New-York tribune., 1891-05-18

houses were Republican. and the resolution passed
without opposition. The Assembly part Of the Joint
committee had as is members Mr.. Steele. Mr.
Phillips, OF Orleans County Mr. Mitchell. Of New
York; Mr. Bradley, OF Cattaraugus County; Mr.
Case, Of Ontario County Mr.. Beach, Of Schuyler
County; Mr.. Sherman, OF Wayne County, and Mr.
Rhodes, Of Rensselaer, County. The Senators who
were members OF this committee were Senators Wins
low. Sessions. Rockwell. Forster and FOwler 1t
duced, through senator Winslow and Assemblyman
SSs ~ M Tax steele ShH wSh h was finally
passed a1d became the highly important law " Is
terest In the sessions Of this Taxation Committee
and when the law went into effect he began WORKING
porations under 1t. lie had to discover the cor
R9rat9ns and to compel them 70 pay tne new TAX
@ uGs ySa the i'Ss new E s Sna IN 1881
sed S2S2sS When the tessatIFe sonor OF l9o lSsn
the results of the work done By his department In
taxing 9e the asSoFse Of ppsg 1ssG S % '3h
believe VII lead 10 the long needed remodelIng OF
IT tax e a system 1t nda G In In P IN nn
Vahla- but, a. will always be the case When part
ey sdGpSec; e ~ r tSs WaTS and
Means Committee in the winter OF 1879 made In,
corporations now in force In Pennsylvania where the
entire state revenue b raised by tax upon corpora
and s Sc ss1sss Se me 1e reeSns @ the
localities from all taxation for State purposes.
work admirably In this state but would eliminate
irom our tax problem one great difficulty, l. e., the
Ia "a tboipOsOns' lesVlng uie tn5on Vi rVal &
esae ana tne personal property OF individuals to be
taken up next BY the Legislature. But the system
was was @ entlrey new TO most Of the members and was
considered too radical change and the winter passed
" VAN attempts 70 patch up the old law. / realize
Inat me changc would be a radical one, and would
upset laws that have been in existence for years,
but they are laws which we have outgrOwn and
EGn to or should should be rRsced BY ones more applicable
done. and firmly believe it should be done"
soon after the Legislature Of 1sa1 met. Assembly
man steele introduced resolution authorizing Gov
erhor cornell TO appoint special commission Of seven
citizens to aid the JOINT Committee on Taxation OF the
Two houses appointed the year before, whose existence
was c6Itnued with nearly the same members. The
Legislature paSsed the resolution and Governor Cornell
Geddes. Republican Joshua ". Van Colt. Republican
Thaddeus Hart, Republican Edward W. Forster Re-
publican J0hn F. seymour, DemOcIa AlOEZO Brad
net, Democrat and Samuel d. BabcOck, Democrat.
After his appointment lr. Bahcock declined the Office
and therefore the Tax Commission had ever aferward
four Republicans ami two Democrats its members.
The Commission and the Joint Committees on Taxa
ton Of the Legislature usually met together and framed
Republican, and theref re there was no clashlng
Controller Wadsworth went before the Commission
and suggested certain amendments to the Corporation
Tax law: These were accepted. and Senator Forster
presented the bill containing them to the Legislature,
which was subsequently passed and became law.
1t Is this Steele Corporation Taxation law amended
IN 1es1 which now forms the chief law for the taxa
The Collateral Inheritance Tax law also had its
sion and Taxation Committee. It was 3' ntToduced
simultaneously upon May O. 1881, by Assembyman
steele in the Assembly and by Senator Sessions I'm the
Senate. The hill failed TO pass that year and also in
1882 when intr duced by Assemblyman Meredith. It
was left 10 Senator Vedder Republican in 1886 to
law.
senator vedder also in 1885 passed the Bill tax
ing corporations for the privilege Of organization. This
bill also became n law.
1t senator Vedder also who, the present year,
introduced the bill taxing direct inheriances. This
measure, which became law about month ago. it is
believed, will put 100000 annually into the State
Treasury.
II will thus be perceived that every taxation law
passed In the past eleven years which has put mOnev
into the State Treasury had Republican origin and
was put through the legislature BY a Republican
According 10 Controller Wempe's estimates these
Republican laws the coming year will put nearly
245O00O0 into the State Treasury. II IS easy to see
why the State tax rate has been lowered to the low
est point in thrtvsix years: but It IS a mystery
whore the Democratic Assembly can find any credit
for Itself in this work done by Republicans.
The state taxes have been reduced for the coming
year about mill Al 900 Of valuation. by the
Republican taxation laws. That reduces the taxes Of
the several counties Of the state by the following