The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-16
REVENUE BILL PASSED
A Motion 10 Rec0mmit Defeated
in the House.
The Amendment Agreed to in Com
mittce of the Whole Providing for
n Tax On Express Receipts aud
Bills of Lading to BE Paid by
the Companies Stricken Out.

the Companies Stricken Out.
The War Revenue Reduction bill was
| passed by the House of Representatives
| at $40 yesterday afternoon. The ex-
| press receipt amendment agreed to in
| Committee of the Whole on Friday was
! stricken out in the House. An amend
ment providing for corporation tax was
I defeated
Consideration of the bill was resumei !
in Committee of the Whole at 1910
| O'Clock with MIR. Hepburn in the chair.
The reading Of the bill was resumed at
section 9 of schedule 3. exempting from
taxation bequests for charitable or educa-
tional uses.
Mr.. Underwood offered an amendment to
section %. reducing the limit of exemption
1 of legacies arising from personal property
] from $1,000 to s., COO He believed that the
exemption provided in the bill is too great
He thought small inhcrtances should be
! exempted.
/ MIR. Payne opposed the amendment, say
ing that he was averse to Federal tax on
legacies. as most of the States levied a
tax OF this character Mr. Underwood's S
amendment proposed to make the tax
more severe. He did not believe that the
United States Treasury was driven to the
necessity of taxing legacies.
Mr.. Underwood said The accumulated
| wealth of the country VAS not bearing.
and had never borne, its proper and just
share of the taxes required to support the
4 Government
c;0 1p-f
SO to Is.
| Mr.. Powers offered an amendment that
| The Inheritance tax should not apply to
| estates left prior to June 13. 1898.
Mr.. Underwood said that the amendmer {
! was designed to still further extend the
| limitation of the. exemption Of estates.
| Mr.. Powers amendment was, on a divis-
ion, agreed to by vote OF so to IS.
Mr.. Newlnnd's Amendment.
Mr.. Newlands presented an amendment
! providing tax of one-twentieth of l per
| cent on the gross receipts of industrial
! corporations when the receipts exceed
| $500. 900 a year Mr. Newlands in support
Of his amendment charged that taxation
was not equitably distributed upon the ac-
tivities of the country.
Mr.. Dslzell wanted to know why Mr..
| Newlands singled out industrial corpora
| tions. Mr.. Newlands replied that under
the pending bill banks, express companies,
and lcgacies are taxed.
| Mr.. Grosvenor opposed the amendment
OF the ground that if corporations wee
| to be taxed Congress should proceed in
| the matter Systematically.
He begged the House not to make war
upon the Industries of the country Until
an intelligent and competent commission
| had investigated the whole subject Gnd
| made its report. upon which Congress
/ could act. The gentleman from Nevada,
| said General Grosvenor, proposed TO tax
industrial corporations; apparently he
| saw no necessity for imposing it on mo-
nopolistic traction companies.
| MIR. Newlands was en- his feet like a
shot, shaking his hand at Mr.. Grosvenor
and shouting, 'Nine-tenths Of all / have
is invested in corporations. and il the
| gentleman will frame tax bill to reach
| all corporations or an income tax bill
I that will reach the wealth of the country
will gladly vote for it," IApplausel
Mr.. Grosvenor-What kind of an income
tax does the gentleman want? consti-
tutiunal one. or an unconstitutional one
! to hold up as bugbear to the people.
| IL the latter / am against fooling With II
any longer.
Mr.. Grosyenor added that the pending
schemes 10 provide new taxes or to regu-
| late industries had no place In 1t.
| MIR. Newlands. replying to Mr.. Grosve-
| nor said il was true that the proposition
, to lax corporations had not received ade-
| euate consideration from the majority
! members of the Ways and Means Commit
| tee He denied, though, that the minority
| had rot given due attention to the ques-
| ton lie deplored that tax bills were
made the occasion for drawing partisan
| lines. He said there are two classes of
(, wealth ia The country. The larger class
| was ;aw-ahding and willing to pay Just
| taxes. The other class was predatory and
| laWless.
Supported by Mr.. Sulxer.
i Mr. SGfzcr supported the amendment,
and again criticised the majority for its
failure TO keep its faith with the people
| by repeating the War Revenue act He
, believed in a graduated tax on corpora
tions ard inheritances. Nine-tenths OF
the accumulated wealth OF the country, he
said, escaped taxation, and failed to bear
its burden in the maintenance of the Gov
ernment. He believed. he said, in grad
uated tax On the capital stock Of corpo-
rations. IL would he said. squeeze some
of The water out of these corpora tiOns
The amendment was defeated or di-
vision. % to Il. it being strictly party
vote. T.llsrs were called for and ordered
and the result was Is for the amendment
and 1G5 against il.
Mr. Fitzgerald OF Massachusetts, moved
IA. amendment 10 repeal the tax on tea.
Mr.. Payn. said the removal OF the tax on
tea would cut down the revenues about
Sie.CGt,6ho The tea tax, he said. pre-
tected tea drinkers from tea dust, the
sweepings OF floors in tea centres and
coarse or-rgTOwn Tea which contained ar
undue proportion of poison.
Nr. Glynn enlivened the proceedings
by making a semi humorous speech in
support of Mr. Fitzgerald's amendment
He said in part:
The gentleman from Massachusetts,
lNr. Fi;zreraidD began his speech by re-
feTring 10 l25 years ago, when the In
dams OF Massachusetts declared war on
tea and tried TO boil English tea leaves
in Boston Harbor. ] suppose he thought
that was Il good reason why another In
dian from Massachusetts, should declare
war on the tea tax; but the men on the
other side, and especially the Chairman OF
tie Ways and Means Committee. who