The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-08-21

x.... fem, siaunson.

Letter frons stauason.
rcnr,.xnoncence Of the kichmond Dispatch
s,rrr,sc OF TaE CITY coUscIL-PAssA6E OF
an Ordinance ESTABLISHING CITY AIMS
uorse-Re.rssus OF STOLEN WARRANTS
PETITIONS, kG.-RgAoNsrRAScs FROM hER~
SrAusroN. August 10, 1874.
meeting OF the City Council held Iast
night The following members were present.
viz John II. Evans, Isaac Witz, X. III: Guy
w. II. German, John w. Abby, L. b. Hose,
II. Ker. aud X. W. Burke. In the aoseLce
az the president. (Mr. Robert g. b'cSte' ~no
"a snendina the summer at the WHITE sur
Ybur SprinSs.) Mr.. j. B. Evans LOOK .ne
chair as president pro tenn. Before as toe
mewbtrs had assembled, the frcslaeaC %'i-
nounced that the meeting was hcid 'os toe
purpose Of considering the repor. OF fhs
Comn,;t,ee on Water, bet 1t being proposes,
to take up the subject OF the almShouse nntn
The other members had arrived, u was zone,
and n very lively discussion, arising on Inc
various features OF this ordinance the report
on water was entirely forgotten, and did ho'
come up during the meeting.
The house 10 be used for the city aims
Donaobc. deceased, in the northwestern
mart Of the city, and known as Spring Farm,
which WAS purchased some time STAGE by inc
CIV Council to be used for this purpose.
The ordinance provides that the government,
control. and direction OF the almShousc ana
o1onpd.. aud OF all officers, agents, nurses,
and other employees snall be vested IN the
Committee for the Relief of the Poor. They
are required 10 prepare rules and regulations
for the management! of the affairs OF the IN
stitu,ion, SUI ject to the approval OF the
{,ouucjl. The officers of the institution are 10
be superintendent and physician. Tue
committee are required TO hold monthiy
meetings at the a!m>housc and make an an
mai reD3rt to the Council ut It's regular
meetin. in March, in whicd they are to state
The number OF persons provided for IN the
wear, hi;c and coiored; the length OF time
each was provided for; the name OF cach,
and the amount OF expenditures for the
wear. and also the amount spent Tor repairs
of bulldogs separate and apart from that
spent on the poor.
This is an ordinance which our city has
long necccd, and il is hoped that II Will save
much suff=riog TO the poor OF the city during
The coming winter, 81 40 have heretofore been
most wrctchedly cared for, or rather not
cared for but this has been through no fault
of the oyerseers Of the poor, for they have
done all they could but 1t was impossible
for them, under the former system, TO pro-
vide III O, eriy for the sick and destitute when
known 10 them, and many cases OF want and
suffering never cane to their knowledge
until after all human aid was useless.
The petition OF MIR. &. NJ. Bruce to have
two warrants, Nos. lS7 and 1873, for $500
each, dated January Oh, 1874, drawn in bis
favor on the treasurer of tbc city OF Staunton,
duplicated, was granted. They were stolen
from MIR. Bruce the day the circus exhibited
here.
The petition Of c. C. Wheat & Co. asking
an abatement OF their license tax as Srocers
and produce dealers, they having discon-
tinued the business, was referred 10 the Cou-
mittee on Finance.
It being understood by the merchants and
owners of property on Beverly or Main
street that in the improvements which are
soon TO he made on this street it was pro-
posed by the Council 70 close the cellar
doors, a remouslrance was presented by
them last night, setting forth the great In
Jury such action would cause them, as their
cellars are almost absolutely necessary for
storage, &c. They claim that it will greatly
diminish the actual and rental value of prop
erty on this street. The .remonStraDce was
referred 10 the Committee OH Streets.
1t seems that the license-taX Of the corpo.
ration on merchants is pressing even more
heavily than the State tax. Last night Pc
tition signed by twenty-seven merchants and
business firms was presented to the Council,
setting forth that the present license tax is
onerous and oppressive, inasmuch as the,
State tax bill only requires this merchants
tax to be paid quarterly, whilst the city or
Ginance makes tue whole Of it payable at the
beginning Of the year. After setting forth
the fact that By the assessment OF this tax
upon merchants purchases by teand cor
p0ration they are by far the largest tux pay
ers in the community in proportion to their
means and profits, they respectfully but
earnestly protested thae~She additional re.
quirement of prepayment by~the city ordi-
nance Is unjust and oppressive, especially
when it is remembered that this tax is in
tended to take the place ofsthe property and
capital tax heretofore imposed upon them,
and in the payment of which they were on
an equal footing with those paying taxes on
real and personal property with respect to
their payment 10y instalmentS. In conclu-
sion, they insisted that If the Council per-
sisted in requiring the payment BY them of
this heavy tax. that justice demanded that
they should at least extend to them the same
indulgence as to time and mode Of payment
as is shown to those classes of taxpayers to
which the members Of the Council belong.
Upon motion OF Mr. j. w. Ably, it was
resolved not to grant the petition of the
merchants because it would be doing an in.
Justice to those merchants who have already
paid their tax. But where the injustice came
in at was not explained.
The. question as to the extension Of q rede-
rick street, which has been before the Coun-
ell for several months, was disposed of, and
the extension decided upon. Ai4l.