The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-16
MAY GO INTO THE
LIQUOR BUSINESS
STATE MAY BE A PARTNER
- ALL THE PUBLIC DIsPENSAR-
les.

,nuOt Impose a Direct Tax Upon
rt.nensaries, So He Hopes to
po,rh Them by Claiming 3 or 10
nor cent. of Their Net Profits,
Other Drink Talk.
Atlanta, July 1.-THE House spent
4,a entire session to-day in debating
p,r7rraph IL of Section of the gem
,.,l fax act, relating to the taxation
- 4ispAnsaries and liquor dealers. The
..otion was amended and adopted.
Then. lust before the House adjourned,
- vas reconsidered and the situation
remains Just as it was when the ses-
sion of the House began this morning.
The undoing of it's work by the
House was due to an announcement
nv Mr.. Hall of Bibb to the effect that
bo considered the recent Supreme
court decision to mean that dispen-
earies run by cities. towns or counties
ere public property, and cannot be tax
Ell On his motion, therefore, the pro-
vision for the ad valorera tax and the
s2on louor tax on dispensaries was
stricken out, and Mr.. Hall gave no.
+ice that he would offer an amendment
when the act next comes up, requiring
ali djspensaries to pay into the state
treasury either or 10 per cent. of their
net profits, as has already been pro-
nosed by Mr.. Moses of Coweta. In
other words, Mr.. Hall proposes that
.be state shall, in effect. go into the
liouor business, for in requiring the
navment to the state of portion OF
the net proceeds, the state to that ex-
font becomes a co-partner in the dis
nensarv from which such payment is
required.
Only License Heretofore.
Heretofore only the 5000 liquor deal
ers tax has been collected from dis
pensares, the Supreme Court holding
that there was no law under which
the property and stock of dispensaries
could be taxed. There is a wide diff
ference of opinion as to whether the
courts decision means that the prop
erty of dspensaries cannot be taxed
at all or whether it means merely that
there is no present law providing for
their taxation.
Mr.. Hall holds to the former theory,
hence he believes the only way to get
at the dispensaries is to go into their
cash drawers and make them come
across with a percentage of their net
profits. This plan was defeated in the
House yesterday, but because the ad
valorem tax plan had at that time
been decided upon, the whole question
is reopened. When the general tax
act is taken up again on Monday it
will be threshed over a second time.
Mr.. Lane Of Sumter wanted to put
$500 tax on dispensaries, but this
proposition was lost. Mr. Evans of
Washington made hard fight to have
the specific tax on liquor dealers in
creased from 5000 to $500, but this was
lost after a warm debate, Mr.. Hall
of Bib and others opposing it. Mr..
Evans wanted more money for the
schools Mr.. Hall contended if the
liquor dealers were taxed too heavily
many of them would go to running
blind tigers. They should be dealt
with automatically, he said.
Potency of "White Hops"
An amendment by Mr.. Daniel of
Emanuel to put the liquor tax also on
those who sell wines or liquors made
from grapes or berries on the place
where these are grown was voted
down but the House adopted an
amendment by Mr. Richardson of
Houston putting a tax of $50 on all
stores that sell domestic wines.
An amendment by Mr.. Holder of
Jackson to increase the tax on dealers
in white hops" from 800 to $1,000 was
adopted by a vote of rs to 20. Mr..
Holder said the best drunk a man
could acquire was one on plain bar
room whisky; next in order came the
drunk on dispensary whisky, but the
very worst drunk it was possible for
any man to get on was that caused by
white hops" at will make a man
throw rocks at his church." he de-
cared. His speech won a big majority
Tor his amendment. The paragraph
was nnally adopted, then reconsidered.
Mr. Hall then secured the passage
OF his amendment striking out the tax
on dlspensaries. which was lost earlier
IN the session. He declared these dis
pensaries were making from $4,000 to
$4,000 a year and that they should be
made to pay a reasonable amount to
the state and that there should not be
any danger of the states losing it.
he said he would urge an amendment
ealing on them to pay the state either
. or 10 per cent. of their net profits.
Inc tax act then went over until Mon
uay because of the slim attendance on
Saturdays.
For state Reformatory.
The only other feature of the ses-
son was the introduction by Mr..
relder, Of Bibb, chairman of the
Special Joint Committee, of a bill pro-
Nldlng for the establishment of a state
Ieiormatory for the care of youthful
ViHmnals, to which all criminals under
me age OF sixteen years shall be SEN
.-Hced. The bill appropriates $4,000
10 purchase a site and put UP buildings
ana $4,000 for the first years main
finance. The site is to be chosen by
me Prison Commission. The refornfa-
oIy IS to be under their supervision
and control.
Inc bill provides that all indetern,i-
.ate sentences shall not last longer
slan hVe years, but young criminals
nay he sentenced for a longer period.
revision is made for paroles, time for
tu9u behavior, education, manual
raining and all the other features
'",rIdent TO reformatory work life.
me bill was referred to the Com
tfulltee Of the Whole House and an ef
svLl VIII be made to have It set for a
sP'clal order next week and pushed
." passage at once, If possible.
brock, Of Dade. and others intro
u.uced bill to increase the salary Of
s ne clerk TO the Prison Commission
rom $1,000 to 81 800.
Ut, VI, stanford, Of Harris, introduced
Dill 10 make 1t a misdemeanor for
.aA collectors or their clerks to regis
,b r votes without first administering
the voters oath. ''9