The San Francisco call., 1898-05-19
URGES TAX ON
 CORPORATIONS Turpie Thinks It Better
 Than Bonds. WOULD ISSUE GREENBACKS APPROVES OF ASSESSING IN
 GRIEVANCES. Considerable Progress Made by the Senate in Considering and Amending the War Reve-
 nue Measure.
OF ASSESSING IN
 HERITANCES.
Special Dispatch to The Call
Call Office, Riggs House,

Call Office, Riggs House,
 Washington, May IS.
 The feature of to-day's session of the Senate was the speech of Turpie (D) of Indiana upon the war revenue measure. He strongly contended that a bond issue was unnecessary; that all the funds required for the prosecu- tion of the war could be raised through the proposed inheritance tax, by the tax on corporations, by the coinage of silver seigniorage and by the issue of legal tender notes. These four means of obtaining money would yield to the Government during the next year, he maintained, fully S300,0 900. an amount in excess of the estimated sum necessary for the conduct of the war.
 After an extended debate, part of which occurred in secret executive session, the conference report on the bill suspending certain parts of the existing law relating to the purchase of supplies by the War Department was adopted.
 The bill permitting officers of the regular army to accept staff appoint ments in the volunteer army without losing their rank or place in the regu- lar service was passed
 men the senate resumed consideration Of the war revenue measure Turpie (D.) of Indiana said that the differences were differences only in method. There was no difference as to the purpose of sup plying all the means and men to the Government to carry on the war. Tur- pie said that the pending bill carried a provision for baSketful of certificates of indebtedness in order to meet the de- ficiencies caused by the Dingley law The Democrats had been sharply criticized because of the monthly deficit of the so- called Wilson law, but the Dingley law was showing similar deficits without criticism. Now, Turpie said. it was pro- posed, in the pending war measure, to take care of all the Dingley law deficits with the certificates of indebtedness.
 The question presented to Congress was how the necessary money should be raised. The committee was agreed that $1b0 100000 should be raised by taxation and the remaining sum, from s12O OO0, 900 to $50 900, ,000. by other means. Turpie thought the tax on succession was one of the best features of the bill. He said 1t was a tax on accumulation, while the tax on beer and tobacco was tax on consumption. Turpie strongly urged the proposed tax on corporations. He esti- that the inheritance provision would pro- duce $50 900 more. This would supply the amount necessary to be raised. The remaining $50 900 necessary could be raised by the coinage of the silver seig- niorage and the issue of legal tender notes. The majority of the Finance Com
 
 propose the coinage of the seigniorage in difference to the wishes of the 15 GOO. 900 who in the last national campaign had made evident their desire for such coin- age.
 The section of the bill providing for the issue of greenbacks was proposed by the majority of the committee as substi- came from the House. For the present Turpie said the Democratic policy of the free and unlimited coinage of silver had arbitrament of the ballot. He argued at length in favor. of the issue of greenbacks and legal tender notes, declaring that the policy of their issue was almost an ideal one for the raising of money for such an emergency as now confronted this Gov ernment.
 ''It is said he 'the most patriotic and least expensive scheme of securing money in time like this known to man.
 German suggested that the penalty for failure to affiX the stamp to any drug or medicine, perfumery, etc, was too severe. The bill, as 1t @ passed the House. provided tee had changed this so as to make inc offense misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $500 or imprison- ment for not exceeding six months
 The. provision was amended by striking out the maximum fine, leaving ii to the discretion of the courts to make it less German moved then to strike out the clause providing for imprisonment
 Gray, Mills and Cullom also supported AT kansas, Chiffon, White and Cockreli op- posed 1t. The amendment was rejected 26 to 2.
 German asked the Senate to return to section five of the bill, providing that any person willfully evading the requirement. to place revenue stamps upon any legal document or taxed paper of any kind should be fined not more than $500 or i'm | prisoned not more than six months or | both. He moved that the fine be fixed at | $100 instead of $500. me motion was 1 agreed to--30 to Is.
 German then moved to strike out the | clause. This was agreed to | without division.
 On Germans motion the imprisonment | clauses were stricken out of sections | and 9, providing for the use of revenue | stamps. The Senate refused to strike out | the imprisonment feature of section II | which provides for the affxing of stamps | to stock transferred.
 In section 15 of the bill the stamp taxes provided for were made effective lon the | first day of June." This was amended so | as to read Ion the fifteenth day of June' |