The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-01-13
EXEMPT MANUFACTURERS.

The following editorial from the I
Chattanooga Times seems to us to be
about the legislation needed to make |
Tennessee blossom like rose, and we
take pleasure in presenting it to our
readers for their consideration. Some
legislation along this line is badly
needed and right now is the time to
agitate it:
A representative convention of Geor-
gians has been called to meet at At
lanta, to organize a movement for OBJ
tanning an amendment to the state
constitution, exempting manufacturing
plants, in that state from taxation for a
term of years.
The move is in the right direction,
for any southern state. 1t would be
peculiarly good thing for Tennessee.
Our legislatures have made some most
unfortunate mistakes in the matter of
laying taxes on manufacturing con-
Germs. Those mistakes have given
Tennessee a chad name" among out
side capitalists, and driven capital out,
as we'll as kept it out; and now, since
we have changed the erroneous policy
of unfriendliness to manufacturing en-
terprises, toone of friendliness, foreign
skill and capital still avoid the state.
Not six months ago a capitalist, a
resident of a northern state, said to the
writer of these lines: "You tell me,
truly, that very fair and friendly legis-
lation has taken the place of the forme err
bad and laundering laws, for taxing
manufacturers plants and stocks. All
right, 80 far.
"But how am /; how is any outsider
or any home capitalist, to know when
the old and bad and hurtful policy will
/ be revived?"
"Your highest court has decided that
double taxation of manufacturers is
constitutional. This ought to suggest
that you make all haste to so amend
your constitution as to insure Justice,
if not some special favor, to those who
risk their fortunes and expend their
energies and skill in building up and
conducting manufactures in Tennes-
see
"Give them constitutional security,
and capitalists will come in numbers
If the securities are not given they'll
go to Georgia as they now do"
That man spoke words of truth and
soberness. Why should we not act on
his suggestion? We can not hope to Sc
cure complete revision Of the consti-
tuition now; for a long time to come we
must go on with it as it stands, unless
we amend it, by patching here and
there.
And no other amendment would sc
Immediately and substantially benefit
the state as one making it the duty OF
the Legislature to exempt from taxation
manufactures using fixed amount of
capital, and employing minimum
number of hands, for term of say ter
years.
1t is not so much the tax the capital
lists dread, provided it shall be fair
tax; but they do dread state that has
once tried to double or treble tax them
and they will not stop in that state,
when other states are not likely to dC
them injustice.
The Times suggests that all the com
mercial, industrial, farming and mer
camille associations or organizations in
the state of Tennessee unite in cal
for mass convention. and there frame
an amendment to the constitution GOV
ering this point, and bring irresistible
pressure on the nextregular Legislature
which meets. in 1899, to submit the
amendment to the people. 1t will carry
overwhelmingly. The details can bt
agreed upon and proper safeguards
provided
Let a convention be called to take