Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-10-25
AGENTS ARRESTED.
THE HAUL on THE INSURANCE MEN.
The Foreign Agents Decline to Pay the
Special License Tax, and Are
Cited to Appear at the
Police Court.

The fact that the agents OF foreign in.
surance companies were arrested Satur'
day afternoon is pretty well known by
this time, and the police court this morn
ing bids to be an interesting session.
The charge under which the gentlemen
were arrested, is that they were doing
business contrary to the ordinance OF
the city adopted February 10Th, levying
q tax OF $50 on each agent representing
a foreign company doing business IN the
city, as license fee. There was long
and determined fight in City Council
over the matter. The insurance men
lobbied, business men presented petit
ton asking that the matter De
quashed, members Of Council waxed
wrothA md bitter personalities were
on one or two occasions freely In
dulged in, but finally after long strug-
gle the ordinance passed by bare ma
iority, and was declared law OF the
city. The ordinance also provides for
the arrest and filming OF any agent who
shall fail to comply with said ordinance,
and each solicitation is a separate
offense. 1t took effect from and after its
passage, and as the agents had no organ
ization nearly all of them paid, under
protest, the pro rata amount to carry
them over until May, at which time all
city licenses are renewable.
When tie time arrived to take out
license for year, only one or two came
to time, the others making this PROPOSE.
ton to the city: "We don't think this tax
is fair, Just or legal, but We will agree to
let YOU make up a case and let it be tried
AS a test case and We will abide by its
decision" This offer, however, was not
accepted, and it may be remarked, par.
enthe,ically, here, that this fact has been
stated Tor the purpose Of doing the in
surance men justice, as both Sunday
publications would lead one to believe
that the companies were assuming an
air OF braggadocio, which is not so. They
merely asked for equal rights and JUS
tice and were standing up for it.
The State law requires OF them that
they pay every year to the Auditor )
per cent. of the gross amount OF pre-.
miums received during the year, and
the Law also further states that this
amount shall exempt them from further
taxation. In view OF this law,
the insurance men consider the
CITY tax an outrage and propose
to test its validity. To this end they
have retained as counsel Attorney Gen.
eral White, Daniel Lamb, Esq, and Il.
G. Barr, Esq, who have advised the
ubiquitious insurance men not to pay
the license.
In the meantime the Sergeant hardly
knew what to do. There was the ordi-
nance, but on the other hand was the
learned counsel OF the gentlemen ready
for business and waiting for the city TO
make the first move. The matter was
discussed in the meeting OF the Finance
Committee and the Chief was ordered to
hurry the matter up, until at last, after
the Sergeant had warned the insurance
gentlemen and no response was forth.
| coming, the warrants were issued, made
returnable Monday morning, aud Satur-
day afternoon Major Rodgers, A. IL.
Beach. J. VI. Do idridge, w. +. Peter.
son, G. II. Collier, &. NJ. Coen, and
Hoge Il Bro. were served with the
papers. They will be represented by
their lawyers this morning and it is un-
derstood, direct appeal will he taken
to the Circuit Court. a test case made
and the decision in that case abided by.
There Juld not have been this trou-
bic, had it not been for the First
Branch, that body which is so conserva-
tive in all lis actions. The ordinance
was amended twice in the Second
Branch making the amount SO and $50,
either of which sums the agents would
have paid rather than endure the trou-
bic of a law suit, but the Upper cham
Der solons in their wisdom sat down
on both amendments, and what the re.
| sult will he remains TO be seen,