The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-03-31
The Listing system In New York.

There is now pending before the New
York legislature bill which is almost iden-
tical with the listing bill now before the
legislature of Maine. 1t compels the tax
payer to describe all his property, real and
personal, and it makes false statement in
regard to it, perjury to be punishment by
imprisonment. 1t also provides in case of
failure to make the return required the as
SCISSOR shall double the deliDquent's tax.
| All the merchants and traders of New York
| City are up In arms against it and influential
delegations have been sent to Albany to pro-
rest against the measure. In recent issue
the New York Independent discusses the
bill atdength pointing out that it will work
great injury to every kind of business and will
drive many property owners out Of the state
The Independent says:
We cannot enumerate all the objections to
this listing scheme. 1t is known in advance
how it win work. The experience of Con-
necticnt, of New Hampshire, of Georgia, of
West Virginia, leaves no doubt as to its re-
suits. Many people will not hesitate to COM
init what this act calls perjury, but which is
commonly regarded as of as venial a charac-
ter as the perjuries at which Jove laughs.
They never have regarded. they never will
regard an oath extorted by duress as of bind
ing character, and .are firmly convinced of
the wisdom of the rule Of thu common law
which f0rbidS compelling an accused person
to testify against himself.
A recent commission in Connecticut ascer-
tained, by comparing large number of in
ventories of decedents' estates returned to
the probate courts, with the list sworn to by
the decedents in their lifetime, that their
property was valued after their death at four
or five times what they returned 1t as worth
during their life. They ascertained, also,
| that a citizen of one town died leaving an es-
| tate of two and quarter millions, while the
entire property Of the town in which he re.
| sided was returned the year before his death
| at three quarters of million. They found
that In 1855 the amount of the money bonds
and notes owned by the inhabitants Of Con.
necticut was SIS, 100000, and that in 1885 ii
| was $13,00O.000. The New Hampshire tax
the personal property in that State Is not
| reached by the assessors. The West Vir
| ginia tax commissioners say:
At present all the taxes from invisible proper "
Sens from widows, executors, and from guard
ans of the insane and infants. AS regards
paying taxes on this class of property it Is almost
as voluntary and is considered pretty much In the
/ same light as donations to the nefghborhOod
| church or Sunday school.
The enforcement Of such law as this in
the city OF New, York would affect It's bust
ness like bOmbardment from a hostile feet
in its harbor. The mere enactment of the
law would drive many persons out of the
State, would debauch the public conscience,
would annoy every owner of property, and
| would deprive large numbers Of widows, Or
| phans and helpless persons Of consider d.
| BILE part of their income. It is disgrace
| that such a measure should be proposed; to
enact 1t would be an outrage.
| In Maine the law would work jast as the
Independent predicts it would work in New
York. The prospect of having to submit his
trial balance once year to half dozen per
sons, some Of whom might be his rivals, an(
all Of whom might reveal its contents, would
fill every trader with dismay. AS between
compliance with the law and the penalty OF
| double taxation, he would undoubtedly
choose the latter as the smaller of the two
evils. Rich men would be comparatively
little affected. They could easily remove
beyond the State, and remain there until
the bill was repealed. The people OF
small accumulations, they who were com-
| PEELED to stay. would be the ones to suffer
Widows and orphans. people whose property
is held in trust would be the ones caught