The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-02
SUBSTITUTE FOR
REVENUE BILL
Friends Of the Measure Became Alarmed
at Opposition.
OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES
OF The Special Committees Bill Elimi-
mated In the Substitute
STRONG LOBBY WAS IN EVIDENCE
Section Which Aroused the Greatest OPP
position was the One Which Made
Land Real Property and Provid-
ed for Taxation of Mortgages.

Montgomery, February 1.-(Speeial.)-T
result of three weeks of hard work by the
committee appointed to sit during the
cess of the general assembly was almost
wiped out today by an act of the commit
tee itself.
When the house resoluted itself into the
committee of the whole this morning,
Chairman Mitchell, of the joint committee,
created some surprise by the announcement
that he desired to offer a substitute for the
voluminous measure of 1874 printed pages.
He stated that this substitute came from
the special committee, and that 1t was Of
fered as a compromise measure with the
gentlemen who had announced their inten-
ton to fight the measure on the floor of the
house, and probably consume half of the
remaining time of the present session.
This announcement was a surprise to
many, because the bill drafted by the spe-
cial committee has never been discussed on
the floor of the house, having been merely
formally read in the committee OF the whole
one time, when probably not more than half
a dozen members had given attention TO
the reading.
Blu there has been a strong lobby here as
sisting the opponents of the measure in the
house, and so hard has this lobby fought,
that the friends of the measure entertained
fear that the bill would be defeated, hence
they struck out about two-thirds of the bill,
including it's Objectionable features, and
many pages of the present revenue code
which were not at all amended.
Where the Rub Camo
The provision of the new bill which was
fought hardest was in section 2, which made
land real instead of personal property, and
which provided for the assessment for tax
alton of all mortgages on real property
1t was claimed by the opponents of the
measure that this would ruin the agricul-
tural interests in the state, and that such
interests were Disseminated against, as
mortgages on corporations held by foreign
capitalists were excluded from the provis-
ions of the bill.
The Objectionable section is quoted below:
THE term real property and land
wherever used in this act, or in any 9TH
er of the laws of Alabama, shall, for the
purpose of assessment and taxation, be
held to mean and include not only the
land itself, with all things contained
therein, but also buildings, structures,
improvements, trees and other fixtures,
of whatever kind thereon and all mineral
rights or interests therein, sites and
privileges belonging or in any way APP
pertaining thereto. And a mortgage,
deed of trust, contract or other obliga-
ton whereby land, or real property, sit
uated in no more than one county in
this state, is made security for the pay
ment of debt, together with such debt,
shall, for the purposes of assessment
and taxation, be deemed and treated as
land or real property
Mr.. TunstalI's Amendment
Mr.. Tunstall had prepared an amend
ment, which is as follows:
amend by inserting after the word debt
in line ten of subdivision one, section two,
the following: And a mortgage, deed of
trust, mortgage bond or other obligation,
executed by any resident or nonresident
corporation as security for debt and re-
corded in any county in this state"
The effect of this amendment would have
been to have interested all the railroads
and corporations, and the bill would then
doubtless have been lobbied out of exist
ence
AS the bill now stands, there are but few
changes from the old law. Some of the
principal amendments to the old law are:
Section 1911 Is amended SO as to omit
the words "sixty-six and two-thirds cents"
in providing that merchants may assess
their stock of goods at this rate. penalty
is imposed on merchants of rs per cent for
failure to mako invoice of goods.
Section 1915 imposes a privilege tax of
81, 500 on all sleeping car companies running
cars in this state.
Section 1916 imposes a tax of 81 on $1,000
of the first 100000 of paid in capital stock
of building and loan associations. Notes
and mortgages of such companies are ex-
empted.
The time of levying county taxes is
changed from the first Monday in June to
the second Monday in February.
The new subjects of privilege taxes, as
are included in the substitutes.
The bill is made a special order for IL
o'clock tomorrow morning, when 1t will
prObably PASS