Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-09-08
Crumb of Comfort
in Taxing Women
III G t q &c Dissertates
Pertineptty Il n G ~ t
Entranchisement.

TO the Editor of The Times Dispatch:
The item appearing recently in The
nes,Dispatch. entitled Equal Suf-
frage Has Drawbacks. Heartless tax
Collectors Tax Collectors viii List
Jcwclry with Other Property" is
undoubtedly food for comforting
thought by tax-riddcn mankind. for
large per cent of the great hidden
Intangible wealth of tho country will
be uncovered and produce a revenue
by being ~ once subjected to taxa
ton.
Per capita, women own 90 per cent
more jcwelry than men do. and the
women OF this country own collec-
uveiy. IL Is safe to say. 30 per cent
of the intangible wealth represented
by diamonds and jewclry, TO say moth
ing or inc millions represented By
furs and feathers, and all this is
equally distributed. for, one hardly
the posscssor OF at least one dia-
inond ring. some sort OF fur and Il
mighty poor diamond that is not
worth 500. and for years fur has
been fur and feathers have been
leatherS, and from their sale our mer-
chants have fattcncd.
Now IL makes no difference wheth-
er the diamond possessed was pur-
chased. an heirloom. or represents
a love token, it represents so much
taxable value. which most frequent
~ has never contributed to the up
keep OF the state, for the reason
never declared her domicilc--hcr
place of residence But now. when
she registers. this is matter of
record. and she VIII he taxed upon
make "a TAX return, the collector
VIII DC forced 10 assess her arbitrar-
iiE, as he does other voters who do
not comply with the law with refer
cncc to tax returns
Now let us see what this enormous
new revenue will amount to. and he
presidential election or 1916. lS.5OO.-
600 men voted. 1t is estimated that
This fail 23.0oo;oco women will vote,
which have had suffrage before. We
VIII say that they match the mon.
and that 1S.5Oo.000 will register for
me nrst time this year. so the tax
collector. Will know where they de-
clare TO be home so that the tax may
De claimed by the locality entitled
10 1t. Now, these women will own.
on an average, either in jcwclry
diamonds, fur, feathers or other eN-
pensivc. beautiful things. S1O0 each
IN every case. and i'll some cases very
much more which has never been
taxed. This viii mean that State
and city taxes at Si.40 per $500. mu!-
tiplicd by lS,50U,000. VIII amount to
OF the United States income tax.
which VIII he smoked out" Does
any one douot that this is con-
s s.; estimate OF where The
stocks are which our jewelers. and
other merchants have been distribu-
ting for years?
That the country needs revenue IL
very f'Ideht: consequently IL Is hard
~ TO be doubted that this great new
annual revenue viii be overlooked.
and more. much of this. If not ali,
mas necn liable for taxes for years
IL Will be possible to prove. once Il
woman has registered, how long She
mas lived in the locality. how long
she should have paid this tax and coll
ssn nrff nj.
DOUBTS about the collection OF the
TAX may % abandoned when one re-
members that women aspire to Office
ana that lortia has said that tho
quality OF mercy Is not strained: "it
Is enthroncd in the hearts OF KinEs.''
lIETAN.