St. Paul daily globe., 1891-04-18
LICENSES GO UP.
Peddlers Disseminated Against
After Hard Fight


After a Hard Fight.
The joint committee OH licenses and
ordinances made the report outlined
several days ago, increasing peddlers'
license fees from S75, S25 and $40 to $l25,
S75 and $50. OF course, there was big
fight over it. Aid. Durham, a member
of that joint committee, moved to
amend the reported ordinance so as to
place the license fees where they have
been. OF course, Flanders supported
the report. So did Rand. The Sixth
ward orator became very dra-
matte. McGowan moved to amend
the clause relating to special permits
for peddlers. He wanted the mayor to
have the power formerly exercised by
the police commission. This point is
the one Rand refused to notice in the
commission. Parry related personal
"reminiscences of life in grocery. Aid.
BraZie called attention to the excessive
tax which the council was asked to put
upon peddlers. At $3.50 peddler would
be paying taxes upon $500 worth of
property. 1erXa pays taxes on the big
gest stock In the city, and he is assessed
for only $1,000 worth OF stock. Bracket
comes next with $500, and Hart next
with 81. ZOO.
Flanders. who combines grocery busi-
ness with paternal regard for the city,
read long, carefully prepared. type
written statement that didn't state any
thing. There was internal evidence in
the paper of great, though latent, liter
ary ability. Aid. Flanders refused to
dlvulge the name of the author.
failed to order that Flanders speech be
printed in the regular proceedings. Par
ry related some more personal reminis-
Gems. BraZel spoke again, combating
the statement that peddlerS sell lecayed
fruit. His wife. he says, buys just as
good fruit from peddlers as from
grocers, and pays not more than half so
much for it. MCGOWAN made another
long speech uphOlding his confidence
III the committee
Aid. Haynes took the floor and shat
tered the one point upon which the ad-
vCe e. of the increase urged. The one
strong argument advanced for raising
the license was that peddlers sell de-
cayed, unhealthful goods. Mr.. Haynes
held that raising the license wouldn't
stop the sale Of articles dangerous to
health. That can be done only through
proper sanitary regulations. AS for
equaliZing conditions, it is illegal, un-
just, to endeavor to regulate commerce
by taxation. Where would it end? AS
for the sale of decayed food. he thought
the grocers should say nothing. Nearly
everything they sell is aduterated
He would vote against the adoption of
the report because the attempt to equal
ize commercial conditions is subversive
of equal rights, and because increasing
the license will not correct the abuses
complained of.
Aid. Gray held that the vital points of
this license question are: The regula-
| tion of it to prevent two peddlerS from
working under one license; the inspec-
| tiOn of their goods by an emplOye of the
health department. The previous ques-
ton was moved and afterward with
drawn. Flanders spoke for McGowan's
| amendment, offered as a substitute for
Durnam's amendment. of course he
| did. The carrying of McGOwan'S sub
stitute would kill Durnam's .amend-
ment to leave the license as it is.
The previous question was called for.
| McGOWan'S substitute came first. 1t
was lost, 13 to II.
Loye here presented substitute for
| Durham amendment. The substitute
| placed the wagon license at 500; push
carts, S25; foot peddlers, SO. This was
an increase of the wagon license alone.
Loye's substitute was lost, 81 to 4.
Inc question recurred on Durnam'S
amendment to leave the license fees
where they are. Barrows explained his
! vote. He was on the committee. agreed
to the compromise report and, therefore,
was forced to vote no. Durnam's
amendment was lost. Is to 10. That
practically settled the vital point of the
report and the ordinance. The ordi-
nance was then passed. 16 to 8. The
license for peddlers will be hereafter
S125 for wagons, S75 for push carts. SO
for push carts. The mayor may veto.