Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-11-16
WHEN MONEY COMES EASILY
BY Frederic J. Hask,n.

Washington. Nov 1s.-Inheritances
40 n subtcct OF imagination and dis
cussion never lose their glamour
There probably never lived a man VINO
sometime in his life did not spenn AT
laast n little while in dreaming OF the
nosaibility of coming into an estate
an inheritance, or becoming rich over
night. The prospect, however remote
and intangible, of UNEXPECTEDLY pos
seesing funds not directly earned by
the sweat Of the brow, Is one Wnlcn
srrestibility provokes contemplation.
That il the reason why wills, missing
beIrs. lost witnesses and interminabie
l. .wsuits involving estates nave so
prominent place in the stories OF III
! erot,lre and the stage. They are prop
/ critics of the Goddess OF Fortune wnom
/ everyone seeks. For this reason inc
! cold statistics OF the Internal Revenue
! Bureau, recording the bare facts OF
/ the estates which are transmitted u
the United States. are Of absorbing IN
,erest. No personal details are 70 be
found because, under the law, no such
( facts may he divulged. The statistics
are made available TO the researcher
I only in general terms. but even their
I austere columns harb0r an odor OF
the same romance which made the
case Of Jarndyce versus Jarndyce i'm
mortal, the same fascination which
makes everybody read will case In
the newspapers.
The figures do not reveal how the
fortunes were bcqueathed. They tel
no stories OF newsboys who helped old
ladies' across crowded streets and latel
woke up miliionaires because the Olc
ladies on their deathbeds. remembered
the kind deeds Nothing like that
The reader must furnish all such de
tails. building up what stories he likes
on the hard basis OF facts.
Billions Go To Heirs.
What the figures do show ie 'ha
in the~0eriod from September 1915 q
January 1922. the latest for which sta
tlstics have been compiled, 1920 es
tates passed 20 fortunate heirs. Tn
total sum bequeathed staggers the i'm
y agination. II amounted to ss,7sj.6 .641.
$50 The average individual woul
consider himself lucky If his mornin'
mail informed him that some old Vn
e cle's viii had left him $1,000. Bu'
' within this brief period enough none
% was inherited TO make S,785 million
Q aires. The sum il averaged anon
the recipients would give each a for
n tune Of about 5000 900. which s enOng
!. for a man 20 live upon all his day'
n Foriy-rvo thousand persons. enough
TO populate n good sized city, all wer
n made rich through inheritance In tn
Il brief period.
4. The beneficiary docs not get III
n whole amount Of the bequest. for IN
n stern-visaged Treasury tax-gathert
steps n and takes a share which.
q some cases, II - much ~ one-fft'
s The total tax paid on these bedues
: Of nearly $4,000 ZOO 900 was s3S1,I3s
- 323. The smaller estates bring y
.. average down 50 that for sthe who
= bulk the rate was only $40 per cer
:. on an average, or an average tax
only s9.59735 per estate. The b
estates are those which pay the srea
- est taxes. For instance. the averal
y tax paid on the estates in the grou
Of 10000. 900 and over was over 81
"a 900 900.
"a It is curious fact that the ben
le hcier1es Of Wills greatly dislike
III give up 10 the tax collector any ps
ts OF the sum inherited. n spite of q
~ fact that II Is practically a gift Z
O. which no labor has been performe
N and something's comes from a dista
re relative who was A stranger. TT
I'D curious dsIncl;nation 10 part wi
it any of ones winnings from he chan
Ill nand Of fortune Is illustrated by z
On tale of the woman who sued 70 bre.
in Will. She had been disinherited vhe
in she expected a bequest and went
rs court. She lost the case and, Of cou,
the sum she desired.
Well" she said when the verd
was rendered. AT lecst I won't m
TO pay the Inheritance tax. ha
saved that"
The Inheritance tax is levied on :
estates, that IS. what remains aft
the various deductions pernissal
under the tax laws are made. T
estates listed in the period under
view We're brought down 10 a net T
ure Of S., os.673, ,53I and the tax lev
upon that sum.
Deductions are OF various chars
ters. In the first place there is
specific deduction Of $4,000 for
estates and no one who leaves I.