The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-15
SEEKING TAX EXEMPTION.
THE COLLEGES DESIRE RELIEF
FROM THE STATE.

Mr.. j. p. Williams, Chairman of the
Emory College Board, Tells of the
Effort in This Direction Now Be-
ing Made i'm the Legislature.
Would Require a Constitutional
Amendme nt--This MIR. Villa ms
aud Others Interested in the De-
nominationaI Colleges Are Seek
ing to Secure.
Mr.. ]. P. Williams returned to the
city yesterday from Atlanta. where he
appeared before the joint committee
of the House and Senate on constitu-
tional amendment in advocacy of the
pending bill to relieve property held as
an investment by educational institu-
tons of this state from taxation Mr.
Williams is chairman of the board of
trustees of Emory College. the chief
educational institution of the Methoe
dists of Georgia, and as such he has
much to do with the financial affairs
OF the institution.
The pending measure, known as the
Bell bill, Mr.. Williams said last night,
proposes to exempt from taxation all
property in which colleges and other
educational institutions of the state
have invested the funds from which
they draw income for the support of
these institutions. Mr.. Williams is
strongly in favor of the bill for num-
Der of reasons.
AT present" he said, "all invest
ment property of educational institu-
tions. whether religious or otherwise,
t- a,,I 70 ke< fA.a ,.ofa &c tngfNy 70
property. AS the resources of our edu-
cational Institutions are limited and
their income is in probably every case
insufficient for the work which they
have in hand, it seems to me only just
and reasonable that they should ask
for this relief from the state. 1t is
necessary that the funds of these in
situations be very carefully invested,
and as the safest investments usually
yield the smallest returns the incomes
which the colleges derive from such
sources is not large. 1t can be readily
seen that when the taxes of various
kinds must be deducted from this in
come, as is now the case, the result
is a great decrease in the amount
available for the work of education.
The strong argument in favor OF
this relief, it seems to me, is that
Georgia needs all the educational in
situations which she has, whether de-
nominational or otherwise, and that
every encouragement should be extend
ed them to expand the work which
they are now doing. These denomi-
national institutions are to all effects
and purposes part of the states edu-
cational system, and are entitled to
every consideration at the hands of
the state. They have done as much,
if not more. to stimulate the cause of
| education in this state as any other
| agency, and their influence in this di-
| rection is unquestioned. The
| favor asked of the state is not Of
| great moment in that quarter, but
is of great importance to the cause of
education. The larger the income nee
essarlly the greater the scope of the
| work"
| Mr.. Williams said that there is strong
| opposition to the measure and the ar
| guments being used against it is that
| 1t was the purpose of the educational
| institutions to make use of the addi-
tional funds which would accrue to
them by the proposed release from tax
alton in building up their corporate in
| vestments and that it was not public
| policy for the state to encourage them
in this at the expense of other tax
payers. This argument, Mr.. williams
states, is unfounded. The institutions
with which he is acquainted have no
intention of building up their corpor-
ate investments in this manner, hut
simply desire the use of The full in
come from their properties for educa-
tional purposes.
Some of those who favor granting in
part the request for relief from taxa
| ton are unwilling to extend this relief
to real estate holdings, on the ground
| that to exempt real estate owned by
| corporations from taxation would be an
unfair discrimination against other in
vestors. The supporters of the measure
| argue that the discrimination in
| real estate would be no greater than
in other lines and as the educational
institutions of the state are not noted
| for their wealth. the amount of such
investments in any quarter would not
| affect real estate conditions in that
| particular locality.