The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-10-09

mendaiiOn, AMI " llfltl OUT lllAl W.
the letters were iOrgerleH,
--------T-
AMONG the many sins Of omission
aud commission ~ the ordinance no
establish aud regulate lleense ANA CO.
cupalion tax In the city Of Dallas We
regard article A W one Of tho most
reprehensible, N reads ~ lollnwH !
"Ifor every Insurance company, WellT
ty-nye dollars every agent Of the
same, ten dollars According TO Ills
II h clear that every Insurance eompa'
ny doing business In the city h re'
quired ~ pay twenty-five dollars
license tax, Whether Insurance agents
are required 10 pay ten dollars Ia addl'
ton for each company they represent
or simply u license foo Of ten dollars
for Carrying on the business II mol 30
clear The construction Of The SEN
tcnoe carries with II the former Idea
but We have no Idea that such was the
purpose Of the council In enactlng H.
The intention Of the law.nakern,
doubtless, was 10 exact Onlya Too Of
ten dollars from each Insurance agent
without reference 10 whether he repre-
scented Que or one hundred companies
This, however, n very small matter,
and one which the agents Interested
can settle for themselves. The evil OF
which we complain In tho section Of
the ordinance quoted above, In that
there should he any tax Imposed upon
insurance companies NJ all,
Aud thls We do simply and solely
upon grounds Of policy, We admit the
general principle that NIL trades, occu-
patlons, professions aud vocatlons
should contribute alike to the support
OF the state, county aud municipality
In which they exist and upon which
they live Insurance companies ~
well M anything else. But general
principles have TO be often tempered
with policy In their applications and
we think that the question Of taxing
insurance companies writing policies
on Dallas property Is n case IN point
Owing TO the combustlblc nature of II
great part Of ,he property In the city,
together with the until recently to-
tally inadequate facilities for cXtin-
gushing fires, II was almost impossi-
bio 10 get first class Insurance compa-
MES to take risks here At all. Lalterly,
through the exertions of some of the
agencies IN this city, together with the
fact that n steam engine has been pro-
cured and cisterns located In various
places, n good many Of the leading
companies, both north and south, have
been induced TO come In and place
risks. This has placed business upon
n much safer and sounder basis. The
good effects of this protection thus af-
forded to merchants and Others have
been felt In every department of busi-
ness. That nothing should be done to
injuriously affect this state of affairs,
1t appears TO us, would strike the
mind of even the average councilman.
1t may be said that the
sum of twenty-five dollars is
altogether too Insignificant to drive
out any insurance company that de-
sired to do business in the city. But
this Is mistake. 1t would not be tn G
payment Of the money, but the spirit
manifested by the city in exacting II
that would drive them out. We have
the statement from parties who repre-.
sent some Of the best companies now
doing business in the city that the
companies they represent will be
strongly inclined to withdraw at once
on being advised of this additional tax
imposed on them.
la addition to the doubtful policy OF
the tax, there is n question as to its le-
gality. These insursues companies
pay. to the comptrollerjof the state the
sum of two hundred dollars per an
mum, with an additional tax of five
dollars for each county they do bust
ness in, and are furnished by that
officer with a license authorizing them
to do insurance business in the state OF
Texas free from any other tax. This
being so, 1t is very questionable
whether the city has the right in law
to impose the tax.
Regarding the tax as ill-advised and
injudicious, VIZ hope to see the council
repeal it, and gather the revenue pro-
posed to be gathered from insurance
companies from other occupations in
the city that should DO but are not EN-.
braced in the voluminouS ordinance.
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Clergyman Caught.