The age-herald., 1901-06-25

vote of the qualified electors voting at special election held for the purpose of ascertalning whether or not said tax shall be levied.
 = At this point the convention adjourned until 8 D. m.
 Afternoon Session.
 The afternoon session was called to order at o'clock. Ninety-five delegates were present.
 General Sanford of Montgomery, by leave, introduced an ordinance to prohibit the General Assembly from authorizing lotteries or pool selling.
 MT. O'Neill of Jefferson, by consent, in troduced an ordinance to provide for the electors in the State expressing their choice for United States Senator by bal lot.
 The convention then proceeded to con- slider the report of the committee on taxa tion MT. Browne, the chairman, then stated briefly the amendments made by the committee. This article on taxation embodies the Birmingham amendment reduces the general state tax from 75 cents to G5 cents and provides for a special school tax in counties.
 Section One.
 Section 1 was then taken up, which reads as follows:
 Section l. All taxes levied on property in this State shall be assessed in exact proportion to the value of such property, but no tax shall be assessed upon any debt for rent or hire of real or personal property while owned by the landlord or ilirer during the current year of such rental or hire and when such real or personal property is assessed at Its full value; provided, however, the General As- sembly may levy a poll tax, not to exceed one dollar and fifty cents on each poll, which shall be applied exclusively in aid of the public school fund In tn ecounty so paying the same.
 MT. Sanford of Pike moved to amend by adding that no license tax should be imposed on fertilizers. He said this fer tilizer tax was a special tax and in his that the actual cost of inspecting fer tilizers was 10 cents per ton, while tho tax was 50 cents a ton. If the farmer was to be taxed, let 1t be done directly. and not by a subterfuge; that the consumer paid the tax.
 Captain White of Jefferson here arose and asked MT. Sanford humorously if he was not contending against tho sound Republican doctrine that the manufac- turer paid the duties. Mir. Sanford re- piled that the wearer of tho coat paid for it. He continued by saying that the only good the farmer got out of the tax was bulletin about every five years.
 MT. Waddell of Russell said there had been no objection to this tax by any of the farmers; that propositions to repeal 1t had been voted down repeatedly in tho Legislature, and he saw no reason to abol- ish it.
 Captain White,s Remarks.
 Captain White of Jefferson said that they were all interested in having taxa- ton fair and equal, and that he saw 70 difference between levying tax of 50 cents ton on fertilizers and a tax of 50 cents ton on coal or iron: that this lat ter tax would not be tolerated for a mo- ment, but that the individual farmer could not afford to have his interests represented fin the Legislature by a lobby, That the inspectors of coal mines were paid by the State,
 MT Graham of Talladega asked if these men did not inspect the condition of the mines and not the quality of the coal, MT White replied that it did not make any difference, MT. Long of Butler asked If the price of the fertilizer tax was add ed to the price of the product and paid by the farmer, why the farmers did not add this tax to the price of their cotton. MT. White replied that the price of cot ton was fixed for them in Liverpool and New York. It was not the amount of the tax that mattered. but the fact that it was unjust.
 MT Greer of Calhoun also favored the amendment of MT. Sanford He said that all the farmers ever got out of an analysis of their fertilizer was q reply that it was all right. The farmers had never asked for this tax for their benefit and they did not want it,
 PaImer's First Speech.
 MT Palmer of Washington made his