The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-04-02
CORPORATION TAX
AMENDED BY HOUSE
Intent and Purpose Is to Re-
strict Operation of the Pub
licity Feature.
LIVELY DEBATE OCCUPIES
TINE OF C0NGRESSMEN
Champ Clark Objects to Giving
President Sole Control of
Corporation Records.

WASHINGTON, April l.-That the
| corporation tax law will be amended
to restrict the operations Of It's pub
licity feature was virtually assured to.
day. when the house slightly amended
a provision previously adopted by the
| senate for that purpose.
AS passed by the house today, the
law provides, "All corporation tax re-
turns shall be open to inspection only
upon the order Of the president, under
rules and regulations TO be prescribed
| by the secretary Of the treasury and
approved by the president -
AS previously provided bv the senate,
such corporation tax reports were to
"be made public when called for by
| resolution of the senate or the house
| of representatives. or under the order
of the president when he desires il for
public interests. -
The senate and house conferees soon
Will meet IN an effort to agree upon the
publicity amendment, in which the
! views of both branches will be harmon
| lied
Insurgents With Regulars.
Just before the subject was dis
posed of, Mr.. Fitzgerald of New York
| attempted TO get n direct vote upon
motion TO recommit the bill under
| consideration, with instructions for the
committee on appropriations TO report
II with an amendment repeating the
Payne-Aidrich tariff law
BY strict party vote of $50 to l16.
IN which the insurgents lined up with
| the regular Republicans, point of
| order against Mr.. Fitzgerald s motion
| was sustained.
The amendment adopted by the house
today was introduced by Mr.. Gillctt of
Massachusetts. Under the terms of his
amendment, Mr. Gilett said, he
records of corporations OF use and
value to the public should be made
public. He said he Thought the ma
Jorlty of corporation returns ought not
TO be made public. as they should not
be open TO the inspection of rival firms.
Mr.. Fitzgerald, combating the Gil
let amendment, said he was in favor of
The fullest publicity of all corporation
affairs. and he offered an amendment
providing simply that reports required
by the corporation tax law ''shall be
open to public Inspection and ap.
propriatiug $4,000 or more TO classify
such reports, etc
Clark Is Sarcastic.
| "This amendment,p said Mr.. Clark
provisions, "should be entitled EAn
Amendment to Get the Republican
| Party Out of n Hole Under this pro.
vision no one will have access to
these reports of corporations, except the
president and his advisers, which is
dangerous proposition. Human ma
| lure has been the Same since the time
| Adam and Eve were driven from Para
disc. and in the course of time some.
body might use this information for n
political purpose:
Mr.. Payne said publicity should not
be accorded in response 10 mere
| curiosity, and he believed the Gillctt
amendment would accomplish all de-
sirable publicity.
Mr.. Hitchcock of Nebraska suggested
the head of the department in which
he information on interpretations had
been gathered had become the head
of the Republican campaign committee
two years ago. and "the great trust
buster of Ohio, Wade Ellis, had been
taken from the prosecution of corpora
tons and placed in charge of the
campaign In Ohio. Those examples
who possessed information regarding
| corporations, he said, should he re-
mcmbered when considering pending
legislation.
Mr.. Sherley of Kentucky, parting
company with his party associates, dc
clared the publicity feature of the
corporation tax law could not be de-
Tended.
Taft Might Change View.
Mr.. Harrison of New York reminded
the house that while the present oc