New-York tribune., 1906-04-12
RECORDING TAX PASSED
NOW GOES TO GOTERNOR.
Tote in Senate 80 to IS, After Bitter
Fight.
IRy Telegraph q 90 rrihune J

the Senate passed tonight the Page-Dowling
bill. substituting recording tax OF one-half OF
i per cent for the present mortgage tax. by a
vote Of 80 TO Is The fate OF the measure was
never for an instant in doubt Its supporters
stood solid body through rollcan after roll
call resisting the obstructionist tactics OF an
determined TO prevent the speedy
passage of the bill. II endurance test.
in which hunger and bodily exhaustion played
an important part with every political device
known by the expert manipulators who sought
the defeat of the bill.
The bill will go now 70 Governor Higgins for
his approval or veto. and II was over this very
point that the violent fight developed While
the friends of the measure believe the Governor
will sign It. they would be greatly sur
prised II he did not. They were determined.
however that the measure should not become
a thirty day bill and fail to become a law
simply because it lacked the Governors sig
nature. A veto would OF necessity carry
with it the Governors objections. and would
leave an opportunity for passing another bill
amended to meet those objections.
BATTLE ROYAL FOR DELAY.
Senators Raines. Malby. Lewis Armstrong
and the handful of upstate men who followed
their standard knew this we'll as did Senator
Page and Senator Grady. who We're pushing the
bill to Immediate passage. and by every trick OF
ments violent personal denunciation. charges Of
corporation influence and thinly veiled illusions
TO corruption funds and a persistent lobby failed
to shake the alignment behind Senator Page.
Threats of political disaster for individuals and
party and of financial ruin for the state pro-
duced no effect. Direct, barefaced obstruction.
changing its guise only in the slightest when thu
Lieutenant Governor threatened TO override is
and order final vote on the bill, delayed passage.
supporters of the measure did it vary their
steadfast policy.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment Of the en-
tire performance. which varied from meIodrama
to farce came early in the day. when Senator
Raines boldly referred to Senator Page "and the
corporate interests he represents in this bill"
Senator Page, very much excited. advanced on
Senator Raines. shaking his clenched fist in his
leaders face.
Tell me the names of the corporations and
the corporate interests he demanded No
Senator has a right TO stand this floor and
accuse me Of representing any corporations or
corporate interests
It didn't accuse the Senator of being retained
by any corporation qualified Senator Raines.
st say the corporate interests stand behind him
in demanding the repeal of the mortgage tax
| If that does not satisfy him III give the names
1 OF the corporate interests which win be bene-
/ nIed, one 10 Ine extent VI nan d HlllIlOH q
year"
WOULD HAVE TO PAY $5O0OOO TAXES.
The New York Central Senator MaIby later
declared was preparing TO issue mortgage bonds
for S1O0OOOO0O. for which. under the present
system it would have to pay S5tOO0O taxes a
year. The Observation-Disclosures syndicate. Sen
ator Lewis maintained. would also escape vast
taxes. as would the Belmont-Ryan traction
n, TIv, Tr,Ts
ests OF the state should chant praises. he de-
clared. when the bill was passed
The opponents of the Page bill lined up solidly
on the first formal motion in the series. which
extended from morning far into the evening.
This was Senator Pages motion to discharge this
Committee on Taxation and Retrenchment from
consideration of the bill that it might be
brought before abe entire Senate for consldera-
ton There were seventeen against this-Sena-
tors Aids Armstrong, Brown. Cassidy, Cogge-
shall. Fancher. Gates. Hinman. Lewis. LHom-
medieu. MaIby McCarren. McEwan. Rainess
Smith Tuly and Wilcox
Senator McCarren declared that he would vota
for the passage of the BILL but never in his life
had he voted to discharge a committee from con-
sideration of a measure referred to it. BY the
time rOllcal on passage OF the measure was
reached Senators Raines and Lewis had Iost
three others-Brown, McEwan and Wilcox
pe9Se'sO
ure were Senators Barnes. Brackett. Brown
Burr Carpenter. Cobb. Cooper. Cordts. Cullen.
Davis. Drescher, EIsberg. Fechter. Fitzgerald.
Foley. FrawIey. Gardner. GoOdseu. Grady
Hasenfug Hawkins. Hill. keenan,. KehOe,
Marks. Martin. McCarren. McEwan. Page
Prime Quinn, Riordan. Sake. Stevens. Warnick
and Wilcox.
LEWIS DEFENDS THE COMMITTEE
Debate began Immediately after the session
began. senator Page had served notice OF his
intention to suspend the rules and push the bill
TO passage out of its order. and at once called
nm this notice Senator Lewis sprang TO the
defence of his committee. which had not been
able 10 consider the measure IN its present form
at all he declared. II had been amended in the
Assembly. and grave doubt existed as TO whether
under it's provisions the state would not be
cheated out Of taxes mortgages temporarily
given taxes on which would fall due June 80.
Senator Page replied that the Assembly
amendments had been meant 10 apply to pre-
cisely that situation The state would lose no
money he assured the Senate. Neither he as
sured senator Lewis. was any discOurtesy meant
10 him or his committee. but the motion 10 dis
charge had become necessary because one MEM
ber of the committee made himself errand
boy and got the bill brought over from the As
sembIy on a day when he knew its sponsor
would not have votes enough TO prevent It's ref
erence" Senator Raines retorted:
I'm surprised at the moderation of the sena-
tor from the 18th and the corporations behind
him in having a recording tax instead OF repeal
ing all mortgage taxation The present tax is
the result of more than three years study. OF
plans BY which dodgers might be made 20
contribute. The Legislature ought 70 think
twice before taking away this great source OF
income 10 the state Next year a mortgage VII
be placed by certain corporation which viii
under present conditions pay taxes of SJO0OOO