The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-02-17

a ~ssfsS ~ - G. - - =.
! ttt1H6 min1 NJ kot&1 ~ II 1on MN
AMI p<op&f t1zot - ~ cent ~ ~
isddltionat revonue should ~ ex4cted
from ~ n4efuenttie interestA
IexuT 30 - NlHlmena.
/ We fe<or ! minimum license Of
fno q nn&feHontn 81 virginia. q yOp
lean CORNER thu fxinmars ana cpdEefo
! you can ~ ~ mere than 33Se.eee
stncrease. zhe np>xchAnts ars mostly
M. Ryiand sai1 there wsrs vsry
few of the AZ msn - tvnohburs.
Hopl1cuo - Am<G1a.
n. ri, Ansell. 81 Noon0lxa. 4 met.
chant at the Alas1c C1ky xor thirty
years told Or the grcaE bur1ene ~
/ the merchants They NurN IN Nm
and spirit of bralness ~ eyefy corA.
Iinunity. They paid taxea. they pai1
! rent, owned real estate ma sBpports
cd the enterprises ~ ~ sorts III di6
not come Aslxing for Any Apecial -
| lief. He had nsver done - and hAd
do you think the minimum tar Of
IS Is about right q asked Senator
Holt.
THE SIS man il neAr-merchant. an
jinsinratlon on merchants, said Mr..
Angell
Sort Of near-beer man" suggest
eda senator.
.Hs Is not that near" replied Mr..
Angel
Mr.. Browniey, 81 Norfolk. said that
THE mercantile interests were vitality
Interested In his opinion. the pro-
posed increase was class legislAtion.
The costs OF transactinG mercantile
business Il now s to 10 Per cent more
than fifteen years ago. Every expense
attending business had enormously In
creased. Salaries had jumped wonder
fully. ana no one objected to that
u
they realised their duty and were pre-
pared to do all that was expected. Ard
only asked fair treatment. The mer-
chants association had encouraged all
merchants TO make full returna. IL
Icomplete returns were made by all
merchants the revenue would be
double the 3zS0,0oe expected by the
proposed increase. He believed that
tho merchants whose purchAses were
4 $6o0.00o and over could better afford
to pay the larger pro rata tax than
tho smaller merchant He did not OBJ
lject TO the 80 minimum tax. He said
that not because he was not affected
by the IS tax. and he did not behave
that there were any such merchants
In the State. and added that there
would be very few OF $40 men, ths
majority being SIS and over. f.
Fer Ire Present Rafe.
Mr.. SchwArxschild said he did not
agree with tbs Governor In his views
Where q merchant purchases 81 200. 0ee
his license tax would be t1,oos. and
under the plan proposed 1t would be
S2.oos, almcst 100. per cent increase
The nsrchsnts.rsrsss atisfied that che
tax was ample ~ IT. stood.
/ Nr. Ryland wanted to see the Com
missioner OF the Revenue vested with
lauthority to make inquiry and to see
what merchants were In. the smaller
class. Those In the minimum class
wers there for one of two reasons
either Through isnorsncs Or iHtent 70
defraud.
wholesaies DRY GSsAs Men.
T. Mormon Johnson, OF the Wholesais
Merchants Of virginia. reviewed the
constantly decreAsing. He said that
business WAS hstng conducted on issd
than three per cent basis. LAas thAx
! ffteen por cent of the trade waa from
Virginia In North Carolina the whole.
sale dry goods and notions houses were
4 increasing. but the volume Of hsisineaa
was not very large AZ vet but grow-
\ ing.
The statement was made that there
Z were In Virginia 5000 merchants who
were paying the So license tax. h
said there were no such merchants
and the men who said they were In that
! class were plain liars.
In North. Carolina the merchants
were succeeding because they were
] fighting for and obtaining favorable
transportation In that State.
4 Mr.. johnson engaged In . running
debate with members OF the commit.
4 figures az to volume OF httsinTSss Pre-
There were several other brief I'D
dresses by gentlemen from other cities
:. In the State.
Mr.. H0rwitx Htts Back.
Abe Horwitx, of Newport News
made a speech In which he said that
Il was true that there were some 26e
men in Newport News who were pay
= ing the minimum tax. and they wers
! mere squatters. who were there be-
} cause OF the prosperity OF the town.
He was for the $40 tax.
You are one Of the leading second
hand clothing dealers IN Newport
News, are you not." asked Senator
Holt.
II am not here to speak Of that
but have clothed you many = time..
replied Mr. Horwitz. ana the Andienct
4 yelled.
The committee rose II 1i:1s without
,. reaching any decisiun.
'ILuS|IlN|h CASE IS Still