The age-herald., 1898-11-02
CITIZENS OF NORTH
 BIRMINGHAM Met Last Night and Condemned the Annexation Movement. WANT TO LIVE ALL ALONE Adopted Resolution Saying That Tax Assessors Would Double the Value of Their Property for City,
 State and County Taxes.
WANT TO LIVE ALL ALONE

The citizens of North Birmingham living
 in or near Twenty-frst avenue, held a
 mass meeting last night to protest against
 being annexed to the city of Birmingham. W. B. Hansberger was elected chairman
 and S. L. Creswell secretary.
 The following rather novel resolution was
 introduced, and after some debate was
 adopted almost unanimously. It presents
 some brand new arguments on the side of
 the anti-annexationists, but the friends of
 Greater Birmingham assert that they are
 unsound:
 Whereas, There has been considerable
 discussion in the public press and in other
 ways about extending the corporate limits
 of Birmingham s to include the territory
 north of Seventeenth avenue,
 Resolved, That we, the white voters and
 citizens of precint 42, in mass meeting as-
 sembled, protest against such extension at
 this time for the following reasons:
 That we look at this as a case in which
 copartnership Is sought to be formed un- der the firm name of Greater Birmng- ham, by and between the city of Birmng ham on the one part and the suburbs to be included on the other.
 That the city of Birmingham as one party | to the agreement has the right to decide | for itself, by a vote of its citizens, or as l they see fit whether or not 1t wants us to | come into the corporation, and we, the citizens of the suburb, living in that part of | precinct Mo- 42 between Seventeenth ave- nue and Village creek, have the same right | to decide for ourselves whether or not we want to go inside the corporation. That we object to going into the corpora | tion.
 First. Because all that territory lying between Twelfth avenue and Seventeenth avenue and between Twentieth street and | Twenty-eighth street. now in the corpora l ton of Birmingham. being five blocks north | and south and eight blocks east and vest l ia without streets and comparatively with out population, and is now grown up in its native timber, and is more Of a forest | than a city, and we see no good reason to | extend the corporate limits further north | until the territory IS populated ana lm- proved
 | Second-We object to being taken in the l city because the city has an enormous debt. with interest past due and unpaid which will necessitate heavy taxation | This debt was created by the city for the | benefit of the city, without our will or con- l sent. and therefore we think we ought to | have a right to decide for ourselves wheth- | CT or not we wish to assume part payment | of that debt.
 Third-If the corporate limits should be l extended so as to include our property, l the board of equalization would class it as | city property and thus our taxable value | would be virtually doubled, thus doubling l our state and county tax, and making us nay city tax on double the valuation we now pay while the intrinsic value of our property would not be enhanced one cent. | Fourth-To exclude this territory would in no way affect the trunk sewerage scheme, for the high elevation of Twelfth avenue would forever make it impractical ble to run a sewer from the city to Vil- lage creek east of Twentieth street. Rsolved further, That we appoint a committee of seven to cooperate with the
 committees of Woodlawn. Avondale. East
 Lake and Elyton, and any similar commit-
 tees, to carry out these resolutions. Dr. Collins and Jack Graves, of Wood
 lawn, favored annexation, and made speeches accordingly. M. A. May. c. P.
 Beddow, of Avondale; R. A. Lewis, A. c.
 Jackson and John s. Kennedy. of Wood lawn, all made speeches favoring the res- olutions and opposing annexation. The committee appointed in compliance with the resolution consisted of M. A. May, S. L. Creswell, Jack Phillips, J. r. Tomerlin. R. A. Lewis. A. c. Jackson and T. J. Brown.
 On motion, the organization of the meet | ing was made permanent until the legisla- ture had adjourned