The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-03-20
The TAX DODGERS
Their Friends Killed Both
Waggener Bills.
Either One Would Have I'm
earthed so Millions.

In his final message to the leg1sla-
ture of 1913, Governor Hodges said:
You have provided for the submis-
sion to the people of an income tax
amendment to our constitution 1 re-
gard that as the wisest kind of pro-
gressive legislation
The amendment commended by the
governor, had about the stormiest trip
of any Democratic idea through
Democratic legislature. 1t was con-
current resolution No. 4, introduced by
Senator Bale Waggener, a veteran or
politics who has for 40 years been a
close student of state affairs, and, upon
its Introduction, was hailed by the
administration as the sanest and best
of legislation. The senate passed the
resolution by a good majority, and 1t
was sent to the house, where it re-
manned on the calendar for more than
a month before any action was taken.
The first action taken by the house
was the motion of James w. Orr, floor
leader and chairman of the judiciary
committee, to strike senate concurrent
resolution No. from the calendar.
The motion prevailed, but the next day
house members who realized the i'm
portance of the bill, forced 1t back
upon the calendar, and "a hours later
passed it by a vote of 80 to 5. Mr..
no on the adoption of the resolution.
Senator Waggener's mortgage regis
tration bill was not so lucky. 1t was
considered an administration measure,
as it had the approval of the leading
Democrats of the state. This bill pro-
vided for an annual registration fee
of so cents per hundred on the amount
of mortgages recorded, and was con-
sidered one of the best revenue rails
ers ever suggested 1t was introduced
by Senator Waggener as senate bill
426, and together with the companion
bill 427, which exempted mortgages
from taxation, was reported out of
the senate judiciary committee, of
which Senator Waggener was chair
man, and passed in the senate with
little opposition. But when these bills
reached the house and were referred
to the judiciary committee of that
branch, 426 was killed with unseemly
haste and APT was converted into what
was subsequently known as house sub
stitute for senate bill 427, which pro-
vided for an annual tax of 25 cents
per hundred during the life of the
mortgage recorded. This was refused
by the conference committee, but in
the meantime, Senator Waggener, hav-
ing realized that the house judiciary
committee enjoyed killing bills under
his signature, had covered the ground
with another bill Senate bill $50 pro-
vided penalties for failure to list mort
cages for taxation, and the chaser"
senate bill 6S1. obliged a person to
whom a mortgage had been assigned
to list for taxation within 80 days,
so that the assessor could tell in whose
name the mortgage stood.
1t was established by the state tax
commission that either or both of these
bills, which were to the same end but
avoided legal points by approaching
from different angles, would for the
year 1913 uncove about a hundred mil
that are now hidden away by profess
siona1 tax-dodgers. Senator Waggener
is a foe to tax dodgers. He holds that
the wealth Of the state is subject to
just taxation and that the rich tax
dodger is a burden to the poor man who
has not at his command the machinery
for successful lodging. But this anti
taxdodger bill met the same fate when
it reached the house,-with the eXcep-
ton that after a conference committee
had agreed on certain amendments to
the first bill, the whole works were
lost" in some unaccountable manner,
and just what happened to senate bill
681 is still a mystery.
The report of the senate end of the
committee Senators Wag
gener and Stavely) to the effect that
the bill had been agreed upon, was re-
fused by the house, and stricken from
the house records. Then the house re-
moved the enacting clause of senate
bill $50, and didn't even discuss the
matter The defeat of bills $50 and 6S1
permitted, according to estimates made
bv the state tax commission, between
so and 100 millions in mortgages to
escape taxation this year alone.