The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-09
JESTS FOR THE NEW TAXER
FLEI NDSHAFT IEREIN HAS MR,
PTTZEL TO DINNER.
Answer 10 Prayer the Only Foreign Product
Mark Twain Can Find on the Free
List Judge Leyentritt, EN-COmp-
trOller Circuit and Others Talk.

Mark Twain Can Find on the Free
List Judge Leyentrltt, EN-COmp-
roller GrOut and Others Talk
The new Tax Commissioner, Charles
PutHel, was complimented and joshed
last night at a dinner given to him by his
fellow members of the Nerein Freundschaft
in the clubhouse, Seventy-second street
and Park avenue. Distinguished Office
holders and e~x-oftlce holders Of the city
Supreme Court Justice David Leventritt,
Mark Twain, Acknowledgement JuIius Nj.
Mayer and former Comptroller Grout were
among the speakers. Julius NJ. j. Frank
was POSTMASTER, and in his p%anegylic OF
Mr.. Putzel he said that a single rose given
To the living was worth more than countless
wreaths offered to the dead. This prompted
the Acknowledgement to remark later that
the Tax Commissioner would be satisfied
with one lonely rose after he had received
many more than a single roast from the
newspapers. This sentiment Of MIR. Frank
was cheered:
What is II TO us II taxes rise or ~fall7---
Tanks to our Putzei We pay not at all.
Justice Leventritt said he would not tax
the patience of the assemble ge, even in the
presence of a Tax Commissioner, and there
fore would be brief.
Most people who go to the Tax Office, y
the Justice continued, leave their assets
outside and take in their liabilities-or
their abilities to lie. Taxation was regarded
as very un-American in l776, when the Col
onists went to war on account of it so that
they might cease to be Colonists.
an 1905 the New Workers because of
IA Xatinn bpcomn colopistS in NaWpOrt and
New Jersey. | have heard hat one Of Mr..
Putzel's deputies had charged an lrishman
IS as "A tax on his goat. Naturally, the Irish
man protested, but Putzels deputy was
firm. He said; 'Them's my instructions,
and quoted from the law to this effect:
Every owner having property a-butting
on the highway must pay 50 a running foot,
and your goat has four feet"
Mark Twain said. after being introduced
as the author of the sentiment, when in
doubt tell the truth:
81 did invent that maxim. but | never
expected it to be applied to me. advise
other people to be virtuous so that they may
be happy. If L knew anything improper,
about Mr., Putzel, anything that he had
ever done in his life that he was ashamed of.
l would not tell, He is related to me in "A
very tender way. | have heard nothing
here tonight but taxes. taxes, taxes
Il wish somebody would change hat
subject because 1t Is a very sore one to me.
was ieIeHeu "heh ouuee be'Sit'i't wv
hnd something, that was not taAaole' am
glad to Know that you cannot tax patlence.
! do not know OF anything else that canno.
be taxed-not a single Foreign proauc.
That enters TINS country. except answer
10 prayer.
Il went down 10 the lax Oflce some uinle
ago for the first time in New York and L
saw Mr.. Putzel sitting in the seat OF perjury.
L recognized MN on tne Spot as d young
man | had met twenty-five years ago, when
$500. - 81 bic ltEt
l got a very hlgh opinion OF ms aDihly,
and something more than mat went
free from his hands and carried on a niue
something with me.
He was then a young clerk IN Putnam,s
book store went IN and asked Tor treorge
Haven Putnam ! was Oh by Mr.. fntze!
that Mr.. Putnam was busy and could not
see me l was going out, ~heh l saw u
big, fat and interesting LOOKING booK lylng
on a table. 1t was called Invasion OF
England in the Fourteenth Century by a
Preaching Frlar.". | asked Mr., Putzei now
much he sold the book Tor ana ne SAID ~,
Then | asked him how, much discount
of there was for a publisher and he sald
10 per cent. Sald 1 am a puplsher',
and he put down the discount l asked
him then what discount on there was Tor
an author n ne sale 40 per cent, andhe
made a note of hat when | told nm That
| was an author.
Il asked them how much of for the
clergy, and he said 40 per cent. | told
him | was only on the road, but that ! was