The Washington herald., 1913-07-11
|Al)IOISTS angry
At SPECIAL TAX
Court Approves Plan Of Alex.
andria County to Levy
on Local Motorists.
NO RECIPROCAL SCHEME
Gov. Mann Refuses Rssuest for Agree
neat Betwea Virginia and the
District n 10 Licenses.

An 0ddtt1On0l grievance WAS duueo yes
terdsy to the long list Of determinations
against automobile owners of the District
by the authorities Of the adjoining States
when Circuit Court Judge J. B. Thorn
ton, Of the Sixteenth Judicial District,
| Of Virginia, announced his approval Of
! the ordinance recently passed by the
Board of Supervisors of Alexandria
County imposing special county taxes
| upon motorists of the National Capital.
| in addition to the regular State automo-
bile tax.
simultaneously with the announcement
Of the special tax came the news that
! Gov. Mann Of Virginia had refused the
request OF the District Commissioners
for reciprocal relations between the Dis
trict and Virginia in the matter Of the
issuance Of automobile licenses. Gov.
Mann, In q letter TO Corporation Counsel
e. H. Thomas, gave as his reasons for
refusing to grant the request the dispro-
portionatc number OF virginians who
| would be benefited by such an action
as compared with the large number Of
District benefciaries. He stated that
| only about nifty automobile owners OF
| Alexandria County would be benefited.
while 1900 owners of the District would
benefit II the request were granted.
Governor Not Censured.
There is reason in Gov: Mann's atti-
: tude, and the Washington motorists can
find little cause to censure him for not
granting the request. In regard to the
| recent ordinance Of the Alexandria Coun-
ty ofiicials, Washington motorists did not
hesitate to state that they thought the
new regulation grossly unfair and dis
criminatory.
The new regulation imposes 8 tax Of
S for automobiles rated at 20 horse
power and under; SO for a 3o-horse-
power machine: SIS for a <o-horse-
power machine: 500 for a 5o-horse-
power machine, and 500 for trucks carry
ing a load exceeding three and one-half
tons. All of these taxes are in addition
| to the State automobile tax.
Crandal Mackey. Commonwealth's at
| torney for Alexandria County. declared
yesterday that the recent ordinance had
| been passed to get event. with the Dis
| trict authorities for charging residents
] OF Virginia 80 for an automobile license
| sold to the residents Of the District for
81. He stated that the heavy tax placed
| on trucks was because Of the great dam
age done by them to the roads and
bridges of Alexandra County. The heavy
tax will impose a hardship on local mer-
chants who have large deliveries to make
In Virginia. They will be forced to either
comply with the new regulations or re-
turn to horse-drawn delivery wagons.
Called 'Grossly Unfair"
Corporation Counsel Thomas yesterday
| declared the recent ordinance of the Vir-
ginia authorities TO be grossly unfair
and discriminatory" He stated that
there was nothing to do but TO fight the
constitutionality of the regulation in the
courts
There Is nothing left for the people
of the District to do but make a test
| case and carry 1t to the United States
| Supreme Court" said Mr.. Thomas.
| Without making any study of the Ian
guage of the regulation, / cannot see
| how a special tax in addition to a State
tax can be levied.
There is no reason why the citizens
Of the District alone should be required
to pay a penalty for living in the Dis
| trict. II the law does not apply also
to the automobile owners Of all the
States. but specifies automobile owners
of the District, do not think It will
hold. That would be a discrimination
against the citizens of the District in
| favor Of the citizens of the other States"
Mr. Thomas stated that no further ef
forts would be made by the District Of
| ficials to gain reciprocal relations with
Virginia, and declared positively that no
get even policy would be adopted by
the District government.
Mr.. Mackey stated yesterday that per-
| sonally he was in favor Of reciprocal
| relations between Virginia and the Dis
trict. and had recommended to Gov.
Mann that he grant the request. Had
this request been granted the special
| taxes imposed by the Alexandria Coun-
ty officials would not have melted a
a Ia har Ich IN h.
The automobile regulations of the
District and Virginia were the subject
Of discussion at a meeting Of the Alex
andria Automobile Association, held
last night in the rooms of the Cham
Der Of Commerce OF the Virginia town.
| The question OF urging the adoption
OF provisions whereby virginian auto
mobilists might enter the District
without District licenses and vice
versa was brought up. but no definite
action was taken.