NATIONAI^BANK TAXATION. 



621 



spends to the fingers of the hand of a musician, 

 is hung on a pivot. The surface of the finger is 

 eccentrically curved and is covered with mate- 

 rial of varying density, ranging from the soft- 

 ness of the human finger-ball to the hardness of 

 the finger-end. Each is controlled by pneu- 

 matics acting directly on the finger for pro- 

 ducing the touch, and an additional pneumatic 

 action for determining the position of the fin- 

 ger before the blow, or just as the blow is 

 struck. Every variety of touch is thus pro- 

 duced that is or can be required. The accent 

 is properly rendered, and the pedals of the 

 piano are automatically operated by means of a 

 pneumatic action fit- 

 ted for the purpose 

 all the apparatus, 

 keys, pedals, and ex- 

 pression-devices be- 

 ing acted upon auto- 

 matically by the va- 

 rious perforations in 

 the music-sheet. The 



invention is applied either to operate directly 

 upon the finger-keys of the piano, or within 

 the piano, forming a part of the action. In the 

 former case the instrument is used as an attach- 

 ment to the key-board, which 

 may be removed when the 

 piano is to be played manual- 

 ly. In the latter case, the 

 key-board is nlways ready for 

 manual practice. The illus- 

 tration shows a piano action 

 in which the invention is em- 

 bodied as placed within an 

 upright piano. 



V, perforated music-sheet ; A, automatic 

 playing-finger; B, C, D, pneumatic ex- 

 pression apparatus ; H, H\ I, pneumatic 

 striking mechanism ; T 2 , ordinary ham- 

 mer of an upright piano-action; K. K 1 , 

 keys of the manual ; K y , the part of the 

 mechanism that is acted upon by either 

 the manual key, K, or the automatic play- 

 ing-flnger, A. 



GALLT SYSTEM FOB PIANO, 1878-1880. 



The dotted lines show different positions of the playing-flnger corresponding to degrees of touch and tone indicated. 



N 



NATIONAL-BANK TAXATION. A decision was 

 given by the United States Supreme Court in 

 March, 1885, which has an important bearing 

 on State taxation of national-bank shares. The 

 Court held that the taxation of such shares 

 by State authority is illegal when other mon- 

 eyed capital to a material extent is exempt. In 

 the course of the year, syndicates of national 

 banks were formed in New York, Massachu- 

 setts, New Jersey, Illinois, and elsewhere, to 

 test the legality of the existing systems or 

 taxing their shares. Should these suits prove 

 successful, the result must be to work very 

 radical changes in the matter of local taxation. 

 The question arises under section 5219 of the 

 Revised Statutes of the United States, which 

 declares that State or local taxation of nation- 

 al-bank shares u shall not be at a greater rate 



than is assessed upon other moneyed capital in 

 the hands of individual citizens." In Schuyl- 

 kill County, Pa., while national-bank shares 

 were taxed, the law exempted from county 

 taxation (1) bonds or certificates of loan is- 

 sued by any railroal company incorporated by 

 the State ; (2) shares of stock in the hands of 

 stockholders of any institution or company of 

 the State which, in its corporate capacity, is 

 liable to pay a tax into the State treasury 

 under the act of 1859; (3) mortgages, judg- 

 ments, and recognizances of every kind ; (4) 

 moneys due or owing upon articles of agree- 

 ment for the sale of real estate; (5) all loans, 

 however made by corporations, which are tax- 

 able for State purposes, when such corpora- 

 tions pay into the State treasury the required 

 tax on such indebtedness. Tlfe case of Boyer 



