The age-herald., 1900-07-10
VAUDEVILLE IN
 THE COURT HOUSE
The BaSSo Protundo Glasses After
 the Stage Beauties
OF BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT
That They May Disrobe Themselves of Some of the Tasselated Fruits of Their Corporate Profits for
 the States Benefit

The annual vaudeville performance of the Jefferson County Board of Revenue opened at the County Court House yesterday. The audience was small. The new leading man of the cast-Colonel G. B. Burkhalter-oc- cupied the center of the stage, robed in a vest of yellow hue, which partially covered the costume His stockings were of old gold and turkey red, while his necktie was plain white, and his fragmentary hair pom padour. It was his initial performance as chairman of the board before Back Tax Commissioner Wetmore, stage villain of the performance. MT. Wetmore is at all other times a good fellow and a good law yer, but when he gets in his annual work of raising taxes, he is looked upon by those members of the audience who are forced to appear before the board as the personiffcation of the basso profundo of the Board of Revenue performance
 Grouped about the genial Burkhalter of gaudy garb, was Colonel Hugh Me Geever, whose feet rested calmly upon the on and worked industriously, aiding the leader in decisions with smiles or frowns as the case required MT. Chambers Me Adory occupied his old seat of last year and proceeded to lead the board in the dis patch of business by good advice and &C., tion without delay. Mir J. B. Elliott like wise profited by the experience of last year and urged decisive and quick action on all cases, and as usual aided the chairman in dealing out justice. MT. c. P. Beddoe, the new performer in the vaudeville, who suc- ceeded Captain Ward wears-a business air, dresses quietly and believes in attending to business with dispatch. He looked and acted yesterday as if he would make a good member of the board, though perhaps he will not make the fun that his predecessor, Captain Ward, extracted from the sessions last year. However, Chairman Burkhalter, jolly and genial and just, starts out with a rare appreciation of fun and with a method of dispatching business which will make the session one of extreme interest.
 Commissioner Wetmore seems to have lost his old assistant, MT. McCroSsin, and is this year backed up in his warfare up- on property holders by MT. Asbury Thomp- son, who is just as large, robust and as smiling was his predecessor Messrs. Cabaniss and Weakley, the legal seconds in the fistic encounters of last year, were missed from yesterdays session, but they may be called in later when the genuine excitement conn.,. ences.
 The real fun will open up when the big corporations are brought upon the stage and are lined up severally in a hard glove contest with middle-weight champion Wet more. The Birmingham Railway and Elec- tric Company will probably be the first cor poration with which Colonel Wetmore will have bout That will probably be this morning. Then will come the Gas Con- pany, the Realty Company, the Rolling Mill Company, and the Tennessee, the Sloss and other great companies of the dis trict
 At the session yesterday the Avondale Mills was raised $1,300; B. B. Conner, $5O0 the Birmingham Auditorium Company ST. GOO; the Birmingham Dry Goods Company The Birmingham News and the Birming- ham Age-Herald went before the board scheduled for heavy raises, but as both newspapers turned in their property for taxation at the same rate that the board had agreed upon last year, there were no raises in either cases.
 There may be fun and tears today.