New-York tribune., 1901-02-19
TAX ON ART REQUESTS.
TRUSTEES OF THE METROPOLITAN
MUSEUM WORKING VIGOROUSLY
TO SECURE ITS REPEAL.

AT the quarterly meeting OF the Board Of Trus-
tees OF the Metropolitan Museum OF AT yesterday
AFTERNOON the subject OF the Federal inheritance
tax. as applied 10 public institutions was again dis
cussed II vas decided TO continue the endeavor
10 have the law repealed. so far as II annlies 70
such institutions. Both the Finance Counnittea og
the Senate and the Ways and Means Committee
OF the House OF Representatives have inserted pro
visions In the War Tax Reduction bills reported by
them doing away with this portion Of the inherI-
tanee tax. and IL is hoped and expected that the
hnal lii, when reported back by the conferrees will
contain the provision The Legislature at Albany
has not seen NJ 10 remove the State tax though
and il Will be to Albany especially that future
efforts viii be directed
William z. Dodge, chairman OF the Executive
Committee OF the Board. said yesterday that the
continuance OF the tax would mean the loss OF
many valuable requests TO the Museum as Il would
bankrupt them 20 Try 10 pay the tax. The State
and Federal tax on the c. p. Huntington bequest
for instance, would amount about $4,000. and
the combined tax the r. G. Dun bequest would
be $1,000 $4,000 Unless the tax was removed
the Museum would be obliged 10 refuse the eoilec-
tons.
This Museum is a public institution" said Mr..
Dodge. 1T is open to all. rich and poor alike. and
is only OF the greatest educational factors
IN the city, but goes far toward building up the
city and attracting people here. That a man should
be taxed for being public benefactor is monstrous
and absurd
csring that the Museum would expend no more
money 20 keep the building in repair. Mr.. Dodge
said that no trouble expected with the city
thorites on that account, the relations had al
ways been most amieable-
The meeting yesterday being the first OF the
year. officers for the yesr elected and va
eances in the Board Of Trustees were filled. The
officers elected were Henry G. Marquand. presi-
dent; r. ". Rhinelander. first vioe-president Dan
iel Huntington. second vice-president. William /.
And nd I a
The Executive Committee elected William +.
Dodge, chairman: Salem II. Wales, d. o. Mills,
s p. Avery. Charles Stewart Smith. John s Ken
nedy. John /. Cadwaader and J. p. Morgan
The Auditing Committee was John Crosby Brown.
chairman: Rutherfurd Stuyvesant and Edward d.
Adams
John B!gelow. Elihu Root and John L. Cadwala-
der were elected trustees for the term ending Feb
ruary, 1908. Whitelaw Reid and Harris c. Fahne-
stock were elected trustees 10 I'll the unexpired
terms Of the late James A Garland ana the late
Hiram Hitchcock All the elections were unan-
imous.
Among the most important OF the donations
nounced as having been received in the last year
were:
william Ma I!I PoSss An G q PaPPtRFR R"Ss5
J. Pierpont Morgan; Three OIL paintings Portrait
bo: Lord Nelson on the Victory by 4 Lucy.
Napoleon at 81. Helena" By p; r.. Haydon- Also
Mrs, Henry MsrqaSnd: Two OIL paintings. por-
traits Of Caleb Gaspar and Mrs Laura Gaspar
GriswOld, by Charles l. Elliott
Henry @. Marquand; An oil painting portrait of
Jean Van Male By Van der Hoist
Several men: An oil painting. The Coppersmith,'
by Edgar NJ. Ward.
The report for the year 1900 read and adopted
shows that the money spent fer operating the
Museum for the year sl2s s07 s5 The number
OF visitors 57l5oO. There now zoos paying
members The new east extension is about COM
pleted so far construction is concerned and the
work OF eQUpping IL and fitting IT up will be begun
as soon as the Board OF Estimate and Apportion-
ment makes the necessary appropriation. In their
report the trustees declare that they will spend 10
more money keep the buildings in repair as that
Is the duty Of the Department OF Parks.
The trustees have also been Informed OF the fol-
lowing bequests left 20 the Museum. the first two
mentioned being reyersionary:
From Coils p. Huntington. his collection Of paint
ings
From OsgOod Field. collection OF objects Of art.
From Henry Willard. the sum of S5.000.
Those present al the meeting were Frederick W
Rhinelander who presided; Henry C. Marquand
william l. Andrews Salem IL Wales Robert w
de Forest Frederick Dielman. ID. o. Mills s. r.
Avery Heber r. Bishop. William Z. Dodge John
8 Kennedy. Edward ID. Adams. John CROSBY
Brown. William r. Ware and l. p. di cesnola.