Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-11
Interest Awakened in Several
Measures Now Being Brought
Forward
The INHERITANCE TAX BILL
Sliding Scale Proposed in the Fixing
Of tho Tax on Estates of tho Veal
thy-currency Legislation Probable,
But It. Nature observation-disclosures
ing Device Installed.
Special to Times-Repuplican.

Washington, Dec. 11.-Congress has
gotten started in good shape, and the
only trouble with one who Is trying to
keep abreast of happenings under the
dome is to select the most interesting
of the many things that are happening
every day. The ship subsidy bill, the
currency bill, the Twenty fifth infantry
fight, the deep waterways congress. the
Japanese row, the Bailey case and the
coal lands inquiry, as we'll as Secre-
tary Bonaparte's, report and number
of minor matters, are all very urgent
ly to the front. II is safe to say that
some Of them will soon become ex-
hausted and dropped to the rear, but
at the present moment there is plenty
doing.
"A matter of general interest is that
of the inheritance tax. Representative
Perkins, of New York, has already In
troduced a bill which he believes is
along the line that the president in
tends. Briefly 1t contemplates levying
a tax ranging from Is cents on 800,
up to SIS in every 500 on large lega-
cies. The sliding scale is arranged
something in this way, where the leg
acy does not exceed $4,000 and the
beneficiary is a lenial ancestor, WIFE
brother or sister of the deceased, the
tax is only Is cents on a 800; where
the beneficiary is descendant Of a
brother or sister. the tax is $3.50 on a
300; where the beneficiary Is a brother
or sister Of the father or mother, or a
descendant of brother or sister, the
tax Is IS on $780, AS the relationship
becomes more distant, the tax in
creases up to SIS on a 800, where the
money is left to person who is not
a blood relation. On requests to re-
ligious literary or charitable organ
izations. and to educational institu-
lions, no taxes are levied unless the
bequest is more than $4,000. There
Is an additional provision for am in
crease in the tax up to sums in excess
OF $30.000,000, at this point the tax
would amount to, rs per cent or one
quarter of the total requests. In or
der to prevent undue hardship in real
tzing on estates where much money Is
needed to meet the tax, the bill pro-
vides for deferred payment of taxes up
to three years. The deferred payment
drawing interest at per cent. This,
riffcing lands or securities where q
large estate has to be settled.
L. /. w.
1t is not known just what is going to
be done with the elastic currency BILL
in fact no such bill has yet been pre-
sented; but 1t is understood that the
committee Of Senator Aldrich is now
at work on such a. measure, and it will
be presented at an early day. The bill
is supposed to embody all the recon-
mendatiOns of the currency commits
sion, which recently met in Washing
ton. The measure stands fighting
show for passage, but the press of
other business is rather against it.
There is an immense amount of in
terest in the alleged frauds connected
with the coal lands in Wyoming. Ref
erence has been made to this matter
before In these letters, but the Wash
ington papers seem just to have awak-
ened to the fact that such crookedness
was in existence, and one of the most
conservative sheets here came out this
week with a long statement to the eff
feet that thousands of acres Of land
worth hundreds Of thousands of dollars
have been Illegally secured by the I'm
ion Pacific railroad and kindred lines,
and that the facts had been suppressed
by the interstate commerce commission
and the interior department. AS a
matter Of fact none of this information
has ever been withheld; it was all an
open volume during the hearings of the
Interstate commerce commission re-
Gently in Kansas City, Omaha, Denver,
and Salt Lake City. Much Of the tes-
timony was suppressed, but it was sup
pressed by almost every newspaper,
which for some reason or other was
afraid to print it. The facts are be-
ing rapidly accumulated in Washing
ton, and will doubtless lead to a
searching investigation which will in
volve at least two United States sena-
tors and other agents of the govern
ment and will furnish more of a sensa-
ton than the trial of Binger Herman
and the late Senator Mitchell.
ss,s
A very interesting device was in
stalled in the capitol this week by
which it will be possible for a member
to sit in his committee room and hear
by telephone all the proceedings on the
floor of the house or senate. The new
machine is merely an adaptation Of the
old microphone, which has been known
to scientists for the past fifteen years,
but its practical application in the cap
itol is new development, and if it is
permanently installed may result in
never having to go to the
floor of the house or senate but CLEAN
ing all their impressions of the de-
bates from microphone conversations
and a perusal Of the congressional rec
ord.