Salt Lake Telegram | 1910-03-31 | Page 4 | Wrong to Tax a Charity.

WRONG TO TAX A CHARITY S Back in 1 1868 68 Mr 11 L. L B. B Stevens died in Hoboken Hoboken Hobo- Hobo ken N. N J. J and bequeathed a plot of land lanel in that city as a site for an educational institution to erect a building thereon and foran for foran foran an endowment There was at that time in New Jersey a law imposing a tax on legacies inheritances inheritances inherit inherit- ances successions successions etc Under that law in Jannary January January Jan Jan- uary nary 1870 a tax of 8 per cent or was paid on this educational bequest That amount with 6 G per cent interest is is' now now ow asked of congress It amounts to and bills have been introduced introduced intro intro- into the house and senate to pay back that amount to the receivers of the legacy left by Mr Stevens Ste Vc i e think that ought to be hG paid pai The Tile school is state ins institution Th The man man who furnished u th the tho ey money cy for it designed it for or a certain purpose which was for the public good In similar cases casc congress has remitted the amount It ought to d dit do doit it ic in this case It was the purpose of the donor to build fo for himself a monument in the most lasting form It II was altogether for the good of the city in which he lie lived and the state and for the children of that thai city and state and that sanctified the gift It is it possible he lie did not when making his will Avill think of ol himself at all but only that th t he e had been blessed with a fortune and he wanted to dispose of that fortune where it would do the most good He lie made all the children of the state his heirs and to tc withhold t that much macli of the money is to wrong the children of tha thau state just that much and we do donot donot not believe congress has any right to do it The mistake e that Mr Stevens made was that during his lifetime he did dici not set aside that fund and appoint trustees to to- take charge of it for that that- purpose In that case caso no government tax tas would lie lie against it arid and it ought not to lie against that amount which through th-ough his will ho lie gave expression to the thought tho that evidently y had long been in his his- is mind