The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-09-26
BUSINESS MAN SAYS COLLECTORS
WERE HIS FIRST CALLERS.
NOTHING TO Do BUT PAY CASH
New Conner Relates His Experience
and Wonders if Old Citizens Are
j, Always Carefully Sought
After,

''The public authorities do all they can
here in Butte to make business man
feel at home" said a man who is not an
o!dtimer in the city at the Thornton
this morning as he folded up receipt
and tucked it away in his vest pocket.
"Did you see that fellow who gave me
the receipt" continued the speaker.
''Well, he is collecting licenses for either
the city or county here and he is always
around at the end of each quarter to
present me with a bill which calls for
few dollars for permission to continue
in business.
II came here about a year ago and
opened up my place of business. when
thought I had paid all the bills chat
needed to pay in order to entitle me to
get little money out of other people In
walked a gentleman who looked as
though he might have little spare
change in his colthes and braced up to
make a good impression on my nrst
patron. When the fellow saw how was
framing up to him he went down into
his side pocket and pulled out bill that
Butte in the sum of two-fifty. I looked
somewhat crestfallen, I dare say, but
raid the bill and then felt assured that
there was nothing more for me to worry
about until I could take in four or six
bits second man came in and after
looking wise for minute informed me
that I owed Silver Bow county hve
dollars and that it would have to be
paid before could go on with my bust
ness. demurred on this license account.
Things in the west We're coming little
swift for me and I thought l had been
picked out a good thing and was being
pushed along accordingly. I did not pay
the collector, but went up to see the
county treasurer about the matter. The
official at the court house told me that
the easiest way to keep from paying
costs in court was to hand over five
wheels to him and I let go Of the coin
and got my second license receipt. After
this experience there was no limit for
me on the score of licenses. l suppose
if man had come in and asked me for
rooney to secure a township license l
would have handed 1t over to him,
showed the receipt down in my pocket
and tried to look happy.
II concluded to take no more chances
on being behind in my license account
and SO I wrote letter to the county
treasurer informing him just how much
license money I had put up and asked
him if there was anything further due
from me to Silver Bow county. sim
liar note was addressed to the city
treasurer and the state treasurer heard
from me in a like vein. After I had
gotten replies to my three letters T felt
fairly we'll assured that I would not
have to pay anything more for the privi-
lcge of doing businessmen until the ex-
riration of three months at least.
II know these licenses are collected
in accordance with the law Of this state
and I presume there is no way to get
out Of putting up the stipulated amount
every quarter even if your business does
not amount to as much as the amount
of the license. Then there Is a phase of
the matter that has nothing to do with
the law that makes fellow feel good.
You come out here from some slow east
ern town with the idea that the people
will give you the glad hand as soon
as you get into town and announce that
you are here to invest money and re-
main in the community. Perhaps it may
s.. happen that most of the people are
busy when you get into town and re-
main so for several weeks after you get
here. You open up your business with
the thought that the west Is not so far
different from the east after all, but
that impression does not stay with you
for long. You swing open your doors
with your name written on them in big
black letters and they are not open more
than two hours before in comes the
license collector. He makes you feel
~
isfied with the little talk he gives you
about how the community appreciates
your presence and is showing that APP
probation by sending him around to
present his card and his bill at the
earliest possible moment. he will elabo-
rate somewhat about how you can take
ride in the hurry up wagon and make
your spiel to the Judge If you would
rather do that than pay. All this has
a soothing effect on the newcomer and
h. jots down a few lines in his diary
about how glad he Is that he left the
eastern city where there were no license
collectors who paid attention to his line
Of business.
''While I do not overlook the wisdom
of the law that makes these things pos
s!ble nor fail to admire the alertness of
the officials who act under the law, there
| is Just one little matter in connection
with this license business that seems
to be of interest to me. I have often
wondered if the authorities who appoint
the collectors are as attentive to their
old citizens as they are to the new
ccmers. I have frequently thought I
would like to know if the men who are
likely to be powerful in political con-
ventions or who have friends who are in
4 position to do things that the big men
would like to have done are 11onored as
regularly by visits from the license COL
lectorr as some of the people who know
less about the management of affairs
here I understand all about how the
law affects everybody alike. but there
might be some street numbers that
| these collectors would forget. some
| names on doors that they could not see