New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-04
AN EXPORT TAx ON HEIRESsEsf

With the opening of the tourist season some
body was bound to drag up the old, unanswered
question about the American heiress who nlts
across the sea with her money bags In search
OF duly dubbed and titled European debt man
ufacturer. The misdeeds OF the self-eXporting
heiress usually bother people who either have no
troubles of their or else have temporarily
forgotten them result OF an eight course
dinner To the latter class belongs the latest
theorist on this important international problem.
Mr.. Paul Morton former Secretary of the Navy.
After having banqueted in Philadelphia. Mr.
Morton tried to keep awake in that vale OF SOM
Violence by letting people ask him questions.
Some Philadelphia popped the heiress puzzle,
doubtless thinking It would stump the New
Yorker and precipitate slumbrOus merriment.
But the unexpected happened, usual. Mr..
Morton had theory ready for he replied off
hand:
on this matter OF the immense expectation of
money from America to Europe by means OF
hetresses / have often believed that some kind
of tax should be put upon 1t. Particularly have
l for a long time thought that q tax of some
kind should be placed on the incomes which
American women carry TO Europe after their
marriages 10 foreign noblemen Those good-ror-
nothing fellows marry American girls solely for
their money, and some taxation scheme should
be worked out to save at least a portion of this
outgo Besides, want to keep young Ameri-
can hetresses in this country.
A clever suggestion this Yet In the chill
morning air Of the day after its attractiveness
vanishes. The greatest difficulty with the scheme
is that it would greatly Increase the number Of
wealthy emIgrantesses. For so thoroughly is the
American mind imbued with the idea that what
ever is taxed is a luxury, that many sweet
misses would unlearn the lesson of famous inter
national divorces and find in the long green ex
ternal revenue stamps pasted around their bag
gage and bankbooks a governmental guarantee of
the luxurious nature of foreign marriage. If
we only had some well established precedent for
taxing calamites, Mr.. Morton's plan might work.
But with all Of life's best things from currant
jelly up to the old masters and old rye, in
spected, ticketed and taxed by Uncle Sam, pop
ular logic would surely cOnStrue an export tax
on brides as official recommendation of Ital-
ian counts and Russian barons.
Another weak point in Mr.. Morton's scheme Is
that it would eventually flood the country with
titled walters and cab drivers. At present the
worlds supply OF these gentry Is concen-
trated in the lower end of Manhattan Island
where the size OF tips serves to keep them from
wandering further. 1t would be great pity to
do anything which might encourage these gen
tlemen to scatter themselves throughout the
country in search of maids who fain would pay
them royalties on their names. AS things
are there is a bare possibility that the whole
tribe of fortune hunters may day be wiped
out by fire, earthquake, police raid or lynchng
bee Let us not nip this forlorn hope by teach
ing other cities to regard these chevaiers as lux
JIripS