New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-22
A OUESTION OF MASTERS.

| The Assembly Committee on Taxation and
Retrenchment acted outrageously in its petit
| Jogging efforts to kill the Ford Franchise Tax
| BILL Now the Committee on Rules Is endeavor-
| ing to emulate its example of sacrificing the
| interest Of the taxpayers to the pockets of the
| franchise rabbers. 1t Is well that the people
should know who the members of this commit
tee are, and be able to fix the responsibility when
next year they have to pay State and local
taxes on their little houses while the railroads
and gas companies which use the streets the
people paid for escape taxation on this most
valuable property In their possession. The
Committee on Rules consists Of
Speaker s. F. NIXON, Of Chautauqua
LOTHIAN P. Aids, Of Chenango
OTTO KELSEY. Of Livingston.
MARVIN /. GREENWOOD, of Wayne
GEORGE NJ. PALMER, Of Schoharie.
GEORGE r. KELLY. Of Albany
1t would be interesting to know Just what
excuse these men give to themselves for giving
up the service of the people and becoming In
this matter the servants Of the corporations.
All but one OF them come from the country,
where taxes are not especially heavy and where
franchise-holders are few. Perhaps they think
their duty to their constituents does not require
them to protect the people In the cities, who
would get the most relief by this equalization
OF taxation, though II is to be noted that every
new source of revenue tapped by the State
would relieve the rural taxpayer to some ex-
tent Still that relief would be slight, and per-
haps does not weigh in the scale against the
solid advantages to be derived from the cor
porations permitted to escape their just share
of taxation in other parts Of the State 1t Is
curious how easy II Is to persuade rural legis-
lators that the interests OF great city corpora
tons are much more In line with wise states
manship than the relief Of overburdened tax
payers.
There Is no good reason why franchises
should not be assessed for purposes Of taxation.
and the members of the Committee on Rules
know it. They know that the Governor favors
the bill. They hear no respectable argument
against it. They are planning for a future tax
law revision which Is expected to embody such
a tax in the State system. The Governor has
announced that the Ford bill should be passed
to give practical illustration of franchise tax
alton so that any changes found necessary may
be wisely made in the permanent codifcation.
So obvious is the propriety Of passing the bill
that its enemies in the Assembly do not dare
openly oppose II, but are trying to block
legislation by datory tactics. They have de-
cided that some other bill than the one which
passed the Senate is better, and they are going
TO be true to the principle Of franchise taxation
by pushing IT, though they know that at this
stage Of the session 1t Is almost impossible for
a new bill to be msde n law.
What shameful betrayal 1t all is! Here is
n measure which is almost universally acknow-
lodged to be just and wise which Is held up
and threatened with death by delay because
men who happen to hold legislation in their
grasp are unfathful to their trust Unfortu-
nately, these men do not appear to be individ-
ual boilers. but to be responsive to some gen.