Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1913-02-21
SENATE bitches
INHERITANCE TAX.
indicates Absolute Refusal to Pass
Any Kind Of Measure by Turning
Down Two Amended Bills.

Down Two Amended Bills.
The senate yesterday indicated that
1t will absolutely refuse to pass any
kind of an Inheritance tax bill by de-
feating, by One-sided votes, .nheri-
lance tax bills, by Sen. James A.
Troutman Of Shawnee and Sen. Frank
Sutton of Stafford county. Both bills
eliminated the most Objectionable
features of the recently repealed in.
neritance tax law, but the senate res
olutely refused to take that into con.
sideration. Both bills. were killed BY
votes of nearly three to one.
There was a lively debate over the
Troutman bill, which provided exemp-
tons Of $4,000 for the Widows share
and $4,000 for each child. The tax
on indirect heirs were about the same
as 1t was in the law which was re-
pealed by the present legislature.
In defense Of his modified inheri.
lance tax bill, Senator Troutman said
that forty states now impose inheri-
lance taxes, and that the exemption
for widows was greater in his bill
than provided by the law of any other
state having Inheritance tax laws. He
said he was not in favor of taxing
small estates, but he believed that
large estates should pay an inheri-
lance tax. He cited the fact that
the state Of Utah IS share, Of the in
heritance tax on the late e. H. Har-
riman, the railroad magnate, was al
most enough to build that state a
new state house, and he declared tina
Mrs. Hartman still had money enough
left that she would never notice the
lack of what Utah secured. Also, he
SAID, Kansas needs the revenue.
Sen. ]. D. Joseph of Butler county,
insisted that the inheritance tax was
wrong in principle and that the in
Icreasing Of the exemptions was moth
ing in favor Of the Troutman bill.
Offset to Socialism.
Sen. w. P. Lambertson of Brown
county, declared that an inheritance
tax law would prove to be the great
est offset to the spread of socialism
that could be devised. He said that
other states will continue to get reve-
nue. from inheritance taxes upon the
estates of non-residents who would
be just as liable to an Inheritance
tax in Kansas, if this state had such
law.
IF you impose an inheritance tax
on what leave behind, you make the
state one of my heirs" said Sen.
Noah L. Bowman of Anderson county
in attacking the principle Of the in
heritance tax. "The present law Of
descent in Kansas provides that one
half shall go to the widow and the
other half to the children but an in
heritance tax law makes the state a
Joint heir with these. Let the living
pay the tax. Don't take 1t from the
dead. A graduated income tax
would tend to prevent the swollen
fortunes which are urged as an argu-
ment for this BILL"
Sen. l. NJ. Mahin of Smith county
cautioned the senators that several
sources of revenue have been cut off
by the present Legislature and that
something should be done to make W
the lost revenue, although he was OPP
posed % any tax on direct heirs.
Cousins, nephews and nearstrangers
should not object to paying the state
a share Of what they had not assisted
in aecumulating, he believed.
Must Provide Funds.
you have repealed the inheritance
tax law and have exempted mortgag-
es from taxation, and If we keep on
We shall have a hole in, the states
general revenue fund into which you
could chuck a bed tick" said Mahin.
I'VE will have to make It up in some
other way, it will have to be made
up off the farmers farm through an
increase in the tax rate and We do
not want that"
Sen. Emerson Carey Of Hutchinson,
made the shortest speech of the de-
bate. 81 can better afford to pay an
inheritance tax while / am alive
than my family can after l am dead,
SO II must pay an inheritance tax,
let me pay 1t now" said the Reno
county senator.
The Democrats voted almost solid
ly against both inheritance tax bills
and let 1t be known that they would
- A. ~ oo- otha, kills