Arizona republican., 1914-06-04
Denounces Methods Pur- sued in Attacking License Tax Ordinance As "Low- est Type of Despicable JOurnalism'
EXPLAINS NO
 EMPLOYMENT TAX
Also Says If Business Men Will Aid the Commission the Tax Rate Will Be Lowered and City Debt Cancelled

Cancelled
 In one of the most pointed talks ever made upon the floor of the city commission, Mayor George L. Young last evening charged the Arizona Gazette, which he referred to as the evening paper with publishing deliberate misrepresntations of the new city license tax ordinance, with printing a deliberate lie in it's Man About Town" column. and with being d. disgrace to pure journalism Of the writer of the paragraph to which he referred, the mayor denounced him as a liar of the most despica . ble tVpe.''
 It all came about after the regular business of the commission had been completed. There were not many spectators in the commission cham Der, but those who were present felt that the air was surcharged with an energy that struggled to be freed, when Mayor Young called upon Vice
 
 MT Chairman, Gentlemen of the Commission and Gentlemen of the City: There has been a great deal , of discussion going on throughout the city as regards Ordinance No. G. said the mayor Tn commencing the remarks I have to make this evening i I want to read little squib from ' the evening paper in which it says: A poor old woman appeared at the city hall yesterday and asked for l information about the license law i She washed for her living. she said, i and was told that she must pay the city fee, according to the Gazette s informant From a lean purse she extracted a coin that meant literal pound of flesh to her. and went her way weeping
 T wish to ask the city manager and the city clerk if such a trans action took place in the city hall"
 "No money has been paid in by l eny woman for the privilege of do- ing washing" said Manager Parish l There was woman here yesterday inGuiring about being required to ray a license tax, but she was told that no provision of the new or old ordinances applied to her. l was tusy at the time and do not know what became of her finally
 T heard woman out in the hal asking about the payment of a li- cense tax for doing washing" said City Clerk Thomas. The woman came into my office finally and en. gagged in conversation with the sten- oGrspher with relation to the matter II was engaged with some business men and my stenographer explained there was nothing to it. The woman went out and returned shortly an, insisted that she had been told sh, must pay such a tax or quit wash ing I assured her that her impress sion that d license tax would b. txacted from her for the privileg of earning a living was untrue
 told her she was perfectly safe, tha no provision of the ordinance applied to her. She went away apparent. perfectly satisfied. l am sure ther isn't an employe in the city hall wh would have taken one cent from her.
 Turning from the city manager am the city clerk and facing the audi ence Mayor Young said:
 MT Chairman and Gentlemen:
 can stand for a great deal but thi despicable type of journalism is , disgrace to any community. I wis particularly to call the gentleman
 
 I Now then. This ordinance wa made up by as fine and as honor ; able men as we can find in the wes It was made in a hurry and it Ina I it's flaws and it's mistakes, as an , document has. No commissioner ha f any special part in it's making Ninety per cent of it was copied fror the citys statute books. The tim
 was short in which we had to worl
 You have a city charter drafte
 by 125 men and women and it too them six months to complete it. w f have here an ordinance which tn a commission occupied only thre l weeks in the making. There al e flaws in the city charter and theI n are flaws in the new Ordinanc Z. Amendments and changes must Il made and it will take six months q weed out the faulty parts and mal f it a satisfactory document
 The afternoon paper also quot,
 Judge Lewis as saying the ordinan,
 is a crude drawn document I don
 believe Judge Lewis gave the inte
 view in the afternoon paper becau 2 l believe him too much of a man - permit himself to be quoted in aT e such manner.
 l. This ordinance does not touch u <. working man, the WasherWoman. Il s clerk. the stenographer or the wa. IT earner. It is wonderful the iniquiti