The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-02

" WeH0 oaA4CEb6kCc " hi6hS esAS k~~I diction for the future. when you get beyond five or ten years in the future. you get into the field of speculation. and there lives no man who can tell what will be the resources or the ex- penditures of State after that lapse Of time. If this Convention were max ing tax rate for the next year. or the next two years, or the next hve years. then we might with confidence accept the predictions of the Chairman Of this Committee and fix rate. But the Constitution we make, if ratified by the people, as believe 1t will be- will not be for any short period of time. put for generation. or at least for twenty-five years. Such being the case. we ought to go slowly on this question of reduction in the limit on taxation.
 have heard gentlemen discussing this question upon the floor of this Convention say that the gentlemen who are opposed to lowering the tax rate say this. that or the other thing. I hesitate not to declare that there Is not a single delegate in this Convention who desires or wishes to put up the tax rate or who Is opposed to the re- auction of the tax rate. The opponents Of the report of this Committee upon the floor of the Convention are not op- posed to a reduction of the tax rate, but are opposed to reduction of the limit on taxation. That limit was fixed In the Constitution of 1875. and, if my recollection, serves me alright. in the course of time from 1875 down until this good hour. 1t has never been found necessary. and no Legislature has been found. which put the rate of taxation at the limit fixed in the Constitution except one. So that this impression Of want Of confidence in the courage of the Legislature or in the willingness or wish Of the Legislature to reduce tax ation Is not well founded. 1 do not be- heve there can be found in the State or Alabama one man or 133 men who can be sent to the Legislature upon a demand by the people for a reduction or taxation and who, when they get here' md that the rate of taxation can be reduced, but that will vote for its reduction. Fixing a limit and fixing a rate are widely apart. We must fix the limit of taxation in view of future contingencies. We must take into &C., count what may happen in the future. We heard the other day an able, elo- quent and ingenious address from a distinguished citizen of Alabama which was no less able and eloquent and in- genious because 1t happened to be the propaganda of a new dispensation of political thought and action in Ala bama, In which he quoted from dis tingutshed students of economic and industrial conditions the prediction that before many years had passed, the &C., tivity, the energy, and the aggressive ness of the industries of the United States in invading European home mar kets would combine the European na- tions in war to prevent that invasion from continuing war that would be backed up by fleets and armies, and the distinguished gentleman who quoted that prediction did not undertake to refute the possibility thereof. Should such thing happen and this country be involved an such a war, in what condition would the people of Alabama be with a 65 cent limit on taxation? A war like that would involve the ex- ercise of all the wealth and power ana the capacity of this country to success fully maintain. A war like that would shut down every industry in the State of Alabama. It would paralyze the coal and iron industry from which we expect so much in the future. It would close down every cotton factory in the State of Alabama. It would make the work of the agriculturist unremunera- tive and would reduce him to poverty and want. Valuations would go down so that within a short period, unless we had higher limit of taxation, the honor and credit of the State would be absolutely destroyed.
 MT. GIinson--May l inquire what the gentleman is in favor of, are you in favor of the limit ip the present Con- stitution?
 MT. Lomax-Yes.
 Mir. Hinson-Then 1 make the point of order, MT. President. the gentleman is not addressing himself to the ques- tion before the House, which is the amendment of the delegate from Hale fixing the limit at 70 cents.
 MT. Lomax-My remarks apply equal ly to thes amendment of the delegate from Hale.
 The Presidential seems to the Chair that the gentleman Is properly within the limit of debate.
 MT. Lomax-I regret extremely that have been so unfortunate in what l have said that I have not been able to inform my friend the delegate from Lowndes, of the position I take. 1 shall undertake to be more explicit and careful in the future, so that whatever shall say shall have at least some applicability to the subject at hand.
 Reference has been made, MT. Pres ident, and frequently, to the vast pos abilities of revenue which lie within the power of the State from the enor- nous increase in the building of cotton factories under our recent law which exempted them from taxation; and a vast estimate was made of what would come to this State from taxation by reason of the enormous value of those cotton. factories in 1907. Have the gen. tlemen forgotten the recent little furry in China? Every man acquainted with the cotton trade of the South knows that by reason of the little misunder- standing which occurred the other day in China every single cotton factory in the South that dealt in the coarse grade of cotton goods that went to the Chinese markets was absolutely par alyzed, and either had to run at a loss because they did not want their labor dispersed or run away. or else some of them had to shut down from time to time in order to save expenses.
 Mir. Foster-Would it not be better to remove all limitation in order to meet that great war you are expect ing?
 MT. Lomax-I do not know that 1t would be better to remove all limit. The reason 1t would not be is that the people of Alabama are accustomed to limit on the rate of taxation, and an- other reason why 1t would not be bet ter to remove all limit is that the gen. tlenan from Tuscaloosa and I stood upon platform which pledged the peo- pie of Alabama that we would not raise