The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-22
FORTUNE TELLERS
WIN CONCESSION
Subcommittee Reduces Tax Upon
Resident Palmists to
$50 a Year.
HIGH TAX ON ITIMERANTs
Annual License of $500 Re
CURED of Transicnts, Who
Cause Most Trouble.

without attempting to pass upon
thc merits of palmistry or other &C.
ems or reading the future the Council
S"oS ohinittee on Ordinances after
| nearing much testimony for and
| "s"inst' decided yesterday afternoon
-, -. - would he an act of injustice to
Glass all practitioners Of the art nro
rhatic as charlatans. ana recomnend-
ca an amended ordinance taxing Dolm
iS's Oh good character, who have been
year. T'' 81
me original measure. introduced in
TO the Common Council by Council
man Rogers, proposed n weekly t,x nr
sou without distinction as to length of
iesiueticc. Mr.. Rogers told the sinh
committee yesterday that he was chief
concerned with placing the business
anuei police supervision and that the
amendment was entirely satisf,cto,,
10 Nun since it attained that end.
Under the new ordinance ms onnrovod
ny inc subcommittee, palmist or
cHlrvoyant Of five years residence I'm
,his city will be granted n license IN
no business, provided the application
- accompanied by n statement attest
signed by five reputable citizens whose
of Police.
LAWS Soak Trnnsients.
Whlic tho committee taxed nolnis,e
oil iocai residence and approved stand
.ps Only say year, 1t evencd up mat
tcfs by liking the annual tax unon
strolling and itinerant fortuncteIiers
~ S-'oVo Both taxes are payable In adj
vance Tor n full period 70 twelve months
according to the testimony offered yes
tvruay by Chiet of Police Werner and
Cnict oil Detectives Mcmahon. most
OF the crime reported in connection
ga. n
tr3ceable to the itincrant class that &c
mere to-day and gone to-morro,y
Nci'her OF the two officers brought my
charge II misconduct against the well.
cstabished palmists ana cla.rvoyunts
OF the city
Attorney Irving May. speaking for
clients in the fortune-t telling busjnnss
ulrected attention TO the discrepancy
between the title OF the original ordi
nance, which designated II n measure
10 regulate palmistry. ana the taxing
provision which in effect made ii pro
If 1t is the purpose Of the Council,
TO regulate. said Mr.. May, then IL has
only The right TO impose a license Zoo
vi suihcicnt size TO pay for the neces
sarE regulation and inspection. An
excessive tax, he held, would make the
o!uiiahce coniiscatory and therefore
Defends Her Calling.
Mrs. C. ID. Mccoy. who has a palmist
parlor on West Broad Street entered
II warm protest against the prohibit
i've tax. She rs well as many others
OIL her calling in the city. she said.
nave been residents for n number of
years and their operations have ALWAYS
peen above suspicion. She objected to
being classed with graftcrs and
thariatahs who sojourn in the city for
week or two and blacken the name
ot the calling with their misdeeds 4
reasonable tax, she told the committee.
would be welcomed by every reputable
Palmlst in the city.
councilman Moore of the subcom-
nittee. thought that residents of long
standing and good character should /
not be placed in the same category
WIN the crooks that infcst the calIinl /
ma was opposed to taking away their.
lNlhood by the levylng Of a pro- 1
lihitory tax. While he took no stock (
u their professions personally. he said |
others evidently did, and 1t was not the
province OF the Council to legisiatc
sense INTO the heads OF it's citizens.
lie ohered the amendments ALREADY
lo'eu which were adopted unanimously. /