Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-10
ALABAMA.
MONTGOMERY MATTERS.
Auditor Purifoy Falls Into an Error That Brings Out an Amusing Story on Our
 Legislators.

Members of military and fire companies are not exempt from poll tax except by provision of their charter. There is no general law exemptng them. On this subject Auditor Purifoy writes to the tax assessor of Pike county:
 T know of no general law that ex- empts these persons from poll tax. Sec tion 174 of the code and amended by the last session of the general assembly ex- empts members of military companies from jury duty, but no mention of ex- emption from poll tax. If fire companies are exempt from this tax it is done through the charter of the town in which the organization exists, and 1t can only be learned from that source. There is no general law exempting such men from the payment of poll tax within my knowledge.
 Again you say, How am I to get the tax on cotton after passing out of the hands of the producers when the ware house men refuse to allow me access to books and parties (cotton brokers) re- fuse to return lists? Please give mead- vice on same I am surprised at you asking this question. You only have to refer to your revenue code, section 27, on page 50, where your remedy Is fully set forth. I can add nothing to this provis- ion of law in the way of advice except td ' do so."
 Reference to page of the acts of S0-S1 will show that volunteer fire companies are expressly exempt, and an old reporter here tells a good story in connection with the passage of the law. He says the bili exempting the firemen was introduced into the general assembly, and when 1t came up for passage was promptly de- feated by the backwoodS members or the house, who insisted that about all the firemen did was to banquet and frolic. A week or two afterwards a fire broke out at 2 o'clock in the morning in row of cheap boarding houses here, which were filled with mossback legislators. The night was cold and rainy. The statesmen were rushed out of their warm beds and hustled out of doors. They saw the gallant fire laddies battling with the fiames they saw them work for hours with their wet clothing frozen on their bodies; they saw them arrest VICIOUS fire and save thousands of dollars of property, whereupon they-the honest backwoods boys-went directly to the capitol, and, as soon as the house was called to order moved the suspension of business and the immediate passage or the firemen's exemption bill. Your cor respohdent is informed that it has re- lnained law eyer since.
 The Decrease in Tag Sales
 Reports having gone out from several of the state departments Of agrlculture that the sales of fertilizer tags was much larger this year than usual, correspond- ent of the State Herald called on MT. Il. D Lane commissioner of agriculture or Alabama, who Is also president or the Southern Cotton Growers assoclatlou, and made inquiry as to the experienee of his department in the matter and whether it could be taken as an indica- tion that the cotton acreage would De greatly increased next year.
 MT. Lane replied:
 "Yes. there was such deficit in the use of commercial fertilizers last year that the manufacturers hope to make up the average by the sales this season They had large quantities left ana are naturally disposed to de their best to work it off this year"
 "Does this necessarily indicate an in- crease of the cotton acreage?
 .'To some extent. But 1t must De re- membered that commercial fertilizers are now much more generally used than heretofore A few years ago it was sole ly used under cotton. Now 1t IS used to promote the growth of almost all cuitl- vated plants. Under plants requiring more stimulus than cotton more fertil- izer is relatively used For instance, where have used 200 pounds per acre for cotton, I have used 600 pounds under potatoes Furthermore, the sales of tags is not altogether a criterion or the amount of fertilizers to be consumed. The fertilizer people have looked upon 1t as n great hardship that my department should decline to redeem fertilizer tags that they frequently buy in excess of the amount they sell. Some states redeem their unsold tags at the end Of the sea- son or take them up by reissuing tags for the coming season. 1 am disposed to think that the increased sale is due chiefly to the vigorous efforts of the fer tilizer dealers to dispose of their goods, their calculations being based on the present prosperity of the farming classes, who have made more money the past wear out of a 6500,000 bale crop than they did last season out of a 9,900,0 bale crop We cannot estimate how soon the demand will cease.
 "I do not believe that the farmers of the south, after last years experience, will stultify themselves by planting for a 10 000 900 or +, 900, 900 bale crop"
 Supreme Court.
 The following decisions were rendered by the supreme court today:
 Brickell, c. J.-Anniston Loan and Trust company vs. R. H. Stickney, Jr.. appeal from Anniston city court; re- versed and rendered.
 Charles B. Parker vs Blufton Car Wheel company ct al, appeal from Cher okee chancery court; affirmed.
 Coleman. J.---Edgar P. Daughdrill, ad- minstrator vs. Claude Daughdrill ct al, appeal from Mobile probate court; re- versed and remanded.
 Capital City Water company vs. Geo. Weatherly, appeal from Montgomery city court reversed. rendered and re- manded.
 Head J.--W. T. Mound ct al. vs. w. T. Kirkland, appeal from Henry circuit court; affirmed.
 H. P. Treadwell ct al vs. R. Tillis, ap- peal from Geneva circuit court; reversed and remanded.
 Haralson, J.-The Bank of Guntersville vs Webb & Butler, appeal from Jackson circuit court; reversed and remanded.
 Ex parte E. w. Fucker. petition for writ of prohibition to the circuit court of Jefferson county prohibition granted.
 The following additional orders were granted by the supreme court today:
 Jim Woods vs the state of Alabama, from Shelby county court; appeal dis missed on motion of attorney-general. The state of Alabama vs. Rachel Me-