New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-23

/ matter OF principle, but rs matter
OF time and condition. | think, my
dear Governor, that you put the party
! in most unfortunate position, and
J that you did it without due considera-
tion of the understanding we arrived
at when we decided upon the appoint
ment of n special legislative committee.
/ The Ford bill, IL signed, will begin TO
operate next year just at the time
when the people are about to deposit
| their ballots for the Office Of President.
"a man said TO me the other day:
i never have paid one cent to the
Democratic party in my life. am
a Republican and have contributed to
the Republican party as matter of
principle. But what can ! do under
the terms of such law as this? |
shall simply have to do whatever is
demanded Of me- Just think for
moment what this means TO this great
city!
Appeal to Colonel's Courage.
81 hope you will not sign this bill.
know that IL will take very rare and
difficult quality of moral courage not to
sign it after the part you took in its
enactment. But you have shown this
quality of courage several times before
time finding an occasion for it's asser-
tion with wiser results to the public.
81 don't want to see you make the
mistake of signing this bill, and while,
of course, very many under our consti-
tutional oath of office must act in the
end upon his own judgment and con-
science, yet by the same token he IS
bound to keep his mind open and care
fully consider all sorts of things in adj
dition to the thing that raises the is
sue. To use an old smile, 1t was right
to free the slaves, but it was not right
to free them until the people were pre-
pared for it. With political eXpe-
rience that runs back nearly half
century, ] do not hesitate to predict
that the signing of this bill, with the
tremendous power that 1t conveys to
the Tammany assessors, will give New
York to the Democratic party in 1900"
To this letter Colonel Roosevelt re-
| knew that you had just the feelings
that you mention; that is, apart from
my 'impulsiveness,' you felt that there
was justifiable anxiety among men of
means, and especially men represent /
ing large corporate interests, lest !
might feel too strongly on what you
term the 'altruistic' side in matters OF
labor and capital and as regards the
relations of the state to great corpora /
tiOns. | very earnestly desired to show
that this was not TO any improper de-
gree the case.
81 do not believe that it is wise or
safe for US as party TO take refuge
in mere negation and TO say that there
are no evils to be corrected. 1t seems /
to me that our attitude should be one /
of correcting the evils.
"Now, let me take up this particular /
franchise tax bill. | wish that It's OPP |
poncnts would recollect that it is by no |
means revolutionary measure. Fran |
chises are taxed in very much the same /
way in Connecticut, and have been for /
many years. They are taxed in some /
what different ways in Pennsylvania. /
Without any notification to me the Sen /
ate suddenly took up and passed the .
Ford bill. then began to study it /
pretty carefully. and the more studied .
it the more convinced became that it .
was along the right lines; that is, that /
franchises should be taxed as realty, /
according to the Connecticut plan.
81 appreciate absolutely that the |
people who now loudly approve of my |
action in the franchise tax bill will for
get all about il in a fortnight, and /
that, on the other hand, very powerful |
interests adversely affected will always |
remember il. certainly TO my disad- /
vantage, which is unimportant, and not .
impossibly to the disadvantage of the |
party, which is important But | feel |
that we should be put in the wrong il |
the bill failed to become law.
The serious objection to this bill |
is that the levying and assessing of the |
tax are made by the local authorities. |
II seems to me right that the payment |
should be 10 the local authorities, but |
the levying and assessing should be .
done by the state authorities. In its .
essence the tax is right. II should be .
tax as realty. and not as personally.
81 would come down to see you, but .
it is simply impossible to leave the /
thirty-day bills at this time"
Drawn by Frank Fl. Platt
Mr.. Wins then brought out that this I
new bill was drawn up by Frank II. .
Plat, son of Senator Plat.
O. BY Mr.. Ivins)-G want to ask .
you whether or not while the Ford bill .
was pending in your hands as a thirty .
day bill and still unsigned and while
if | may be permitted TO use the term
you had made a proviso that unless
some proper franchise tax bill was de-
cded upon you would sign the Ford .
bill? A. had made a proviso.
Q-You had made a threat in real
ity? Al had made a promise. Yes,
| had made the threat.
o. prefer to call it a proviso. A. .
/ don't care what you call it. It
went through.
Q. The threat was there. Under
that threat this new bill was brought
forward and was introduced. That is
tue. is i not? At was.
Q You called a special session Of
the Legislature for that purpose? A.
called a special session of the Legis
lature for that purpose. You have
heard my letter to Mr. Plat read. | .
informed Mr.. Platt and informed a
number of other gentlemen, that | pre-
ferred greatly to have a bill that
should be better drawn and that should .
have the taxation in the state and not
in local hands, but that was willing
to have a bill, and that if they did not
give me the bill wished -
Mr.. IvinsI think we can leave that .
out.
Mr.. Bowers II seems 10 me we have .
got 10 the bottom of that question.
Told Plat, Odell and Raines. +
The witness Is there any objection
to my saying whom | told? | told .
Senator Plat. Mr.. Odell and Mr.. /
Raines in writing that ! would have to .
have the bill substantially as it had I
been agreed upon By themselves and |
by myself or else that | would sign the I.
Ford bill. That resulted in the present
Marrha g,fl's