The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-23
THE LICENSE ISSUE.
A Tax That is Very Unpopular in
Charleston.

CHARLESTON, Jan 22.-lt takes very lit
tie to make the average Charlestonian mad,
and when he gets mad, like the little girl
who had little curl right in the middle OF
her forehead ~ he gets very, very mad.
This Is illustrated in the anti-icense tight
that is now in progress here and which has
engendered more bad blood even than the
recent elections in which so many
Candidates got left" That there was to be
license tax in 1893 seemed to have been
recognized early in the late campaign, for
the reason that the three candidates for the
Mayoralty were Invited to address
Democratic mass meeting on that
very subject, and did so. One OF
the candidates put himself squarely
on record against the system. Another
equally as squarely put himself on re ord IN
favor of it, while the third was not at all GER
tain as to his position. The pro-H
cenSe candidate was so Overwhelmingly sue
cessful that the other two withdrew from
the race; and it seemed to be regarded as
settled that for this year at least the license
system would be adhered TO-
After the license bill had been passed,
however, the question was re-opened, ana as
a consequence an anti-License Association
has been formed with a view of carrying
the case into court. The members propose
to pay 10 per cent. of their license to en-
lumbia, it is said, will take the case.
But while the association was organizing
the time limited for the payment OF the
license tax was passing away. 1t has been
decided by the Supreme Court of the State
twice-once in 1881 and again 1SS3-that
license tax by a municipal corpora
ton is not unconstitutional, and
this fact induced many merchants
who were open oponents of the license sys-
Tor 70 tuN- Cfbarg
equally opposed to it also paid their license
tax, preferring to submit to what they
deemed an unjust tax rather than to ham,
per and embaraSS the administration and
injure the credit of the city. This made
the extreme anti-license people very mad
so mad, indeed, as to make some of them
forget their good breeding, and many bit
ter things were said and done which would
bring the blush of shame to the cheeks of
those who said and did them were they not
mad. This number, however, was few, and
was confined to a handful of disappointed
candidates.
The time for paying licenses expired Sat
urday. The representative of the MORN
ING News called on the City Treasurer to-
day, and was told by that official that the
receipts from the license tax were very little
below the receipts last year, and that in his
opinion when the account was closed it
would be found that the total collections
were not much more than $1,000 or $1,000
under those of 1887, when the receipts were
something over 1923, 900
The signs of the times, however, point uner
ringly to the death of the license system,
and a movement will be inaugurated during
the present year looking to its abolition;
and many merchants who have paid their
license tax because they were disguised with
the methods of the present anti-license al
lance, and because they preferred not to
hamper the administration in its first year,
will go into an alliance which will give no
tice TO the Council of their intention to
fight the tax next year. so that the matter
may have the opportunity to provide for
the necessary revenue in other ways. The
present movement, as shown by the figures,
is insignificant, but the fact by no means
indicates that there is no opposition to the
license system, as will be seen later on.