Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-01-10
The Drummers' Tax.

SAVANNAH, Jan. 9.-EditOr u0rRing
Nelrs: Being among the number who are
opposed to the excessive tax imposed bv
the City Council upon drummers who
may visit our city in the course of busi-
ness, l read with much satisfaction your
excellent editorial upon that question,
which appeared in your issue of this
morning, and l hope that our city fathers,
who surely have the welfare of our city
at heart, and who are no doubt anxious
to enact only such laws as will benefit
and not injure our commercial standing.
VIII read carefully and digest every line
of 1t, and then forthwith either abolish
this obnoxious tax entirely, or more prop
erly, in my opinion. reduce it TO
such a figure that it will not
amount to a prohibition, but will
induce drummers Of respectable
houses to visit our city, whilst it will
deter those OF peddling firms from max
ing their appearance. Your editorial
covered nearly every argument that can
be used in favor of the abolition of this
tax, although l think there should be a
nominal tax, instead of abOlishing il al
together. But there is one, however, which
was slightly touched up by you that NAV
not have been caught by the general
reader. This is the injury that the alb
sence of commercial travellers VIII entail
upon the public at large; for, after all, it
Will be the consumers, and especially the
laboring man, who will suffer from this
unjust tax, and not the merchant. If the
drummers are prohibited from coming to
our city-which Will certainly be the case
If this tax is enfOrced-the wholesale
merchants will become almost, if not en-
tlrely. monOpolists, and with an eye to
the almighty dollar, as is natural,
and having very little competition, and
that only from those merchants in the
North or West who will ship goods to our
retailers whose commercial reputation
viii warrant it, will increase the price of
their goods as they see fit. and force the
retailer, from whom the poor man buys.
to purchase from them at this advance i'm
price, and the retailer in his turn must
put higher price on his goods if he de-
sires a profit, and thus, after all, this evil
Will reach the consumer at last. and he
must bear the burden; and of these con
sumers the poor man viii have to bear
the greatest share, as always happens in
such cases. If our COuncilmen had, when
contemplating the passage Of this law,
consulted the omnibus. owners and the
hotel keepers Of our city as to the number
of travellers who would shUn orr
city on account of this Ordi-
nance, and then have asked
the consumers what effect this law would
likely have upon the community at large,
the answers they would have received
would have enlightened them to such an
extent that they would have at once and
forever given up the idea Of enacting such
a law. Then, Mr.. Editor, with due re-
spect for your opinion that the tax should
be abolished entirely, l say let it be re-
duced to S15 or thereabOuts, and all will
be we'll with us. If it stands as it is then
all will be wrong, and the consumers
wlh be Obliged to bear the burden. and
many tourist who would otherwise visit
our city on his way to Florida will give
i as wide berth asif it was stricken
with pesulence. ALPHA.