The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1888-01-25
Points of the District TAX Refundins
Bin Passed BY the senate.

KAsHIssrox, Jan le.-Tile bill passed By
The Senate to-day to refund the direct taxes
paid by the states during the war will, if it
becomes law. dispose of between si7 000.-
600 and sls.0oo,o0o of the surplus now in
the Treasury. or this sum Pennsylvania
will receive 81 $40, ,719 80 and New Jersey
| S6264s The whole amount of this tax that
was assessed was seo.ooo.0oo Every North
ern State paid its quota. but none of the
southern States did. the only collections
effected south of Mason and Dixon's line
having been made by the sale of private
property in those portions of the Confeder-
acy occupied by United States troops.
After the close of the war an attempt was
made TO collect the amounts still due. but it
was unsuccessful. except in few instances
in which the United States had become in
debied to the states, and one claim was set
off against the other. The amount still un-
collected is S26f0, ,3i3 40. Since ii became
evident that the quota of the delinquent
states would never he paid the representa-
tives of those that did pay up have COM
planned Of the unfairness of the tax, and
asked that il be refunded 1t was not just
all the states and apportioned equitably
amongst them should have been paid by a
part and not by the Others. especially when.
by the acts of the latter the tax was made
necessary.
The objections urged against the bill, which
had influence upon the votes Of very few
senator's were two fold in their nature.
Senator Salisbury did not think that Con-
gress has any constitutional right to vote
money out of the treasury TO be distributed
among the states even when such an act
was necessary TO coreect an injustice.
Senator Plumb, of Kansas, representing
state whose quota of the direct tax was
small-iess than 2.0o0-thonyht that il
was unfair that the people of his state, which
has now grown rich and populous, should
be taxed to refund money willingly paid by
the older states quarter of a century ago.
A good deal of direct pressure for the passage
OF this bill has come from the owners. or
their representatives. of lands in the South
that was sold for direct taxes during the
war. The Southern States have never reim-
bursed these people, and upon them indvid-
ually, therefore, tell the whole burden ofthe
tax as tor it was collected For instanceshe
Sea Islands of South Carolina were held by
the Federal troops and the s,22 900 collected
from that state represents the proceeds OF
plantations sold by the United States au-
thorities on those islands. IL the bill be-
comes law, this sum will be repaid to the
state and divided amongst these claimants.
As many of them are now in destitute cir
cumstances. the money will be especially
welcome.
In the North the money go into the sew
eral state treasures and may be used to re-
duce the rate OF stale taxation. The bill as
ii passed to-day provides that where the
sums credited to any state were collected by
the United States from citizens, either direct
ly OF by the sale of property, such sums
shall be held in trust by the state for tire
benefit Of those from whom thery were col
lected or their legal representatives, and that
all claims against this trust must be filed
within six years or be forever barred.
T.. L. W