The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-26
ENTER A SOLEMN PROTEST.
LAWYERS, Physicians and Liquor Deal
ers Before the Finance Committee.
ARGUING AGAINST HIGHER TAXATION,
Lawyers and Liquor Dealers Declare mat
1hei' business oan.ot stand 1.-THE
Physician. wish Thcir Present
Assessment Reduced by Half.

lor three hours anu "a 4fit '''' '''N'
the Finance Committee listened attentive
Is TO- thcargumcuts of those whose license
taxes they propose TO raise for the year
lQ7. and at II o'clock adjourned to give
them a further hearing tonight
The committee held its session in the
office off the Commissioner Of the Reve-
uuc and admitted by delegations those
Who hld complaints TO make. The whole
sslo and retail liquor dealers. lawyers
ANA rhysicians were out In force, Dut the
dentists. who were handled gently by the
committee. did not show up in any great
plumbers.
siossrs. r.. G.. Morton and J. D. Mcin-
tyrc. tobacco commission merchants
came before the committee and asked FOR
"a reduction iu their assessments WIN
The exception of these. tho time was
uonopouzca by the beiore-mentloneo phy
siclans. lawyers and liquor dealers.
These latter gentlemen. one and all de-
clarcd that Sc would bee Impossible LOT
them 90 stand any increase in license III
fact. they said. business was worse now
than n years past. and many oil tneih H'l"
They were losing money every Gay
.r,e LAWYERS. whose licenses have been
increased. made strong pleas i'm favor or
l.,i.e them at the same old figure. ana
fn fhc course of the discussion, Mt. Mon
cure threw out valuable susses'lOn'
which will probably be adopted by '"e
FINANCE Committee next year lie pro,
noses that the city Bar Association snaii
aupoiut "a committee 10 investigate anu
report what license tax each lawyer s"'"
DO assessed. ,.t..
ff
hoard Nfr. Walersten stated that he hau
heard that the impression was aDlOdu
that the Finance Committee was dlscIlin-
natinc against the dealers IN liquor lie
assured them that such was nOt the cas-,
Tho committee met promptly al ''oO
O'Clock. Mr.. Hardwicke in the chair, ana
Nfossrs zimmerman. Harrclsoh' No1-
trou and Wallcrstcin present. -
RICHMOND TELEPHONE COMPANn'
Captain 4. b. GuigOn, representing the
Richmond Telephone Company, was hist
heard. lie addressed the committee III
oru0sition TO the special tax which was
soucht 10 be imposed upon his company
lie had never anticipated. he salu' 'li"'
dis company would be required TO pay any
tax other than that specified in tne or1l-
,,orrc ,inder which it was working. 10y
tho imuosition Of this special tax ne
esif the assessment upon his company
,n tho shane of city and state taxes would
amount TO 10 per cent. Of its gross re-
,cints This he said, would be hlgher
rlfa Of taxation than he had ever Heaiu
of Br tho terms Of their ordnance ne
said. mis- company was compeleu 70 iui
,,i-b a4 many phones as the clly i'd"Ii ="
al $40 each per annum- rms ne soe
was dead loss 10 the company VI w 90
'phone per annum
contain Guigon then gave place TO
.,l dciecation of lawyers. whose license
fsves have been elevated CONSIDERABLY.
Nf~ William Flegenheimer first addressed
tbe committee His license tax, ne saio'
had been raised from $50 TO $50 ana ne
could see no reason IN an increase VI
business for such change
Mr.. Samuel NJ. Parrish came next. iie
x,as under the impression. he said, that
81 would be more equitable II the TAX Oi
LAWYERS were put al 80 per annum each'
vr Marion L. Dawson and II. ST. George
co,itor were the next heard on the license
question. Each of these gentlemen pro-
t.eted against any increase OF taxes par
fieularlv at a time following such a marx
ca depression IN business.
Mr. l.. r.. Page appeared on behal OF
,t,rself ana Nessrs. Staples & Munford.
I{e himself he said, had been at the bar
,earlv five years. and he had MADE less
th. mast wear than any that he had peeh
H. ,eeard 10 Nfessrs. Staples & Munford'
,,.hose assessments have been raised 10
sio1 each. Mr. Page said that the income
~ each OF these gentlemen had been
smaller than usual last year.
Ncssrs. A. T. Chalmers D. w. "oruon'
s j. boswell. W. \. Moncure' ,,,.1,..1 -. ~
Caheu. =. ST. George Barraud' mitchell.
p w Ivcv and Hnl Montague folloWhi
in the order named.
1fr. Gordon represented Messrs. Smith
& Noncure. and he stated that the IN
cone OF each OF these gentlemen hao
boon materially decreased
Mr. boswell said that he wonld be un-
able 10 pay license II It were Increased
4 FAIR PROPOSITION.
leave # AT $40 this year." he said
D.nd if my business Is better at that time
I will come 10 the committee OF my own
Voiition and tell them about H. ana SUD
init IL TO an increase.
lara,s DELEGATION Of liquor dsalers was
next admitted. MI Charles InaihiiheF
VINO spoke first said ne could sec no
reason for an increase Oh ms .,.'-'.
n, Tho contrary. he said, his business
bad decreased 60 per cent during the
Andrew Fontenasl said II was unjust 10
,.i.. hin, TO a hundred dollars, for last
Nears busines was so bad that ne had
Lost money every day.
Mr.. y. Remke who Is In business on
ScventhT street, complained that there
were four liquor dealers on the same
square with him. and that he was the
only one picked out TO be raised 10 SlO0
r. Francione i. McDonough q. Z.
Metzrcr and l.. {. Gisselbrecht also pro
tested vigorously against an increase OF
taxes whining that business dld NOT
Justify IL. and the same line OF argument
was pursued by Messrs. II. Jacobs. Arth-
ur Levy T. T. Johnson. II. Gazzoli, john
NJ Ryan. John j. Rankin. Massei & Pohi.
Mr.. Albert Witte on behalf OF X +.
poze Maggie OConnor represented by
Mr.. James Hartley G.. IL. Read J. w.
Solomon. J. VI. Thompson. c. Il. Saund-
ers James Kahn. Nj. 5. Crump. II. Ull-
man. j. l.. Ellis T.. Moreilo. A. Giannot-
ii. T.. T. Murphy, r. J. Griffin and James
Bahen
Mr.. Robert IIill. Jr.. Representative OF
fhe =. Stumpf Brewing Company and the
retail LIQUOR Dealers Association OF
Richmond. then addressed the commit
Zoe lie said that there was scarcely
liouor dealer In Richmond who was max
ing any money.
NONE CAN AFFORD IT.
"Is there a liquor dealer In Richmond
who can afiord TO pay 1902" asked
member.