The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-07-27
DOES MIR. sCHAEFER OwN OAR CITY
COUNCIL?

From the indications on Monday even
ing it would seem that a majority of the
members of the City Council of Canton
are more anxious to serve Louis Schaefer,
prOpr ietor of the Opera House, than to
look to the interests of the tax payers of
the city.
The nefariOus scheme is to hand over
to Mr.. Schaefer's tender mereies, the
right to levy and collect such tax off
show amusement companies as he may
think proper, and pay the city for this
privilege, fifty dollars year. This is
the sO-called license swindle.
No City Council of Canton so far has
passed any such measure, and we trust
the present Council will think seriously
before yielding to the selfish demands of
the autOerat of the Opera House, and the
chief editor of the Repository. There Is
no sanction in the laws of the State, nor
in the Constitution of Ohio for the pas
sage by CantOn's Council of any such
iniquity. This bill simply proposes to
take from the Mayor the collection of
this tax on travelling shows, and give to
Mr.. Schaefer the job for small consider
alton. In fact, it is a scheme to rob the
city of from two to three hundred dollars
year.
Since the election of W. j. PierO as
Mayor, the show tax under the ordinance
of the city has been collected invariably
frOmthe troupes, direct, and not through
the agency of SchaefeT, as was previ-
Ously done generally. The consequence
is, the city treasury has been materially
improved thereby, as the records will
show. On Monday last, Mayor PierO de-
posted in the city treasury $3.50, the re-
suit of two months collections, an
amount greater than whole years de-
pOsits generally of previous Mayors.
Under Mayor PierO this work is always
promptly attended to, much to the bene-
fit of the city.
Now, Gin the name of all the gods at
once" why need our City Council con-
template this piece of license folly? The
Supreme Court of Ohio recently decided
the Pond license law unconstitutional.
And shall CantOn's City Council, led by
The Mayor is the proper officer to enforce
the ordinances, collect fines, show taxes,
&C., and the Council has no legal right
to sell to Mr.. Schaefer the privilege to
lay and collect the tax on amusement
shows.
As citizen of Canton, we protest
against our City Colneil performing
such high-handed act.
We're there any assurance that this
change would inure to the benefit of the
seventy-five or one hundred amusement
show companies that perform in Canton
during the year, there would be no OBJ
lection. Nothing of the kind, however,
is proposed. The bill pending merely
proposes to hand them over to the un-
tender mercies of the owner of the Hall,
giving him full swing at them. And
yet learned luminaries in the law say
this is all right and constitutional
Why, it is contrary to common sense, a
rule of law very old that these learned
| gentlemen never seem to have studied.
The very spirit of the laws of Ohio is Op-
posed to the pending bill, proposing as
! it does to confer upon one man the pow
er to tax these trOupes without limita-
tiOn or restriction, as he shall please.
| We say to the Council, fix a moderate,
even a low tax, upon amusements, and
let the Mayor enforce the law. Don't
put these companies into the clutches
of Mr.. Schaefer.