The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-07
MAKBBUSINESS FREE.
Merchants Complain Against the
License.
ON A PAR WITH THE SALOONS.
A Man Doing Legitimate Business Ought to
Have Right not to be Licensed
Too Much Tax Now.


Too Much Tax Now.
Merchants are being licensed as though
they were dog, saloon, a brothei, or a
gambling house.
They not only pay tax on their prop
erty, on their stock in trade, on their
money and chattels, but are asked to con-
tribute to the city treasury fifty or Il hun
dred dollars a year for the privilege of
doing business, as sort of penalty for their
enterprise.
When the city was poor, and little valu-
alton placed on property. the plan oflaying
a penalty on the head of every business
man for the privilege of doing business was
pardonable, but with the present high val
uation on property, it looks like mighty
small business to pass around the hat and
ask every business man to chip in to help
run the city government
William Wood struck the nail on the head
when he said: Where there is such high
tax on property think it ought to cover
everything
| George Arbogast, who is alive and pro-
| gresslve, says that the plan is simply out
rageouS. engage in business and tor p ly-
ing out IS, 600 year for milk aud cream and
S40 day to my nelp, they charge me 500 a
year as sort of q penalty. | have to pay
tax on every dollar Of improv ements l
make, and then to be asked to pay so many
| dollars year for the privilege of making
| them strikes me as a block in the way of
| business.
| Several Of the parties interviewed did
not see why business man who paid rent
should be placed on plane with the street
faklrs and Oe asked to take out license be-
fore they could do business.
! w. l.. Hall said: We are taxed from Dan
to Beersheba. Have to pay license for
hotels, license for hotel runners. When
| the gentiles came into power they increased
these licenses. 1t is taxation all the time
and in every direction.
The consensus of the opinion of the great
majority OF merchants and shopkeeper5 ap-
preached was that the real estate and per
sonal property at its present high valuation
should pay the running expenses of the city
| government.
| Some of the oldest citizens had become Sc
accustomed TO paying license fer doing
| business that they did not see how they
could enjoy health if it was taken off. Other
merchants feared that every Tom, Dick
and Harry would go into business if twas
made free. Throughout the great stases of
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
|
to pay license, though the saloon business
Is taxed all over the country.
A merchant who pays rent and a tax on
his stock of goods is certainly little more
LOT fixture and entitled TO do business
without paying license. Saloons pay a
license in most of the states and in some
large cities, and in many of the western
towns gambling and brothels are licensed.
| One person seen by the reporter did not
| favor lipnpga on
Many merchants could not understand
why business should not be as free in Salt
Lake as elsewhere.
The interviews will be found interesting
and were largely taken among the shop
keepers, rather than the large business con-
Germs. The shopkeepers are just as import
ant factors of business and represent a
larger number of persons and greater vari-
ETY. of interests than the big dry goods
houses.
| WHAT THE MERCHANTS SAT-.
American Clothing Company don't
approve Of it; don't think it is right.
After paying heavy taxes on property,
both real and personal, think it is run
ming the thing too far to ask a.merchaut to
pay license for the privilege of doing
business and thus help paying the other
taxes.
A. H. Grant, should think that man
doing legitimate business ought to have
q right 10 do business without license.
l have been in business from Maine tc
Wyoming and this is the first place l ever
was asked to pay a license.
T. Hepworth ~ Son-I think it's very
good idea.
w. J.. Price, grocer have been in this
country for twenty five Years. We are
paying taxes, we are paying license, and
they are doing us up in every way. 1t is
an outrage. / thought that when we got
Liberal government things would be bet
ter, but they are growing worse. l have
done business in nearly every city in thi:
country, and this is the first place I evel
have been made to pay license.
John South, butcher-'rhey don't tax u!
very much license anyway, only about 5,
a quarter.
John Dean Swft-Why, certainly,
would stand for doing away with it with
out a moments consideration. Taxes ar;
very heavy.
c. and d. Margetts, green grocers-O
course we are willing to do away with it.
jackson, Ludlow 81 Cove think the
license is too high. We are in favor of do
ing away with it. They are taxing US from
, too many directions.
Sears, Jeremy & Co.-As far as am con
cerned 1 would just as leave have it sta,
on.
|
} better to do away with it.
William Wood, meat marhet-When there
} Is such high tax on property, | think i
ought to cover everything.
/ b. G. McDouvall, fruit house-I don't be
) lieve it is right to put business on the SAM
? plane as street fal1irs.
j William Price, Elite restaurant-Can'
3 do it, l suppose. would like to have
/ cut off.
George f. Brooks, green grocer-We ar
Y getting enough Of taxes. All are. Am il
favor of no license. They are geutin
plenty of money 10 run the city withou
assessing a man S business. Ii they woul,
stop this peddllng and open market,
would favor that.
". D. Bowring, grocer--I tell you we hav
. customers every day saying that they ca
get this or that cheaper tiaa we sell it foI
= | think it is wrong to charge business
: license and let the hucksters go free.
. A. w. Stevens IL Col think it shout
be done away with | am willing TO stan
|, on my ability with anyone else, on gettin
I business. Ali revenues should come int
:. the city treasury by taxation.
y Quong Chon2 Wing-Me no know.
= Salmon q Huntar-Would favor i
: Would only be pleased to sign such PIT
! test.
L Max Hoish--It is customary at kansa
City and Denver for merchants to get
permit to do business, for which they pa
a dollar. Here they tax you and reauir
you to pay license both.
: Geo. Dunford-I am in favor of havin
all taxes as light as they can be made COZ
t sistent with safety, business and progress.
: Wiscomb & Co., grocer Sit is the onl
0 place in the United States where it is don,
We have been paying it here so long that
/ has become second nature. L think it
/ wrong TO have TO pay so many times on tt
g same investment.