The age-herald., 1901-06-30

limit Of our resources too narrow. The minute these are made doubtful we will have to pay a high rate of interest. As cited the uncertainty of building a house how experts trained in their business to estimate cost, always failed to get it right. It is extraordinary expenditures which no man can foresee that run up the cost If the Legislature can be trusted in anything 1t is to make the tax rate as low as possible. He did not believe in hampering the Legislature for years to come by acting on the figures submit ted by the committee.
 Judge Coleman of Greene, one of the
 committee, said they had become con-
 vinced that the tax limit could be fixed
 at 60 cents, but to be on the safe side
 they had fixed 1t at 65 cent9. He did not think Mir. Smith and many of the dele
 gates had listened to the figures of the
 chairman, or they would nPt be opposed
 to the reduction.
 The Governors Idea.
 MT. Lowe of Jefferson here submitted replies to inquiries made by him from the Governor, the Auditor and the
 Treasurer relative to the tax limit. Gov ernor Jeks said that fixing the tax rate
 at 65 cents would be unsafe. The treas
 urer and the auditor gave the same opin- ion.
 MT. 6anKS or tfuSSell Salu the arBu-
 ments in favor of the reduction of the
 tax limit were based upon the assump-
 tion that the present high tax valuations
 would continue. He quoted Burns to the effect that the 'best laid scheme of mice
 and nlsk oft gang aglee." He illustrated
 the fact that Governor Samford'S warn
 ing to the legislature and a deficit of
 S1G0, 900 had occurred when the taxes were
 at the highest limit. Are the prosperous
 classes throughout the land those that
 pay the lowest taxes. What do you
 see In the rural districts where the tax
 rate Is low compared to the cities, where taxes are high. People are leaving the low tax rate districts and fiocking to those that have high taxes.
 MT. Fitts of Tuscaloosa said he was not partisan of the committee, but when 1t | made. unanimous report after careful consideration that the tax rate could be
 reduced. he thought it ought to be adopt ed. Here MT. ONeill of Jefferson arose and said that it was not unanimous re- port; that he objected to 1t, and the re- | port was made when he was absent. MT. | Fitts said he was glad to be corrected; {; | that he had heard 1t stated that it was | unanimous He then reviewed the history | of the State in it's tax rates. He said 1895 was the hard year in the administration l of the States affairs. The administration
 then in office had only tax rate of 5A
 mills. and 1t resulted in deficit of 500,- l 900. But even under these conditions the State did not suffer. It borrowed the
 money in New York, which was repaid I before 1t was due. The way to adminis- | ter the government was to limit the
 amount to be spent and force them to | live within 1t. MT. F'itts was asked sev-
 eral questions by MT Lowe of Jefferson | as to a statement made by MT. Fitts that
 legislatures delighted to spend a surplus.
 He was asked what legislature had made | extravagant appropriations and If any
 legislature had made more extravagant | appropriations than the last. MT. Fitts
 said he had not said any legislature was l extravagant, but that they merely liked 1 to spend surplus.
 Edge of a Precipce.
 l MT. WealIley of Lauderdale told Q story l of an English gentleman employing a 1 coachman. He asked one applicant how 1 near he could drive to a precipice and he | said within six inches, another said twelve I and third said he would drive as far away from it as possible This one was | employed. MT. Browne, he said, is try | ing to drive us within six inches of a I precipice and he for one refused to be | drove. He said that in 1906 if we adopted this tax limit instead of having the bank CTS come to the capitol with the money | for the bonds, we will have to send the I Governor to New York after 1t as Govern 1 or Oates had to go in 1S95 He wanted to
 know If the convention wa Agoing to per- petuate an $S,00O000 debt upon the people. | There was no provision for a state sink | ing fund, and no city or county in the
 state had sinking fund. He cited Ten | nessee's law for a sinking fund and said I he favored similar law for Alabama. 1 MT. Kirk of Colbert, member of the | committee said they had been very care full in their estimates and he had not l heard any delegate question their figures. | MT. O'Neill of Jefferson arose and said that the figures he understood had been
 qustioned. MT Weakley did not think
 they had and continued by saying that 1 the committee saw an opportunity to re- | duce the tax rate and give the counties | an opportunity to increase their school | funds by levying a local tax
 Governor Oates Speaks. l Governor Oates spoke in favor of retain l ing the present limit He spoke of the | condition of things at the time he became
 Governor, a deficit of S50O,00o, which was due to previous miscalculations. Just l before he went into office the tax rate
 was raised one-half mill to five and one
 half mills This immediately gave no re- | lief, but finally it brought in a sufficient
 sum to pay off the deficit. He spoke of | the safety of leaving the tax rate to the | legislature. I am willing to trust them in this matter he said, though a legisla- | ture cannot be trusted In some things,
 such as refraining from expending a sur | plus. The members of the legisla ture are | crazy to reduce taxes. and, (addressing Judge Coleman, who asked a question:, your committee is in the same fix. Times | are good now but we don't know what is | coming. He might vote for 70 cent limit | but was opposed to 65 cent. Regard ing the refunding of the State debt be thought it safer to leave the tax limit where 1t was.
 MT. Rogers of Lowndes favored a TO- | cent limit.
 Governor Jones said it was his pro- | found conviction that we would make a | mistake If we reduced the tax limit | There never had been dollar of surplus | In the State treasury since December
 1894, when Governor Seay went out of of | flee. When the governors formerly went to New York to borrow money | they could say that we had still a tax l limit of two or three mills, but if we
 reduce the limit we will not have any
 margin to fall back upon. For ten years | after we reduced the rate to mills the
 State was suffering from the effects of | 1t. It was unwise to go through this | experience agais.
 l MT. Watts of Montgomery spoke in fa- l vor of the present rate. He had made
 but few remarks when the hour for
 adjournment arrived and the convention
 adjourned until 10 o'clock Monday.
 Metal Workers Conference.
 Washington, D. C., June 29.-A mum
 Der of representatives of the Meta