The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-03
TAFT'S MEASURE
PASSES THE SENATE
Continued From Page One,

way of taking the vote before next
Tuesday and that debate on the propo
sltion then seemed almost exhausted
led TO the conclusion that the vote
much earlier. Many predicted 1t for
tomorrow. and some were even inclined
| TO think it might take place before ad.
| iournmcnt today
Today Senator Hepburn lost no time
in taking the floor TO present n tech.
nical objection to the bill.
Appeals and Protests.
Business began with the presentation
Of objections relating to the corpora
tion tax. From Spokane, Wash, 1O6
merchants appealed TO the senate for
support of the tax as proposed by the
president, because, as they said, 1T safe
guarded business Institutions.
The lnman Poulsen Lumber company
of East Portland wanted the per
nicious corporation taxi killed. while
w. B. Aver of Portland considered the
proposed tax as eminently unfair, "as
ii places the burden only on the great
industrial life Of the country
There was also q protest from the
mutual insurance companies Of New
jersey, which insisted that such cor
porations were not the proper subject
Of taxation under the proposed scheme
profit.
Hepburn S Objection.
Mr.. Hepburn S objection was that
the amendment was too indefinite to
make it operative. The first provision
of the bill fixed tax of . per cent on
the net income of corporations. The
Idaho senator contended that under this
language it would be quite impossible
to determine the object Of the bill or
70 opf 10 Of
its vaguencss He also claims the tax
being levied on all corporations cor.
ganized for profit included corpora
tions that do no business except to col
lect rents. which, he said. would bring
it nearly within the scope of the Pol
lock case in which the income tax was
declared TO be invalid.
Believes Bill Sufficient.
Senator Elllins asked if l per cent
would not be a sufficient corporation
tax. Mr.. Aldrich replied that he had
corporation tax proposition would be at
least twice the amount estimated by the
president, or $50,000.000. If an area of
economy was TO be entered upon, he de.
clared that "the bill, as it now stands,
would be sufficient to meet all expenses
of the government
Senator Cummins then taking the
lIOOI7 TtNltWCtl lUc Spcc0i UldUc Dy T.
Root yesterday in support Of the cor
poration tax. He secuted the idea that
there was any likelihood that people
would attempt to conduct n campaign
for the purpose of forcing approval by
the supreme court Of an income tax law
If enacted
Voicing his opposition to the corpor
alton tax, Senator Hughes Of Colorado
declared that the measure included a
class of mutual institutions which were
placed there for the purpose Of insur-
ing its repeal.
'FHave wo reached point when the
president can direct his attorney gen.
eral to draft n law, and then can point
to us as committing sacrilege if senators
in this body endeavor to correct errors
that we may detect in it's phraseology2"
inquired the Colorado senator.
''This is not a tax on the business
of corporations, declared Mr.. Hughes.
A." 1t is tax on incomes That is what
the president said in his speech of ac-
ceptance. That is what he told his
attorney general to draw-an income
tax law that Will meet the construc-
tion of the constitution that has been
upheld by the supreme court