Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-22

Boston Real Estate Exchange, and H
H Cooke, clerk of the special taxation
commission
Senator Harwood of Middlesex pre-
sided.
Replying to question by Chairman
Harwood, President Durant OF the Anti
Double Taxation League said that he
felt sure that the present tax on intan-
gibles was unique with Massachusetts.
But he would find that out to a certain
ty later
Mr.. Honatio G. Curtis, president of
the old Boston National Bank, was
called first. He had, he said, given a
great deal Of thought to the matter of
reform in taxation. AS a trustee, he
had found that many persons ESCAPED
taxation. That being the case, he saw
an extra burden was imposed in that
who did pay In other words, if all paid
what they should, the rate might be
less. The matter was decidedly a very
important one. While there was a great
deal Of talk about extravaganza in an
preparations, with which ne was not in
full sympathy with yet if all taxes
could be fully collected, that cry might
not be so often raised. Then the taxa,
ton on intangible property was a
great detriment to the states conmer-
cial well-being. Why, said he, the yery
word implies the mistake, the word in
tangible. How can an intangible thing
be really taxed or the tax collected
There should not at any rate. in his
Judgment, be a double tax on any prop
erty. My appeal against the tax on in
tangfbles is in the interest of our com
mercial well-being- AS a manager Of
bank, feel what the burden of tax
alton is To make good returns we
must increase our volume of business.
the margin of profit being so small,
Then any unfair taxation, which I
think the present method Is.
serves as a discouragement to business
establishing itself within our borders. I
consider our present method Of taxation
on intangible property does discharge
business to increase within our state.
Replying to a question of Chairman
darWood as to whether an excess of a
corPorations franchise located outside
the state should be taxed, Mr.. Curtis
said: Yes, it should be, but it is impos-
sible to do SO, from the nature of the
matter. The general average of collec-
ton Of taxes was surely more secured
py the reform plan proposed, by exempt
ing lntangibles.
Replying to Senator WaShburn as to
whether he drew the distinction between
a domestic and a foreign corporation, on
the ground that on the domestic corpo-
rallOn STOCK, TAX could be placed at
TIE source, and thereby assured, while
oil foreign corporation, that could not
be Gone Mr.. Curtis said that was his
distinction.
James F. Hathaway of the Sprague-
Hathaway Company Of Somerville, then
gave his ideas against the present meth
cd. His antagonism against double
taxation, he said, as you all know, took
me to jail never knew anybody CON
nected with the Anti-Double Taxation
League until after my trouble and GO
Ing to Jail. I battled because of JUS
tlce and right. Mr. Hathaway ridiculed
the idea that the present law caught
the rich. He knew a case where a rich
perscn who opposed the tax escaped, but
a poor widow with small amount of
stock, who could not resist, was COM
PEELED to pay her tax
Asked by Senator Washburn, Mr.. |
Hathaway told the story of his resist |
ance to the principle Of double taxation,
so fully told in the daily press at the
time he went to jail. In concluding his
story, he said: | feel strongly about this
matter. l could have avoided the tax
had tried. But / fought on the ground
that 1t was an unjust tax. Any man
would feel strongly as | do If (holding
up large tin Jail SPOON he had, in the
cause of what he felt was right one,
been put In Jail as he had and forced to
eat with such spoon, besides putting
up with many other inconvenience.
Replying to question of Mr. Durant,
Mr.. Hathaway said If double tax were
placed on corporations In SomervilIe, |
they would be driven out. In conclud-