The Elk Mountain pilot., 1901-02-19
DENVER LETTER.
REVENUE BILLS PROPOSED IN
THE FUSION LEGISLATURE.
Measures to Increase Taxation, Discourage
Capital. Fetter Enterprise and Harass
Business, But No signs of Economy or
ketrenchment.
Denver, Colo, Feb. II, 1901

A good deal of attention has been ex
cited here, and some in the East, over
the provisions of some of the proposed
revenue laws that are before the State
Legislature. The so-called Montgom-
cry bill, which seems to be considered
the most likely measure, after being
amended, to become law, contains
some provisions which in its original
form might well have been entitled to
be headed, "A measure to fix the de-
gree of criminality of various kinds of
property holders, and to assess fines
accordingly" One of the provisions is
to tax all the money that goes through
the hands of real estate agents, wheth-
er in the form of loans or collections or
insurance. If the agent has to pay the
tax, he must collect 1t either from the
loaner or borrower, in case of a loan,
and from the owner or the tenant in
the case of rentals. The Real Estate
Exchange has taken up the matter and
protested against the measure; and one
or two meetings have been held at
which representatives of the Exchange
and of the Legislature have conferred
in regard to the provisions of the bill.
Some of the most Objectionable may
be stricken out, but the one mentioned
above, taxing the funds that go
through the hands of agents, seems
likely to remain.
The effect of such a measure on in
vestment by any one outside of the
ly be seen. If it becomes a law, or
ders to sell will be in the large major
ity over orders to buy. There are some
things in the financial and business
world that law has little to do with,
and cannot fix; but by taxing property
sufficiently it is vsy easy TO drive
away investors and discourage home
buyers.
No doubt the provision of our consti-
tuition, intended to restrain legislators,
and to prevent the Introduction of a too
enormous mass of bills-the provision
which requires all bills to be introduced
in the first thirty days of the session
has something to do with the crude and
hasty character of much of the legis-
lation proposed. 1t leads to the intro
duction of bills covering every possible
phase of n subject, most of which are
not intended to be passed, but which
are introduced so that If needed they
may furnish the basis of n law after
the bills have all been gone over and
n sort of digest made of them. In a
matter of this kind, 1t is simply impos-
sible for n legislative body in sixty
days to digest the mass of bills intro
duced and frame respectable measure
that will answer the purposes for
which 1t Is intended. A revenue law
is something that requires study. even
by experts, and the average legislator
is not an expert, and you can hardly
expect him to become one in sixty or
ninety days. The appointment of a
revenue commission was good idea ,
but the commission that was appointed
does not seem to have had sufficient
time to present a symmetrical and
complete measure for the consideration
of the Legislature.
One thing is evident enough-that in
stead of studying how to reduce eS-
penses, and keep the outgo of the state
government from exceeding its income,
the study has been, and is likely TO be,
to devise new sorts of taxation that
,,yf1 7 ieI, II
the appropriations which it desires to
make. Perhaps this was what the ma
jorty of the people of the state want
ed when they chose Fusion Legisla-
ture.
Republican Advisory Board.
The arrangement for the banquet of
the Republican Advisory Board to-
morrow evening, on Lincoln's birthday,
over two hundred members of the or
ganizatpn will be present at the ban
quet. The total membership at this
writing Is just about seven hundred.
The spfakers at the banquet are to be
Colorado. men. 1t was found impossi-
BILE to get senators to come from Wash
lngton at this time, in the closing days
of a short session of Congress, when
their presence at the capital is required
by the state of the public business.
At the time this organization was
started, there were many who doubt
ed whether there We're 300 men in the
state who would be willing to contrib
ute $40 year each to help the regu-
lar party organization. Three hundred
was set as the minimum number, be-
cause it was estimated that the sort of
work TINT lnsirnd caIId not arnr