The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-07-20
TOLEDO MAYOR DON'T
BELIEVE |N*l|CEhsE
Successor to Golden Rule" Jones
Takes Advanced Position on
License.
Gives Several Strong Reasons
Why City Should Not Toler-
ate Immoral Things.

mayor. worthy success to Golden
Rule Jones, has vetoed license ordi-
nance prepared by the city council.
The following extracts from the Mes
sage will show that Toledo's mayor
has some broad and sound views not
only on taxation, but on ethics, and the
ability and courage to state them. 1t
is q cheering fact that such a man
should be the mayor of one Of Ohio's
chief cities. He said in part:
when devised for the purpose Of
raising revenue, licenses may be in
varaably classified thus:
=. AS a forcible seizure Of part
of the proceeds of some immoral, dis
reputable or questionable occupations;
=. AS a tax on industry or pleas
ures
g. AS a discrimination against, or
in 9avor of, some particular class of
people.
. ''Y an occupation is immoral or dish
rep%t ia ble it is immoral or disreputable
for she city to seize part of the pro-
ceetis Of such occupation. If the busi-
mesa Is immoral, the city ought not to
recignize it and make it legal.
",again it is wrong to levy a tax on
Industry. Whenever the cities do this,
thev always select an industry that is
car,aed on by small, uninfuential
and poor class, which has no one to
represent it and can not hire lawyers
eithsr to protect its property from
spoisation or appropriation. or to Sc
euro for it special privileges. Such
a class are the peddlers, for instance;
their business is petty, Of course, and
it lacks dignity; but it is their busi-
nesS nevertheless, and 1t is oftentime
as honest as many large and more pre-
tentious undertakings, and simply be-
cause peddlers are poor and without
much influence Is no excuse. for as
saulting them with a. law ard violently
taking away their property. It seems
to me it is not only wrong, but cow
ardly to do so, even If the governments
have done so in the past by devising
laws for the benefit Of the powerful
and rich and the deprivation Of the
weak and poor. The present revenues
of the city are insufficient, as we all
know; that is not the fault of the
councir itself; It is Simply because the.
laws have been made for the protec-
ton Of those who, under It's cover, have
seized the proceeds Of the labor OF
others, and not content with
with that, have loaded upon others the
burden Of supporting the very govern
ment that favors them. We should
not tax the weakness Of the little fel-
low; we should tax the strength Of the
big fellow, that is, make the big fellow
pay taxes on his surplus and privi-
leges. In every game, except the game
of law, it Is the strong and not the
weak who are handicapped.
Nor is it right to tax pleasure. IT
10 an old, puritanical notion that it is
wicked to be happy and that gaiety
should be discouraged. I have no
sympathy with this belief. The city
should encourage reai, wholesome
pleasure and do it's best to make the
conditions of life such that all people
could be happy
Again, where licenses discriminate
in favor Of some particular class, they
are wrong. We have no right to- help
one class by discouraging another
class. All classes and persons should
be equal before the law, not only in
theory, but In face.
II respectfully submit, then, that the
present ordinance violates all of these
principles. It seeks to raise revenue:
1t burdens industry and dlscourages
pleasures, and, by making discrimin-
ations that are unfair, would .harass
and dishearten large numbers Of peo-
pie who are alreary too greatly har-
assed and disheartened@lr - by economic
conditions, and can not be a party
to laying any more burdens upon
them.
THE ordinance imposes tax Of IS
upon peddlers who have push-carts.
Here again is an attempt TO raise rev.
enue. and in doing 1t we select the
smallest and probably the poorest and
most uninf1uential class Of. business
men. 1t can not be for the sole pur-
pose of regulation, because we charge
the owners Of automobiles. who. cer-
ta1nly offend more than these humble
peddlers, and are much moro able to
pay, zee OF 81, and we do not license,
that 1s tax. street cars at all. We
give away absolutely free privileges in
the streets which huge public-service
corporations coin into millions and let
them go practically free, and then
charge a lame man what to him is a
Dig sum for pushing a fish cart over
the cobble stones.
Our revenue sysrem Is now con-
fused, unscientilc and unfair. lot -.
not add to the confusion by suner-
imposing another kind Of tax. INIT,
We reach a stat, Of socia, deve]onment
in which we shall find ourselves honest
enough and courageous enough to tar
land franchises and all legal privileges
at their proper vo]ue, let us at least
lay no more burdens on the common
uHprivileged people,"
WILL LAY CEMENT WALKS.
CLEAR LAKE, Wis, Julv 17--.A+ .