Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-22
TAX BATTLE WAGES
OUTSIDE OF HALLS
Governor Stuart Puts Finishing
Touches to Administrator
Plan for Segregation.
SENATORS PREPARING BILL
House Votes for Tax on Cider.
Flood of Local Bills
Continues.
SENATORS PREPARING BILL

iiOou OF Local Bills
Continues.
INC battle between the segregation
ISIS and the advocates OF the comtDis-
Hion system of taxation waged ierceIv
yesterday. Tho operations Of the on
posing forces were conducted ou, side
INC legislative chambers
INC strength of the commission ,d
'"chtes is centred n the Senate The
'esicgauonists Increased their strength
IN the House yesterday. II the day'. re-
Sui's show any change. Certainly there
was no evidence OF gains made by tho
commission element
senators Holt and Lcsncr became
conspicuous In the front ranks OF ,le
commission advocates Yesterday Win
other members Of the Senate they are
WORKING on q bin providing FOR a new
sShehe OF taxation. The bill is framed
on the lincs Of the I.csucr bill. and
provides for TAX commission which
small consist of the State Auditor. IN.
state Treasurer and one man TO bo
named by the Governor This board
's 10 name commission OF three for
'"ch or the counties and cities the
county and city commissioners to b..
county and city Judges Senator Holt
said the object was to Establish a
state Tax Commission with authority
20 do things
1 "NbMINISTRtTION hill"
APPROVED BN STUART.
while the I.esuer-Hoit faction wer.
| mus engaged. the administration bill"
% the scrrcgationistS was receiving
ts finishing touches u, the hands OF
'"Nefnor stuart, Delegate Aubrey g.
/ "hFer, Senator B +. Buchanan ana
"'hcfS. Ihls measure. In its completed
'"''i' carries the supplement to he IN
'r"duced In both houses to-day /,
aroused IN" scgr cga,ionsts TO "a high
L pitch OF enthusiasm when Il was ex
/ AinIned by them last might; They re-
T Saricd II as Il solution to the whole
\ problem OF taxation, and will be very
\ inufh disappointed IL II fails to bring
/ over sufficient number Of the Scna-
h tors TO insur" it's passage. The Sc
/ Srcgatonists expressed the conviction
Il mat the only opposition IL will encoun-
| ter In the House must come from the
!! House members who served on the Tax
Commission.
The noteworthy events Of Yesterday
\ occurring on tho floor OF :hc General
! Assembly were few and far between
\ Thc senate was !n session less than
\ i~cntN-hvc minutes. Some cnlivening
Incidents marked tho long ana tedious
\ debate on amendments To the rter-
chants license tax bill In the House
\ ANer hard tight. Dclcgat. Land
won his fight to tax manufacturers of
"ider. an amendment exceedingly dis
tasteful To interests that hoped for
greater profits from the manufacture
of cider as tn" result of the cliinina-
iion OF the liquor traffic In the state
ACCUSES LEGisLtTtRE or
GOING BACK ON IT'S WORD
; Mr.. Land was again conspicuous on
the floor when hc protested agninst
the Influx Of local bills. lie accused
The General Assembly Of riding rough
shod over it's own promises, and as a
reminder he read the resolution adopted
Al the last session on February IL
1919. This resolution requested Gov
I crnor Stuart L" call an extra session
Of the General Assembly to convene AT
Richmond at such time as NAV be
designated by the Governor, not later
than the second "Wednesday in Janu-
AIRY. 1915. The concluding paragraph
OF this resolution WAS read with strong
emphasis by the member from MOTTO
way. as follows:
extra
session the General Assembly will con
slider no bills or resolutions which do
not pertain To the assessment. lcvying
and collection OF taxes"
The House heard him in silence. then
proceeded with the program OF admit
4 ling local bills
\ MAY REQIIRE: cor NTRY
MERCHANTS TO KEEP BOOKS
u N 2, IN
! ccnse bill requiring merchants to keen
4 record of the amount of their p,:r
chases of merchandise during the year
under discussion Several mem
hers argued that keeping books would
work hardship on small dealers in
the country. Judge Gregory said: II
am interested in country storeIlcening.
! think IL is better for the interests of
the country merchant as well as to
the interest Of the State that he be
required 10 keep books. In this in
stance any person of ordinary intel
iigcnce can Keep the record of. bills
that is required. II is not reall: a
bookkeeping system that is required"
Another member suggested that the
average small merchant is an honest
man. and may he depended on to give
u statement of the amount of his pur-
chases Mr.. White argued for the writ
ten record. He thought the merchant
more likely to underestimate than
ovcrestimate the amount of his pur-
chascs if he had only his memory to
depend upon: He added:
"l don't believe this State can do
business on an honor system, in spite
cf the high standard of its citizen
ship.'
POLITICAL pOT Is
ROLLING MERRIi.Y
The political pot has been boiling
mcrrily I'm Legislative lobbies during
the past few days. Following the nm
official intimation that Speaker Edwin
T. Cox would not be a candidate for
reelection and the announcement that
in that event, Harry II. Houston. of
Hampton. would have IL strong sun