Letters From The People

Ed. op the Cocrier :- I notice tliat wlieii you refer to Uie inoney paid in by lie liquor dealers jou ulways speak of it as "the liquor tax money,'' while otlier apcrs and people generally cali il 'liquor license inoney." Which is right, and what is the diüerence anyway, beween a license and a tax, if anyf Both pernilt Uie sale of intoxicating liquors I notice. Very truly yours, SUB8CRIBER. Dextkr, Scpt. 5th, 1887. [The Courier is correct in calling the money received from the business of sellng liquor, "liquor tax money." It is money received from a tax, not a licenac. L'here is all the diiference in the world betwecn the two. A tax is a burden )laced upon a business, and conveys no nimunity or privileges other than such 8 enjoyed by every citizen or person In the onduct of their business. A licenie may r may not be a burden placed upon a msiness. It is a epecial permission to arry on a business, giving a special proection, in faa a guarantee of security. The taxing of the liquor trafile gives it no pecial Immunity, or promise of satety, or ihe next day after paying hls tax a al K)ii keeper may have his saloon closed by law, without placlng the autborities who took the tax, the county or the state, uudtr any obligation - not even the reurn of the monry. So you pee the dlft'ernce ií quite appareut between a tai and license. Michigan has no license law.] Au Outragre on tbe Public. To the Ed. op tih Courier :- The common council of this cily Iiave been engaged quite extensively of late in tbe street opening business. I notice they have opened W. Jefferson st., built a bridge thereon over the creek and expended a large amount of city funds in its mprovement. The council mean well enough probubly, but they are doing wrong. The people of this city ehould not be called upon to open up and place in the inarket lands belonging to Mr. A. or Mr. B. or Mr. C. The opening of VV. Jefferson st. has put hundreds of dollars into the pocket of a few uien who own the land through which it passet:, and 1 notice by the council proceedings that one man very much beneñted by its opening, wis pa id f120 to build a new fonndation to his barn which had to be moved (also by tbe city) to let the street through. In other citics, when a new street is opened up the couneil appoints a commlttee who view the land, apportion the expense among those to be benefited and assess each one his just proportion. If they will not stand it, they let the opening go. That is what our council ougbt to do. It made no difference to the people of this city, Mr. Editor, whether the land along the line of W. Jefferson st. ever came into niarket or not, and it is wrong to tax the people to benefit the few who will now sel! off their lots there at jrood figures. As therc are other streeta which will come betore tbu council to be opened goot), it may be well for theui to investígate the matter somewhat. I beleive in lettfug each tub stand on its own bottom, and each man pay his own improvemcnl expenses in street opening Yours for the riglit.