The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-29

questions of taxation. Sol went uowh and had an interview with the gentle- man and he had the goodness to give me the original figures or the sheet of paper which contains the original figures, which he furnished to the Com mittee. He says that the conclusions of the Committee are It's own conciu- sions and not his conciueiors. What are yoar conclusion. Judge Cook?'' My conclusions are on that piece of paper, and they are that if this tax Is reduced. as is proposed by the Com mittee. the probable income of the State will be $1, 750. 900. while it's prob- able expenditures will be n,s14.oo0." Then another question was propound- ed: According to your experience and observation. do you believe, if this re- duction Is made. that the State can continue it's present policy of aporo- nriating one mill to the schools and one mill to the old soldiersT" He said: My opinion lis that one or the other of those appropriations will suffer-"
 It is but due since his name has been given as authority on this floor that his conclusions should be furnished to this Convention and I have. therefore, taken the liberty of quoting from the paper which he furnished me.
 MT. Kirk-May make a suggestion?
 Mir. Ashcraft-Certainly.
 Mir. Kirk--Judge Cook was before the Committee and I put the question to him: Gan we safely reduce the tax rate to six and a half mills and not interfere with this special appropria- tion for schools and for soldiers and at the same time make the $550. 900 appro- priation annually" He said: "In my opinion you can."
 Mr. Ashcraft--I think the gentleman from Washington was present and heard the direct reply to the interrog- atory which I propounded to Judge Cook. Here are the figures In black and white. Receipts N. 75o, 900; expen- ditures. $1.914,0oe.
 Mr. Browne-May interrupt the gen. tleman to make a statement?
 Mir. Ashcraft-Yes. sir.
 Mir. Browne--Judge Cook did not have those figures before the Committee. Judge Cook did some figuring of his own. Judge Cook, without being in- fluenced by any person whomsoever, after a careful investigation, in the presence of the Committee, gave 1t as his opinion that we could safely lower the rate from seventy-five to sixty five to take effect next year and not affect the soldiers one mill nor the school talk one mile, nor the S55o,O Judge Cook helped me get up the fig ures that published in paper when this report first came In.
 Afr. Beddow-I rise to a point of or- der. The gentleman from Tailadega is not asking a question but making an additional speech.
 MT. Browne-I make the point of or- der that I asked the gentleman could I make the statement and the gentle man yielded and am now making the statement.
 Mir. Beddow-I make the point of or der.
 The President pro tenn (Jones. Hale) Does the gentleman submit to be ia- terrupted?
 MT. Browne-No. sir; am not through.
 tleman from Lauderdale consent to the lnterruptlon7
 MT. Ashcraft-I am sorry but the gentleman has the concluding of the debate
 Mir. Browne-Then the gentleman de- clines to allow me to correct a mis- statement7
 Mir. Beddow-I rise to a point of or der. The gentleman is out of order.
 The President pro tem-The gentle man from Talladega Is out of order.
 Mir. Ashcraft-I have made no mis- statement. Here are the figures that
 were furnished me.
 MT. Browne-I rise to question Of personal privilege.
 The President pro tem--The gentle man will state the question. MT. Browne-The figures the gentle.
 man presents are entirely different from those reported by me and the gentleman states that those figures ara
 the figures Judge Cook presented be- fore the Committee. I desire to state that they are not the figures that Judge Cook presented before the Committee. Mir. Ashcraft-The gentleman nlsun-
 derstood me if he understood me to say that those are the figures that Judge Cook presented to the Committee. stated that Judge Cook said he had presented the figures to the Committee and that they are correct, but that the conclusions which the Committee had drawn from those figures were the con- clusIons of the Committed, that ths conclusions which he drew from those | figures are as l stated to this Conven. ton. l think that is clearI Now thu point I desire to make iE this: That we are proposing to set $ | limitation upon the power of the Leg
 islature to impose taxes upon the prop erty of this State and we are propos' ing to set that limitation probably fol | fifty years to come. We are undertak' | ing to say that there will come no time in the history of the State when 1t VII need a larger appropriation or not sC large1 an appropriation as it is now | using. If we are about to do that upor | the conclusions of gentlemen from fig ures and statistics which have beer 1 made up from our past records. wt should act with great caution when i | comes to an action based on that sort | of information. because. MT. President here are gentlemen of business capaci' | ties, business integrity and patrlotlC purposes who draw very optimlstlC l conclusion as to the future, and hers | Is a man who Is quoted as one or tnS | best authorities in the state wno draws an entirely different conclusion! Which of these conclusions is correct? Car l this Convention take the risk of saying | this man is wrong and the Committee | Is right? Are not the interests in- yoIyed too great for us to take any risk on the subject of reducing thi' | limit or. taxation? If it should result | in a reduction of the school fund or Il If should result in a reduction of the | old soldier fund or if 1t should result | In depriving the State of the ability t | take any forward step in that grea social. moral and political progress which 1t ought to take before another Constitution is made, then, MT. Pres | ident, ought we not to stand on tn' safe side? Can we afford to do some thing here today which may probably stand across the path of progress anC hinder our advance? I said whll' ago that much as 1 love certain othe | ideas and thoughts which are befor'