A letter to the editor of the Friends’ Intelligencer published on , written by “J.M.T., Jr.” (probably Joseph M. Truman, Junior):
This excerpt can also be found in the book American Quaker War Tax Resistance.
The allusion in the Intelligencer to the legacy of $100,000, left by John G. Lane, of West Philadelphia, to New York Yearly Meeting, of which James Wood, Mt. Kisco, is a member, also some time ago to the legacies of our late friend, Harriet W. Paist, showing that one-tenth of these will be deducted for State tax and United States “war tax,” prompts me to call attention to a method by which this may be avoided.
Our late friend, Jesse Ogden, although wearing the Friends’ distinctive dress and supposed to be a member, did not actually become such till a few years before his death, for which privilege he felt grateful, and when it was decided to start a free school fund, in conversing with John Saunders (one of the committee), on his way from meeting, he expressed his interest, and that he would like to aid it, but his income being limited, he was not in a position to do so. Subsequent conferences resulted in Jesse presenting a communication offering to transfer to the monthly meeting twenty shares of railroad stock (par value $1,000), conditioned on the income being paid to him during life. This was accepted, and the matter thus settled did not suffer any “shave” on account of collateral inheritance tax.
Where possible, it is very desirable to have concerns attended to whilst the parties are living. The late Robert Morrisson, of Richmond, Ind., had left in his will a bequest for a public library, but he afterwards concluded to erect it whilst he was living, and remarked his satisfaction in doing so.
