNSYLVANIA', 1 by which the bill H. R. 22842, the inheritance tax bill, was William H. Baker, Ridgway. passed on yesterday be reconsidered and that that motion do lie Winfield S. Bonham, Simpson. on the table. Peter V. Burke, Jessup. \ The SPEAKER. Without objection, it will be so ordered. John D. Burns, Paoli. ) There was no objection. 1\Ir. SUITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous con­ Robert Carns, Ridley Park. sent that the report accompanying the bill H. R. 22842, the Charles A. Dunlap, Manheim. Charles E. Foringer, Kaylor. inheritance tax bill, which was passed on yesterday, be printed in the RECORD. Thomas R. Hirst, Christiana. · The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Michigan asks unani­ Earl W. S. McCarmey, Conemaugh. William McElhany, Pencoyd. mous consent that the report touching the bill referred to be printed in the RECORD. Is there objection? Joseph B. Means, Brookville. There was no objection. George M. Palmer, Morrisville. The report is as follows : Josiah Philips, Downingtown. Nora L. Pickering, Peckville. [House Report No. 1091, Sixty-first Congress, second session.] The Committee on the District of Columbia, to whom was referred Joseph N. Ritchey, Falls Creek. the bill (H. R. 22842) provid~g for taxation of ~d fixing ~e rate of G. Gillette Saxton, Tioga. taxation on inheritances, devises, bequests, legacies, and gifts In the Harry G. Teagarden, Punxsutawney. District of Columbia, and providing for the manner of payment as well as the manner of eniorcing payment thereof, report the same back to RHODE ISL.AND. the House with the recommendation that it do pass. '!'he purpose of this proposed legislation is to institute in the Dis­ Jonathan Bateman, Manville~ trict of Columbia a system of taxation that has been recognized as just Albert C. Landers, Newport. and equitable in most of the States of"the Union. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia, however, while expressin"' "the opinion SOUTH CAROLINA. that an equitable and graduated inheritance tax constitutionally applied is correct in principle," nevertheless doubt the necessity of imposing John R. Cochran, jr., Anderson. it at this time. They say ·: Laurens G. Young, Union. EXECUTIVE OFFICE, COMMISSIONERS OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, TENNESSEE. Washington, March 29, 1910. S. D. Davis, Cookeville. Hon. o~ia~ma~~nmittee on District of Oolumbia, James •A. Greer, Loudon. House of Representatives, Washington, D. 0. A. V. McLane, Lewisburg. DEAR Sm: The board in passing upon the subject-matter of H. R. 22S42, Sixty-first Congress, second session, referred to them for exa~­ Zeph Roby, Erin. ination and report, begs l~ave to express it~ u;nderstanding, . at this William Henry Shelley, Decherd. opportunity that as CoID.IDlssioners of the District of Columbia, they regard themselves as constituting an impartial executive board to car~y UTAH. into effect the will of the partners to the compact known as the Organic Herbert Hopes, Eureka. Act and in the formation of the expression of the partners' will into law' to perform such helpful work, in their exceptional status, as be­ Luella E. Thorne, Pleasant Grove. tween said partners, as may be practicable toward attaining an effective Edward J. Young, jr., Vernal. harmony of action. 254 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. DECEMBER 13, The Board of Commlsloners, attaching hereto a table, marked "A," for comparison as to the rates and graduated scales in each of the 38 Preferred obliga­ States and Territories having laws upon the subject, is of the opinion State. Accounting. InherU.ance tax. tions. that an equitable and graduated inheritance tax constitutionally applied is correct in principle and that only the question of the necessity of imposing it at this or any other particular time need be here consid­ California . •. Must file ac­ On estate leBS than $25,000 1. Funeral expenses. ered. count in ten in value the tax rate 2. Expenses of last That it ls but fair to consider that a tax should be levied upon a months. varies from 1 to 6 per sick.De . 3. Debts community only as necessity compels, never for the purpose of repelling cent, governed by the re­ growth at home in the interest of growth elsewhere, which, moreover, lationship to deceased, ~~e/t~~r~~at~~ could not be thus attained, and never added so long as the community Is the nearer the relation­ laws. 4. Wages readily able, by existing levies to provide for current expenses and com­ ship the smaller the rate due within 60 pletion of needed or desirable improvements within an economical period of tax. days. 5. Judg­ while providing for exti.nguishment of its bonded and floating or other Onlargerestatestheabove ments, mortgages, debt within a reasonable time. rate is increased from and other liens. The board finds that the District's half of the present· bonded debt, one and one-half to plus a floating debt to its other partner, aggregated about $9,000,000 on three times. the 1st of last July. The tax-exempt inherit­ By the approval of the bill, S. 3260, n ow before Congress submitted ances vary from $10,000 by the Board of Commissioners, and acceptable, so far as the board is to a widow or minor aware, to the committees of both Houses of Congress, it is clearly dem­ \ child to $500 passing to onstrated that the government of the District of Columbia -can be main­ remote relatives or tained, very large improvements carried to completion within 12 years, strangers. and thi.s debt be totally extinguished in at least 25 years, and very Colorado ·-·· Firstaccountin Property passing to par­ 1. Moners held by probably ·in 20 years, and therefore it does not appear necessary to six months. ents~ husband or wife, decea ed as tru - the board that the combined resources of the partnership should be Further ac­ chila, brother or sister, tee or executor. increased by adding any tax to existing levies unless it is thought to counts every wife or widow of son, be desirable .to undertake improvements in addition to those compre­ six months husband of daughter, ~ii:e~a~ e"{;nJ sla~ i hended in the above bill. until e tate is lineal de cendant, or sicknes . 3. All Hereto attached, ma1·ked "B," please find brief of views for such cl used. adopted child, or child allowances to wid­ acknowledged as such ow or orphans. consideration as it may alrord upon the question, amon~ others,- of fairness of the financial burden imposed upon the respective partners for ten years, is taxable under the so-called organic act. at 2 per cent, except estates le than ·10,000 By order of the Board of Commi.ssioners : are exempt to above CUNO H . RUDOLPH, persons. President. To uncle, aunt, nephew or niece or their de­ scendants tax of 3 per cent, no exemption. To all others above 500: A. On $500 to $10,000, tax is 3 per cent; SI0.000 to ADMINISTRATION OF DECEASED PERSONS' ESTA.TES. $20,000, 4 per cent; $20,000 to $50,000, 6 per cent; INHERITANCE TA.X LAWS. above $00,000 6 per cent.