New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-22
SELECTIONS FROM The NAIL
THE CONsTTUIIONALITY OF THE lNHERt<
TANCE TAX.

TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Is the Inheritance Tax Law constitutonalf
No. man dies and leaves bis property 10 MS
family. That law says that $4,000 Is enough for
them, and II you leave them more than that amount
In personal property" the State must have per
cent upon 1t; and before that law is In working
order the Surrogate Is clamorng for an ameniment
to the law, so that he get per cent IL the
personal estate is valued at over Sl,ooo,oJo'
the Constitution OF this State Will arrow u Ia" W
be passed and enforced that will take l per cent
from any mans estate and give his legal heirs only
90 per cent Of it, then law can be passed 10 take
the 90 per cent and give the heirs per cent, and
the next step will be TO take all above Si,ooo'oo'
and then they may conclude that 100000 Is enough
for any mans family, and that the State should
take all above that amount.
Where have we started for, and when will we
get there! Are such laws constitutional l don't
believe It.
II the State can rob mans heirs in that way
after he is dead, they can pass law, end enforce
It, to take the money from the man while he Is
alive. Are ready TO indOrse so dangerous doc.
trine as that! The law says "personal property"
What Is personal property under that law, las the
Surrogate Views it! One of the Astors dies ana
leaves millions Of dollars in houses and land in New
York City and In the country. The Surrogate says
that IL Is real estate and not subject to tus tiA'
Vanderbilt dies and leaves his tens OF millions In
the stock of the New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad Company ana In other rallrOpi StocAS
Surrogate says that 1t Is all personal property, and
subject to the Inheritance tay. Is it, is the vast.
valuable property OF the New-York Central ana
Hudson River Railroad. with It's hundreds Of thou
sands OF acres Of valuable land lying between News
York City and Buffalo. personal property? ID
It assessed as such No. Has It ever escaped
taxaonl guess not. 1t is assessed by every
and city that 1t passes through, at from ~ TO
100 per cent Of It's full value, while the farms and
wills i'm no
less than 80 per cent Of actual value.
The building OF the railroads has doubled the
value OF the real estate. and the owners OF the
farms and village property through which the rail-
roads pass show their appreciation Of the railroads
by assessing them for full value OF their property
ia their towns, while private property, both per-
sona and real estate. Is ASSESSED ut less than hax
of its actual value And the State OF New
York. after having its assessed valuation doubled by
the building OF the railroads. Is trying 10 rob the
heirs OF the men who built the road. The surrogate
says that the law Is Just, and that there Is equity
I'm 1t, and he wants more Of II. III he gets inc
1920 .ODO that he wants from the estate OF Mr. Jay
Gould. he will get about $4,000 for receiving lo3
and now he + sad because il was not per cent,
that he could get S3,JOO,OOO for the estate,
and $4,000 for himself. Surely there Is equity for
him In that law. Why did the state and the United
both neglect to pass such laws during the war
Us war measures Because they We're clearly I'M
constitutional Where would the United states Gov
eminent be to-day had IL not been for the rich men
If this country that came TO the 'front.' with their
millions to aid the Government In putting down tne
REBELLION and I'm saving the Government ana tho
States that now trying to rob their heirs with
tie Inheritance tax a. l. GkloOS.
New York, Dec. 1O, 1892.