New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-25
NEW FRANCHISE TAX BILL.
CONFIDENTLY EXPECTED TO BE PASSED
BY THE LEGISLATURE TO-DAY.
CAUCUS OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS LAST
N1oHr-pLEDaEp TO SUPPORT THE
AMENDMENTS - FEW CHANGES
MADE. AND THIRD READ
ING ORDERED.
fsY rrrEonaPH TO THE TRIBUNE

MADE. AND THIRD READ
ING ORDERED.
tpr rE1EenArH THE rsrBuNr.1
Albany. May 24-The leaders OF the hepuoh-
can majority in the Legislature are connoeh'
tonight that the act amending the Foro Fran
cn,.e TAX bill will be passed tomorrow by both
,hs senate and the Assembly. DESPITE the OPP
posit,on of the Democratic minority.
osycns Of the Republican Senator'S upon the
MI, this evening was attended by twenty-five
Senators who. 1t was stated afterward' p'eoseu
their support to 1t. 1t was further declared 'ha'
Senators Ford and Coggeshall who were ao-
sent had sent word TO their fellow-kepuoiicah'
in attendance at the caucus that they nao nc
cided TO support the bill 1t thus ioohs 'o-"'e"
as II the measure would receive twenty-seveh
votes in the Senate tomorrow. or one n'o'e '''"''
sufficient TO pass 1t. III,
In the Assembly TO all appearances theie VIZ
he a large Republican majority for the Dill Inc
p,,,,,cars could lose ten votes in the Assem-
bly and vet pass the bill. Amendments ."oue"'
20 he OF n minor nature. made to the Dill To-
aav converted It into a more acceptable ACT 10
.avoreI Republican Senators. The amehu"e""
were ALI proposed seemingly In 1riehoiS sp'''''
and therefore they found READY acceptance "'
IN. hands Of the leaders Of the Repuohcah ina
5ority. q, II
when the Senate met in the morning at II
O'clock the Republicans were ready WIN ...e"
hill hut Senator Grady asked that its consiuei
alton be postponed for two or three hou's uii'''
ne could critically examine the measure VIM"
he said had Just come into his hanos III d piin'
ed form This request was granted. ana 'ie
ce,a,. toox q recess until 2:30 o'clock this az
iternoon. 1t was not until $50 O'CLOCK. hoMe'e''
,bst the Republican leaders had the Senate
meet they being engaged IN examining sumo
proposed amendments to the act
OTHER AMENDMENTS INTRODUCED.
When the debate on the bill began senator
Rrackett of Saratoga. offered an Amendment
intended TO put upon the State Boaru Oh taA
Commissioners the responsibility OF le' ~
any .ssessment. Senators Ellsworth and Hig-
Gins were at first inclined 10 oppose this ai'ienu
ment but Senator Krum. the chairman OF INC
Senate Committee on Taxation and Retrehch-
MON, declared that he thought 1t would improve
the act and Judge Lincoln. the Governor law
aaviser who was In the acknowledgements
-oom accented it, The Democrats said nothing
ahout the amendment. The amendment aIeo's
the section Of the bill in regard to the reVie"a
OF assessments The first part OF this sec'ioh
now reads as follows
certiorari TO review assessment.-An asses
n,ent of a special franchise by the ola'e 49,
OF Tax Commissioners may De resie w, , 40
manner prescribed by Article Xl or TINS chdPlei :,
and that article applies so far as pracucao'e "a
sIch an assessment. in the same manner ai.u
with the same force and effect as II lle
ment had been made by the real assessors Elk
cent that a petition for writ OF ceI 81
review the assessment must be presented WIN M,
fifteen days after notice OF the niis sr.ncbise
statement Of the valuation of special iranchlse
with the clerk Of the city. town or viliaee' ds
prescribed by section AZ Of this chapter
To the above the Senate added Senator Brack-
ett's amendment, which reads as follows:
Such writ must run 10 ando be answered py
said state Board OF Tax commissioners, anu nv
writ of certiorari TO review any assessment VI
special franchise shall run 10 any o.nsl ,,t ~
oficcr unless otherwise directed by the court SI
y fudge granting the writ. An ADJUDICATION Ihaoe
81 in the proceedings instituted by such VIII OF GER
" tiorar shall be binding upon the local assessor
and any ministerial Officer who performs any
duty in the collection of said assessment In the
same manner as though said local assessors OF
officers had been parties to the proceeding.
The Senate without debate adopted also the
following amendment suggested by senator
Bracket. concerning the oath to be taken by
local assessors hereafter.
When the assessors, or a majority Of them
shall have completed their roll, they shaH sew
orally appear before any ofcer or their SouIi.y
authorized by law 10 administer oaths ana shau
seyeralIy make and subscribe before sucn ON
Ger an oath in the following form: we the
undersigned do severally depose and swear that
we have set down In the foregoing assessment
roll AL the real estate situated in the tax dlstrct
in which we are assessors. according 10 our oesl
Information: and that with the exception OF
those cases in which the value of the said rea
estate has been changed by reason OF PROOF pro-
duced before us and with the exception OF those
cases in which the value OF any speclal iran
chise has been fixed by the State Board OF Iaa
Commissioners we have estimated the value OF
the said real estate at the sums which majority
OF the assessors have decided to be the full value
thereof: and also, that the said assessment roi
contains a true statement OF the aggregalt
amount Of taxable personal estate OF each ano
every person named in such roll over ana apoVe
The amount OF debts due from such persons re
epectivey, and excluding such STOCKS as arr
otherwise taxable, and such other property as Il
exempt by law from taxation. at the full vaiu'
thereof, according to our best judgment ana De
lief; which oath shall be written or printed or
said roll signed by the assessors and certlhec
by the officer.
THE VAIL OF SENATOR GRADY.
Senator Grady evidently considered these pro
ceedings far too tame. and therefore, at this
point in the consideration of the bill, attacked
the Republicans for attempting to pass it. His
special grievance was that the Tammany Hal
Beard OF Taxation and Assessment would b'
deprived OF its authority TO appraise the value
Of a franchise In New-York and that the State
Tax Commissioners would have this authority
The extraordinary session of the Legislature
was therefore he argued. simply TO give polit
zeal power to the Republican leaders and roll
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