The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-08-24

- HE daily sessions of the board of
jill revenue at the court house con-
stitute the most interesting vaude-
vile show Birmingham has been
treated to in many years. 1t is an
informal gathering. 1t meets every MORN
ing at 9 o'clock and INDUCES in a continue
Gus performance until noon. IL meets
again at o'clock and performs merrhy
along until after 4. Every minute Oh every
session is interesting. There Is the ludi-
crous, the ridiculous and the pathetic. Inc
board is composed of Messrs. p. H. Earle.
W. C. Ward, Hugh McGeever, Chambers
McAdory and ]. H. Elliott. Mr.. Earle Is a
banker and a capitalist. Mr.. Ward Is a
lawyer and a politician. Mr. McGeever 10
a furniture dealer and a general trader, Mr.
McAdory is farmer and business man
and Mr.. Elliott is farmer and manu-
facturer.
They perform informally. Chairman Earle
discards his coat and exhibits himself IN a
blue-striped shirt, a lawn necktie to match'
and an exquisite pair of square-cheeked
suspenders, He drops his eyeglasses low
down on his nose and proceeds to business
with a rush. Mr.. Ward sits on his right
likewise without a coat-but he wears a
vest, white-puffed shirt and violet
hued necktie He is possessed of light feet
which often rise upon the rim of his desk
While the chairman looks upon the serious
side of life Captain Ward is witty, wise,
and looks as If he might be wicked some-
times. There is merry twinkle in his eye
and he often enlivens the sessions OF the
board with good stories which bear on
cases under consideration.
Mc,ieever Looks Dignified
To his right sits Mr.. McGeever, who
wears a dignlfied and wise expression until
he hears Captain Ward tell a joke, then his
dignity passes away into roars of laughter.
Mr.. McAdory sits on the left of the chair
man. He wears linen crash clothes and
seems to enjoy. himself thoroughly through
out the proceedings. Mr.. Elliott sits on
the extreme left, and looks not unlike a
man who had set himself to perfom duty,
whether pleasant or unpleasant. His Is
unpleasant largely, because whenever the
board consults he has to get up and walk
around Chairman Earle to hear what he
and Mr.. Ward are attempting to agree up
on.
Chairman Earle and Mr. Ward are the
bell-wethers of the board. When they get
together it is rare that the balance of the
board fails to follow.
Mr.. Wetmore is the back tax commits
sioner. He Is the man who is making all
the trouble. He is distributing his trouble
alike to rich and pocr-corporations and
individuals. He is making trouble for
everybody he can find and he Is digging
for undiscovered ones. He spends his
time in getting at the assessments made by
individuals and corporations and elevating
them like one who held four aces in
table-stakes jackpot. He raises every
body and everything to the ceiling. After
ne has raised them. then his attorneys
Messrs Weakley and Cabaniss. do the
balance. They are the men who perform
hefore the footlIghts. Mr.. Cabaniss is the
Aguinaldo of the outfit. He is full of fight
and is ready to fight anything That comes
along He doesn't hesitate to ask anybody
any question and insists on everybody and
everything standing raise When he
gets fatigucd, Mr. Weakley comes in and
raises a bit himself.
Yesterday Below the Average
Yesterdays performance was rather be-