The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-26
Makes First Recommendations
to Party Councils.
Asks for Resolutions Revising
Inheritance Tax Law.
DENIES HE WAS The AUTHOR
Insists He Would Tax Only
Rich Men in Kansas.
Would Give Money Back to Per-
sons Who Paid 1t.

The first public interchange of party
council ideas was submitted by Govern
or Stubs today when he ventured to
recommend that both the Republican
and Democratic parliaments pass res
olutions favoring the return of unjust
Inheritance tax money to persons pay
ing the tax in Kansas. The governor
admitted in a statement issued this
afternoon that the Inheritance law as
it stands, is not equitable and salts
factory to the people of the state.
In his recommendation he stated that
all the inheritance tax money that has
been collected on estates amounting TO
less than $4,000 should be returned to
the persons who paid it.
The governor said also that he was
not the author of the bill and denied
the story that he had recommended the
present law to the legislature. He said
he had nothing to do with the shaping
of the bill. He favored an inheritance
tax on estates of $4,000 and over. He
vetoed amendments to the bill by the
last legislature because they burdened
the law. The statement follows:
Not Author of Bill.
1.-THE enemies of the Inheritance tax
law charge that I was the author of
the bill and that 1 am opposed to
changing the law. The above state
ments are absolutely false. 1 recon-
small estates be exempted from taxa
ton and also that the money the state
has already collected on small estates
that ought never to have been taxed
under the provisions of any inherit
ance tax law. be refunded by the state
to the persons who had paid the tax.
I believe that the party councils of both
political parties, should pass a resoIt1-
tion in favor of returning the inherit
&nce tax money that has been collected
on estates amounting to less than
$25,000 to the persons who paid the
tax.
1.-THE inheritance tax law is an ex-
cellent law. 1t was intended to tax the
estates of the rich and not the property
owned by the average citizen. AS
matter of fact, I did not recommend
the enactment of the present inherit
ance tax law to the legislature. I~had
ions of the bill. 1 recommended that
the 1911 legislature amend the law, so
that the small estates would esca pc
taxation. In amending the law, the
senate in section of house bill 616,
provision was made for cancelling more
than 100000 of Inheritance taxes due
the state, including the largest and
richest estates in Kansas, representing
property valued at from 100000 to
more than $1,000,000. This amendment
was permitting the very property that
an inheritance tax law is intended to
TcdCH, " CSOoPO IoAAAbAOAA. l. 10luTIIOu
this bill to the legislature with the fol-
lowing recommendation, which appears
in the house journal on page 965:
'' I recommend that you either strike
out section 8 of this bill or refund to
persons of small means, the money
which should never have been placed
under the provisions of any inheritance
tax law and which is now in the state
Treasury to an amount of approx
mateIy $25, 900. I do not want to veto
this bill. but I want to make it more
equitable and just"