The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-30
DOLLARS FOR TITLES.

The news of the engagement Of Anita
Stewart Of New York to the Prince of
BTaganza, an offshoot Of the reigning
family of Portugal, has attracted more
than passing attention owing to the
fact that $1,000, 600 was settled upon the
prince in advance Of the ceremony BY
the bride-to-be and her proud mamma
This is one of the most notorious sales
of American flesh AMI blood that has oc-
CURED for some time, the prince getting
cool million for comforting his title
upon the daughter of a tuft-hunting
woman of wealth. The girl herself and
what fortune she may have or inherit
are TO be thrown in Cor good measure
The high old time the prince is going
TO have while the million lasts can well
be imagined.
Portugal doesn't amount to much in
the twentieth century, and the Bra
ganza family is a fair sample Of deca-
dent royalty. Byron described the
Portuguese people as the Lowest of the
low nearly a hundred years ago, and
the only reason why the Braganzas rule
and reign is because their subjects
haven't nerve enough TO pitch them into
the Atlantic. Dom Pedro of Brazil was
a Braganza. and probably the best of
the tribe i'm modern times, but the peo-
pie Of Brazil packed him off on a visit
10 the land Of his ancestors and estab-
hshed a republic before he reached
Lisbon Some day Portugal will turn
the rest of the family out to grass. and
the dreams of royalty now INDUCED in
by Anita Stewart and her mother will
vanish into thin air.
This practice of American heiresses
bartering their lives and dollars for
titles is beginning to attract the at
tention Of the citizens Of the United
States and the trend of their thoughts
Is in the direction Of putting a tax on
the wealth drained out Of the country
i'll this manner. Judge James W. Ger
ard Of the supreme court Of New York.
who is in London on a visit, recently
unburdened his mind on this particular
subject.
Il think this marrying American girls
to foreign titles is a disgrace he said.
when I get back 1 am going to frame
no bill for the New York legislature
that win put a transfer tax on property
inherited by or transferred to aliens.
This tax, think. should run as high
as Is or 20 per cent. 1t will be so ar
ranged that American interstate prop
erty cannot be legally inherited through
an alien.
such law, / think, would take
away the chief glamour of the idea of
marrying rich American girls to for
eign titled persoEages just to get duke
or a count into the family. Anyway, the
state has a right to a good share of the
money that is now taken out Of it by
this means.
You never hear Of French girls mar
rying foreign titled personages. nor
English girls nor German girls. and
there are rich heiresses in those coun-
tries. too. We make ourselves the
laughing stock Of all Europe while we
allow tins TO so on.
Just because we have got money we
think we can buy anything, but we lose
self-respect when we buy some things.
In most cases we pay too much for what
we set"
While we are talking about the cor
poration tax, the income tax and the in
heritance tax. it might be well to ar
range for the transfer tax. as sug-
eested by Judee Gerard