The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-02


 will allow me to quote some figures from the Auditors report. I have in my hand the Auditors report, and I think any citizen in the State, and es. peciaIly any member of this Constitu. tional Convention, can take this Audi- tors report and on the face of 1t, talk. ing the estimate of values as made by the distinguished chairman of the Com. mittee on Taxation, see as a man who runs. can read 1t for himself. and it will show that 1t would be unwise, and very dangerous to adopt his sugges. tion.
 But I do not grant to the distins guished chairman figures that I am un. willing to admit. He figures on a basis of s276, ,o00, 900, when never in the his- tory of our State before has So high a valuation of property been attained. The average for the past ten or twenty years has never exceeded $266 ,000. 900. and last year the Auditor based all his calculations on $266. 900, 900. How do we judge the future? We judge 1t by the rast, Watch the wheels of nature in relation to the affairs of man, and by the past of man, is the only way under the sun that we can judge the future.
 MT. Browne-WilI the gentleman al. low me to interrupt him a. moment?
 MT. Jenkins-Certainly.
 MT. Browne-Does he doubt that the taxable values for the next fiscal year Will be two hundred and seventy-stx million.
 MT. Jenkins-Well, the figures have been offered for that, but I am Judging by the past.
 MT. Browne-will the gentleman al- low one other question?
 Mir. Jenkins-Yes.
 MT. Browne-Does he know upon what the ComZittee predicates their 'esti- mate that there will be an increase of at least $10,000.0o0 for the next fiscal year?
 MT. Jenkins-Yes. he has written around, I understand, to all the Pro- bate Judges in the State, but the Pro- bate Judges may have made some mis. takes. They are not the officials to get this matter up. It is the duty of the State Auditor to give us these fig ures. and not the Probate Judges of the State. He should have written at leas' to the Tax Assessors, and not the Pro. bate Judges, because I dare say thert are not ten Probate Judges in the State as conversant with tax values as the Tax Assessors.
 MT, Browne-Does the gentleman know where the Tax Assessor files hii books, when they are made up?
 MT. Jenkins-Yes he generally fles them in the Probate Office, when he has not got them at home working on them.
 But I want to say the gentleman is passing all his calculations on the pres ent year, as if all the years to come were going to be like the present year, and I make the deliberate statement that this fall, if cotton should go to 8 cents a pound. and we have no reason to say positively that it will not go there. the tax values next year will shrink at least B 1-3 per cent. You cannot base tax values only on the price of agricultural. mineral and min- ing products, and if these products so down, our tax values are going to fall. In less than ten years cotton has sold in this country for 1-2 cencs> and many were glad to get 4, and last season 1t brought g, 9 1-2 and 10. Now that is quite difference, but we have no assurance that the present condi- tion will continue.
 MT. Browne-May I ask the gentle man a question?
 MT. Jenkins-Certainly.
 MT. Browne-What year was cotton worth 3 1-2 cents?
 Mir. Jenkins-I have the receipts at home showing 1-2 cents on them. do not remember the exact year.
 MT. Browne-D"es the gentleman know what the taxable value of all the property in the State was during the year cotton sold for 1-2 cents?
 Mir. Jenkins-I do not think that has any connection, because the taxable values are returned in the spring and these prices are made in the fall, and the prices affect the following year and not the year in which they are made.
 MT. Browne-Well, the year after, what was the taxable value of all the property in the State? The year after cotton was worth 3 1-2 cents
 MT. Jenkins-I do not know. It was less than $250, 1000, ,000 aad, MT. Presi- dent, stand here and say that this Committee is passing the calculations of every year from now up to dooms- day on this year, and that we cannot do it.
 The President-Will the gentleman suspend?
 MT. Heflin (Chambers)-Before the announcements are made I desire to ask indefinite leave of absence for MT. Duke on account of sickness.
 The leave was granted.
 Leave of absence was granted MT. Walker for Monday and Tuesday. MT. Wlllet and Mr. Wilson (Clarke). for to- day. and indefinite leave to Mir. Case on account or sickness.
 Thereupon the Convention adjourned until p. m.