Large Tax Suit Begun Today

Against the Holmes Mercantile Co. by Chelsea Village

CREATING MUCH INTEREST

Martin J. Cavanaugh and W. W. Wedemeyer, of this city, Are Counsel for the Village

A suit, through summons, has begun Friday by R. D. Witherell, city attorney of Chelsea, and Martin J. Cavanaugh and William W. Wedemeyer, associate counsel, of this city, against the Holmes Mercantile Company of Chelsea, to recover $300 in taxes alleged to be due the village by the Holmes firm.

The suit is engaging a great deal of attention both here and in Chelsea as there are some features involved in it which may result in showing that there was not much zealousness displayed in the effort to collect the tax against the Holmes company.

The history of the case dates back to September, 1901, when the village assessor of Chelsea appraised the property of the Holmes Company at $15,000. These figures, it seems, did not meet with the approval of the Board of Review who later tacked on $15,000 more to teh value of the property, thus assessing the property at $30,000.

On this amount the Chelsea village government levied a tax of $300 per annum. This was prior to the twenty-first of October, 1901, when the treasurer's warrant expired and the latter official reported that the tax was unpaid. There has been apparently no effort made to collect the tax up until this time, when the present suit has been commenced.

Should it be shown, say the attorneys in the case, that the Chelsea village treasurer has not made the proper effort to collect the tax, he will probably be brought to court and asked to explain his position in the matter.

The Holmes concern are one of the largest general mercantile houses of their kind, outside of Detroit, in this section. They have a large trade in many of the towns surrounding Chelsea and throughout the country districts. For this reason the outcome of the case will interest a considerable number of people, to say nothing of the attention that it is already attracting from Chelsea citizens.

The gentlemen comprising the Holmes Mercantile Co. are Harmon S. Holmes, Edward Vogel, Ernest R. Dancer and Dallas H. Wurster, all of whom mean to contest the suit strongly as they profess to believe that the tax levied upon them is too high.

The present suit is brought to recover the unpaid tax with interest from the twenty-first day of October last.