The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-07-02
FEW CORPORATIONS PAYING
NEW TAX LEVIED BY COUNCIL
LAHon CONCERNS BELIEVE THAT
ACT u LLEoAL AND WILL
EoT PAY.
Attornsys Dtffsr - - Legality Of coun-
ens Acuon-8oitcftor nrsnnsn
hAk>s stAtsmsnr

A,houEh ne 80 city corporation
a. - dls and payable onig seven local
s ssrssf- ,is.ss ssss Peii N tsS. The
srea among ths bag of-s % tue cfts. and
q Il believed that thsy paid rather than
poss;iS. a. a. s 30 "a. sS whils sC,s,ns
Vii % tak-n. a. ~ influsted b. Officers
Of number % the larger corporations
IA vii not b paid b. them. ana thar a
payment.
Attorneys - the city differ On the
question Those Whu have given th-
latter careful confederation. and VINO
rave looked up the iaw. claim thst the
s,cion - Council IN passing such q las.
u Illegal. Others make the claim that
council acted legally. Which ~ rirht
remains % b. seen and iu the mean
time. the corporations and the city will
one prominent tanker stated yestcr-
day that he had taken the matter IN
that the city viii not - able a. enforce
payment 81 the tsN. lie also said tnat
other bankers eud -nen interested IN
other local corporations had told him
that they had been ~tVcn similar sd,ic@
by their LEGAL advissrs and % o. BE-
ltcNe that the result will b. that a lonV
suit - any attempt 70 force payment.
such uEht would ncccssitate the
heavy expenditure % money by the city.
IN what T. considered useless case. and
~ o. thought that council should r.
scind itE former acti ~ and thus saw
the money Tor the city. that would BE-
Solicitors statement.
In discussing the action Of council
yesterday. city solicitor = Harold Bren-
men. made the following statement;
II does not seem 20 me that the mat
ter % the corporation tax b. any longer
In my hands. suprosing for the moment
papers have stated that ! was not CON
sunod by council before the passage 81
this ordinance. IN sense this - true.
blame should attach 20 council on ac-
count 90 that Tor this question q by
20 means new. IL has been sgiiated
emit collectors. but no one % them. A.
Tar az ] know. ever Questioned the legal
ity Of TIC tax Consequently. when =
came before tho finance committee this
wear 10 was recommended. and NJ ques-
lions we're asked 7 knew 10 was going
~ however, but paid very little atten-
tiCn 20 a.
The situation now seems 20 me 10 be
this: The city 81 Wheeling has uazsed
nu ordinance imposing n certain license
tax This taN b. now on our ordina nee
! books and. what seems TO me most Inn
portsnt OF an. " b. not new thing I
have received Information only today
. from the city solicitor % TarkcrshurE
to tho eject that that city has been inn
posing this same tax under this same
authority for number Of years. and
that it, authority 20 do 80 has never
BEEN questioned
KNOW OF no luulGlhl precedent IN
the matter. In view OF all this. n does
not seem TO me that what my personal
opinion NAV be H. 81 any real import
ance-at any rate not until I am called
upon TO express a in such court pro-
cecdings a. NAV be brought about by
reason Of this recently enacted ordi-
nrncc
L have. however. learned both from
the statements IN the raTers and from
rrivatc conferences that the ATTORNEYS
IN the cit" do not agree on the point.
ReEarding the city Of Wheeling a. my
client. under an these conditions my
advice 20 ~ viii certainly be 20 allow
this question 20 be iudlciallv deter
mined II any Of the local corporations
insist on a."