The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1879-09-09
CITY llCDsH

Go and get your city license, only one day
more allowed. II you don't get it within
that time . portion Of your substance will
be gobbled by the officers whose aim in life
is TO look after their little costs; their little
perks. The license ordinance was received
with a storm Of opposition by many Of our
citizens who consider the city tax it inn
poses a grevious burden, SO grevious as to be
well nigh i~nsupportable by the business man,
taxed on all sides at every turn. We cannot
exactly agree with this view, as We consider
our city license taxes quite light. A city
government is accepted for the sake Of secur-
ing certain benefits in the way of clean streets,
greater security from fire, more perfect order,
ETC., than could be enjoyed in a mere village.
To provide those advantages costs money, aud
the fairest way Of collecting that money is by
taxes equally imposed upon all branches Of
business according to the benefit they are to
derive from the operation Of the city ordi-
nances, or to the probability Of there being
the cause of much expense to the city. The
weak point in the license ordinance, in our
opinion, at least, is the attempt to lax in
dustries for whose prosecution no Territorial
license is demanded; but the legality of this
undertaking., considering recent rulings on the
status Of our Police Court, We shall not un-
dertake to question. 1t Is said that q fund is
being subscribed for the purpose Of testing
the legality of ordinance No. 10; but if the
persons contributing to the fund will but take
Tho Apos,Inlo IN lonr,> tl,n Sno;In hssHcur, ~ el~
Parks appeal case, we are inclined to think
they will remove their names from the sub
scription list; pay their license like little men,
and quietly submit to the inevitable, trusting
to the legislature for relief IL our city charter
10 found to he less of a blessing than it was
fondly expected to be. Another objection
raised by ZONE captions individuals, is the in
convenience to which the citizen will be ex-
posed IN taking out licenses so frequently as
once a month, or once a quarter, when he
would very willingly take out an annual
license. 1t is asked, for instance, how it is
that the insurance agent can take out a
license for . whole year, paying therefor the
sum of seven dollars, while the foundryman
must submit 10 the annoyance of having to
apply once a month for his permit to carry
on business in the city? How is it that the
wholesale grocer or hardware merchant can
not enjoy the option Of taking out q yearly,
instead Of being restricted to the quarterly re-
curing nuisance Of applying for u license
good for three mouths only? Questions Of
the above character are asked, but only by
those 50 verdant a. to think that the convent
ence of the tax payer was the object kept
principally in view by the individual who
drafted the ordinance or they are asked by
those who imagine that our officers don't
fully understand their little business. If the
enquirers who PROFOUND innocent questions
such Us above, will but examine the license
ordinance, they will find therein the clause,
"A fee Of fifty cents shall be paid by the ap-
plicant to the City Clerk for each license so
issued" From this provision they will un-
dersta..l that a laudable desire to have s'the
regular little four bits make its appearance
rs frequently as possible was the cause Of
the short license term, and understanding
this We hope the business men OF Butte will
each pay his regular little four bits' once
a month Or quarter, without making any wry
faces over the matter.