The age-herald., 1899-07-09
REPPL|ER COMES. BACK AT CHAL|FOUX What's the Difference Whether Author Wears Trousers
 or Skirts?
To tho Editor of The Age-Herald.

Please pardon me for again troubling you by asking for the necessary space in your valuable paper to answer MT. Chalifoux, president of the board of trade, and in or der to show him the wrong position he tries to maintain.
 Now, MT. Chalifoux, president of the board of trade, what difference does it mako to you If the composer of these let ters Is Fannie Reppier, or F. Repplier or, does it make any difference If the writer wears trousers and negigee shirts, or skirts and shirt waists? Or even if I wear boomers or divided skirts-or any clothes at all? The facts and figures l give, how ever, are indisputable, and are the truth.
 In your letter of July ?, you complain that Repplier did not write those two let ters, and continue to harp upon the low assessments of real estate in this city, and by that means try to evade and sidetrack the main issue
 l will not let you, MT. President for I told you in my previous letter, please re- member, that the real estate assessments are entirely too low. l further informed you that the city has no control over the low assessments, and again wish to inform you that these assessments by law are taken from the books of the county asses sor, for the year previous, but even this great wrong and evil of too low real estate assessments will receive, and has received tue dllenllOn or the BACK Tax COmnlSSlOn- CT, and the board of revnue and their as- sistants.
 You must not try to evade the main issue, vix: That the merchants do not contribute their pro rata share, or anywhere near 1t, toward the welfare and maintenance of the city; and this l propose to show you, or any other fair minded man conclusively that you will be- after reading this, like the boy the calf ran over-"have nothing fur aner to yay."
 You will not escape me even then; for, l will decline your invitation to meet you personally and discuss with you in your office the question of taxes and insurance, or any other question I may choose as you might out-argue me in your office I pro- pose to take the tax payers and the general public into my confidence, and show where you gentlemen have not done the fair and equitable thing by the school children and the people of this city.
 I notice that you confess that you were mistaken. when you stated in your previous letter that the city collects from licenses from the merchants, S94 920. and now con- cede that all of the merchants only pay s53 70750, and further that Birmingham should have a larger revenue than it has; it's present revenue being decidedly inads- quate."
 I am glad of that admission, so far 1t goes, Mir Chalifoux, for "an honest con- fession is good for the soul" But, MT. CDanIOuX, you 1all 10 state that thus Aoo.- 70750 embraces all of the liquor dealers licenses both wholesale and retail. which alone Is $36. .375 .50 Now, if you will deduct this $36 375. 50 from the $5S 50. as given above, you will arrive at the actual license paid by all the merchants of this city. not including the liquor dealers. of ST, %; for I have nothing whatsoever to say against the liquor dealers, and wish them excluded from this controversy, for they have con- tributed at all times more than their pro rata and equitable share toward the well fare and maintenance of Birmingham, and if it had not been for them this city would long ago have been totally insolvent, and it's affairs administered by the United States court with probably no sign of public school fire department, or anything else to be seen or boasted of now; but am after you merchant princes" who have for years been basking in the sunshine of the liquor dealers and other tax payers, and making the people believe that you were paying the taxes, when, in fact you con- tribute nearly nothing. and the profession al men and liquor dealers were keeping up and sustaining the city.
 I am after the big merchants, with large plate glass fronts. with their continuous "Clearance Sales" Fire Sales" Bank rupt Sales, Slaughter Sales" Actual Cost Sales" "50.0OO Carpet Sales" Going Out of Business Sales" "Humbug Sales" Fifty Thousand Dollar New Building Sales, TWO tunGTeu lHOuSdHu bobGi itSIipN"' sales' Expansion Sales" Vacation Sales" and. by the shades of the Orient, even Patriotic CD Sales"
 You gentlemen have been pulling the wool over the eyes of the tax payers. and for last year contributed the ridiculous sum of $2l 761 .S2. in all. toward the main- tenance and welfare of this city.
 Do you know, MT President that l or any other fair minded tax payer, could mention six stores who should contribute this amount alone in taxation to the city, but it takes over four hundred of you to make up this little twenty-one thousand dollars.
 Let us look into it and compare the fig ures for they are truth" taken from the tax books of the city. and I challenge you and your board of trade to contradict them.
 Do you know that the smallest liquor store or commonly called saloon, on the Southside of this city. with an income bare ly sufficient to keep soul and body togeth- CT whose stock of goods is worth less than s100, and I am reliably informed that the stock of this saloon would hardly sell for s25, contributed more last year; yes, over twice as much, and in most cases five to fifteen times as much as almost any one merchant in this city from the largest down to tho smallest, even those whose in- comes and profits run up into the cany, many thousands of dollars, and am also reliably informed in many instances, to s50 900 and over per year.
 Now, for the figures; the barroom men, tioned paid last year
 liquor license of ...S 5oo.0o A tobacco license of ........ ...... 1O.c0 A merchants tax of ... 50 Making n total of ........ ...... =. $51O. 50 Now, MT. Chalifoux, your big store on the corner of Nineteenth street and First ave- nue contributed last year: A merchants tax of ....... ......S 1l5.rO A license tax of ,,. ...... ........ 125. .00 | Making total of .....s 2p.Oo 
 lose nothn'.' "All dat soun' so nice dat Brer Fox start | down. He come down de tree lettle way, l an den stop; but Brer Wolf ain't payin' no | 'tention. He des keep on a-gruntin' an a.