The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-03-09
TAKING GREEMBACKS.
speech Of Hon. Geo. w. Cooper.
a Dill to subject to State taxation n
nauonal'bsnk notes and United States
Treasury notes.

" suoJcct 10 Stot0 taxAtl
? natonal.bsnk notes and United Sta
treasury notes.
B. It enacted By The s.nat. ana Hop.. .fR.,,..
tsuyes of the United States in Congress s-ssrnbl
That AL circulating notes Of national h.,tir, !.
Ictaticns and ali United states ley.i-,srs~- -.
All oiher notes and certificates OF the United Sta
payable on demand and Circulating as currency n
= mo- Ds exempt from TAXATION under the authority
! Isny state or Territory: That anv .n~h t.x.,
I shall be exercised in the SANE manner ana :,
sane rate thAf any such state or Territory sh.lI
osher money wIthinir Jurisdiction
sc. = mat the provisions u this act shall I
De deemed Or held 10 change existing Law. in
lspeet 81 the taxation a naiionaI-bankInx ASSOC
tons >ss''
Mr.. COOPER said: Mr.. Chairms
and gentlemen Of the committee. l be-
leave to call your attention TO . bi
which | have introduced, the prov
sions OF which authorize the States On
territories TO tax the circulating note
OF nstional banks. the legal tende
treasury notes, commonly calle
greenbacks. and all other notes or Ger
tificates payable on demand and cir
culating a. money.
The CHAIRMAN. This 10 House bill
1926.
Mr.. COOPER. Yes, sir; Mr.. Chair
man, we are in this singular situation
The Government OF the United State
has ia circulation very many difisren
kinds Of money, in fact our financis
system, il it may be called q system
is piece Of patch work, this result O
experiment. necessity. and compro
mise We have gold, silver, nickel
and copper, greenbscks, national bsnt
notes, gold certificates, silver certifi
Gates. Treasury notes, currency csrti.
hcates, and perhaps other kind.
which | can not now name. In most
OF the States and Territories effort.
arc made to tax money as other per.
sonal property is taxed. but owing to
existing laws great difficulty is ex.
perienced in subjecting thi. class OF
property to its fair share OF the bur.
dens OF taxation. All obligations OF
the overnment, including those
which circulate as money, are BY law
exempt from local tsxafion There
=. therefore, q temptation offered 10
III such as are in search of methods 10
avoid taxation TO convert other pro.
oerty aud money into these forms
.oout the time when property is to be
listed for taxation.
And | am sorry to say there is not
'niy the temptation, but q disposition
o report property and money as be.
ny held In forms exempt by law.
vhsn In fact IL IL not so held. So
much Is this done, aud 90 wide spread
; the evil. that it has furnished the
ubJect for litigation in the courts or
many OF the states, and in the Su-
IRENE Court here. 1t has been re-
'estedly denounced in political plat
orms and 80 far ss I know defended
% where. In fact this condition
Gems to be tue result more of over
'ght than Of any purpose. and why i'll
IS continued so long ii /, impossible
D tell.
Mr.. SrERRY. Would you refer to
ne statutes in which they are exempt
ON taxation?
Mr.. CooPER. Yes, sir-section
'Ol OF the Revised Statutes reads as
,llows:
sscrIos 510i. All stocks. bonds. Treasury no,s. i
q other obligations ofthe United States. .haII B.
! cr lpcsi arfhority.
The CHAIRMAN. They are Govern.
Iert securities!
Mr. COOPER Yes, sir; they are OBJ
cations OF the United States.
The CHAIRMAN. Then they are not
'xable by the decision OF the Su.
rene Court Of the United States? |,
Mr.. CooPER. No, Sir;I think thi. ID
nestion was first decided in . case |,
rought BY the bank OF New York
I'd reported in Z Wallace United h
stes Supreme Court Reports. III
'u will look 1t that case you willld
I'd that while the court held thatls :
lder the law these Obligations were .
.empt. the court was also clearly ofln
Q opinion that there Vas no good n,
Ason for the exemption aud that itlc
- within the power Of Congress TOLD
nder them subject to local taxation. =
IL you will look at some :
these decisions you will see to whstls
tremes men have gone in their
orts TO avoid taxation by means OIL
e condition OF our laws. Take forl,l
stance the case Of Mitchell W. Board.
Commissioners Of Lcaven worth !
unity, Kansas, reported in 81 United N
ates Supreme Court Reports. TnelI
ts in that case were - follows N
2O6): :,
hi- case presents the following facts. wi,eh.u
nis scroant With banking arm in L@.van- lr
th- On the 18th VI February ls7e. he had 49, H.
2 - his credit q els-15s IN current funf- fa-lfo
81 ne thsidsy gave his check. payable 10 him. In,
~ ontrd states noies They we're paid 10 him. IH
Immediately inclo-ed them in .~aies n.~l.-. tlr
PLACED them for safe keeping in the v..', ~
X On the BID q March he withdrew his psrs ii
anf deposited the notes 20 hi credit mi. -. ltt
Tor the sole purpose ~ escaping taxation unr n,
usoney on deposit N,
i IL true thst this particular tsx " =
hger did not succeed. but il was be. lcs
'se ne had mistaken his remedy and e'
ne into court OF equity instead oslc.
orting 10 his legal remedy. While ls
"a. tls
There 10 case reported In the sch
iiana; the case OF Ogden, treasurer. y
walker (psge 460). Ia which the p,
lowing state Of facts Is presented !:
spv~srs by the complaint that the plaintiff w
~ had IN his possess on the Isf fsv n An,iIsp
\ ss.'.t ~ Ersenbscks. when the assessor call ~.
lPen nm ne furnished fnii and true li.s of his y
'pnsi property. which sss duly appraised bv the -
s-"r Al tss3. The assessor then called anon hs,- -
ne amount ~ money on hand on Anvs 4 - NV