Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-30

II is expected that the City Council TO-
night win discuss and probably act upon
the petition of the merchants, asking
that the drummers' tax be abolished.
This drummers' tax question IS not
new one by any means in this city IL
has been before the Council, the mer-
chants have considered it and the MORN
ING NEWS has presented it TO the public
edltorially and in communication time
and again. The MORNING News for a
while was almost alone in its opposition
10 the tax, and by its persistence, finally
/ succeeded in having it greatly reduced.
Now, however, public sentiment is
against the tax, and the merchants, with
/ very few exceptions, are demanding It's
repeal.
The idea upon which the tax is based is
erroneous. 1t is that resident merchants
are compelled to pay license for doing
business, and that, therefore, foreign
merchants who do business here through
their representatives ought to pay for the
privilege. The error consists in the as
sumption that the tax is paid by resident
merchants for a privilege. They pay the
tax for the purpose OF maintaining mu-
nicipal government, for light. water, po-
lice. etc. The merchants whom the
drummers represent derive no benefit
from any of these things, and hence
ought not to be compelled 10 pay for them.
they pay for such things in the cities in
which they have their homes.
There is another erroneous idea in con-
necton with this drummers' tax. 1t is
that as the resident merchants pay
heavy tax to support the municipal govern
ment, they ought to be protected against
competition from merchants Of other cities.
Resident merchants are not supposed, by
contributing to the support of the NUM-
cipal government, TO secure the right of
charging such prices for their wares as
they may please. In other words they
have no right to expect TO be protected
in making their customers bear the bur-
dens OF taxation which they themselves
should bear. The extra profits they would
be able to make by preventing competi-
ton would make them privileged class.
If the municipal government has any
thing to do with regulating business
through its power Of imposing taxes its
aim should be to benefit the consumer.
1t should do all it could justly and prop
erly to lower the prices of the necessa-
rles of life. BY imposing tax that pre-
vents competition it helps 10 increase the
cost Of living.
The great majority of merchants recog-
nize that drummers are a necessity, and
their dependence on them is much great
IN hor ia w Iar Ru bnf
aid they are able TO keep abreast Of the
market, to have the latest and best that
there is in the market, and to have it, on
account Of the keen competition that eX-
lists in every branch of trade, at the very
lowest prices. Their customers are bene-
fited by the advantages which come TO
them through the nstrumentality of
the drummers.
Drummers are liberal. and spend their
money freely. The amount they leave in
towns free TO them in the course OF a year
is very large. There is another thing
that can be said Of them. They advertise
we'll a town that deserves to be adver-
tised.
Savannah is one of the few towns that
clings to the drummers' tax; but the
petition Of her merchants now pending
before the Council indicates that she is
becoming ashamed of it. A city that
leads all other cities of the world in the
amount Of long staple cotton and naVaI
stores that it handles ought not to be
willing to be pointed at as one that leyies
a tax on commercial travellers to help
pay her municipal expenses.