Middletown transcript., 1906-12-15
WASHINGTON LETTER

WAsHIsGToN, D. G.. December 8tl, 1896
/ CONGRESS has gotten started in good
shape, and the only trouble with one
who is trying to keep abreast Of happen
! ings 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 18th Imam
try Fight, the Deep Waterways Congress,
the japanese Row, the Bailey case and
the coal lands inquiry as well as Secre-
tary Bonaparte's report and number cf
minor matters. are all very urgently to
the front. 1t is safe to say that some of
them will soon become exhausted and
dropped to the rear, but at the present
moment there is plenty doing. One Of
the most talked about, although not the
most important proposition. is the.spos
sibIe new Japanese treaty. This while a
possibility, is mol at all probable. The
japanese situation was given fresh flip
by the President reference to the subject
in his message The people Of the Pacific
coast Immediately got up in arms, and
the most urgent question asked was what
the President meant by reference to the
use OF military force on behalf of the
sapanese in California THIS was an ex-
preston perhaps unfortunate in that il
revived the old question Of States rights.
It was explained, after the Presidents in
terview With Senator Perkins, on the
basis that what the President meant was.
merely that the assistance OF the military
forces wonld be used if necessary to pre-
tect the Japanese on the coast from ply
sical violence. Now there has never been
any danger Of physical violence and the
contingency OF military Intervention is so
remote that it is almost pity the phrase
was ever used at all. As 10 tie trsaiy,
there is no likelihood Of such document
being submitted to Senate until the qnes-
tion of the japanese school children in
San Francisco is settled. What the
people OF the Pacific coast want is Japan
csc treaty on the same basis as that with
China, to exclude Japanese Iaborers.
There is no likelihood that Japan wau!d
ever consent to such an agreement. Ger,
taihly il can not be brought up until the
question Of sclool exclusion is settled aud
after that is settled to the satisfaction of
the wesierners, it is mt likely that Japan
wonld consent 10 an exclusion act, eyenii
it came to entirely breaking off dipio-
matte relations.
~
Perhaps the next matter 81 general
tax. Representative Perkins, Of New
interest is that of the Inheritance
York his Already inlredrc4d bill
which he believes is along tile III e
that the President intends. Briefly it
contenpIates levying tax ranging from
75 cents on 500, up to S5.O0inevery $l60
on large legscies. The sliding scale is ar
ranged something in this way, where the
legacy does not exceed $4,000 and tile
beneficiary. is lenial ancestor, wife,
brother or sister Of tue deceased, the tax
is only rs cents on Sl00; where the benz
eficiary is descendeut Of brother or
sister, the tax is $l.50 on q $l00. As the
relationship becomes more distant, the
tax increases up to s.. on a $l00 where
the m 1ney is left to person who is not
blood relation. On beqnests to religions,
literary or charitable organizations and to
educational institutions, no taxes are
levied unless the beqnests is more than
$4,000. There is an additional provi-
sion for an increase increase in the tax up
to sums in excess of $50, GOO, 900, at this
point the tax would amount to 25 per
cent. or Of the total beqneets. In order
to prevent undue hardship in realizing Oh
estates where much money is needed to
meet the tax, the bill provides for defer
red payment Of taxes up TO three years.
The deferred payment drawing interest
at 6 per cent. This, it will be seen, pro-
sides against sacrificing lands or seenri-
ties where large estate has to be set
tied.
=.
1t is not known just what is going to
be done with tie elastic currency bill, in
fact no snch bill has set been presented;
but it is understood that the Committee
Of Senator Aldrich is now at work on
sucI, measure and it will be presented
at an early day. The bill is supposed to
etnbody all the Recommendations Of the
Currency Commission, which recently
met In Washington. The measure stands
fighting show for passage, but the press
Of other business is rather against it,
~
There is an immense amount Of inter.
est in the alleged frauds connected with
the coal lalds in Wyoming Reference
las been made to this matter before in
these letters, but the Washington papers.
seem just to have awakened to the fat
that such ecrookedness was in existence
aud one Of the most conservative sheets
here came out this week with a long state
ment to the effect that thousands Of acres
Of land worth hundreds Of thousands Of
dollars have been illegally secured by the
Union Pacific Railroad and kindred lines
and that the facts had been suppressed
by the Interstate Commerce Commission
and the Interior Department. As mat
ter Of fact none Of this information has
ever been MitEeld:. it was all an open vol