The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-14

Clarke that 1t fs left entirely with ths
 legislature as to what proportion they
 should allow to the cities. and they might make 1t one-tenth or so that
 the cities would get dollar a piece.
 MT. Piflans-I feel greatly obliged :o
 the gentleman for mentioning that. Il had occurred to inc somewhat in tha,
 way, but I had forgotten 1t. If you
 take the amendment offered 1t Is very
 ingeniously and astutely framed to de-
 stroy any hope of the city getting g | dime. If the legislature enacts any
 law which will permit a person, cor
 peration to pay a privilege license or
 other tax to the State of Alabama it
 shall provide for just proportion of
 such tax to be distributed among the
 several municipalities" etc. "A just 1 proportion to be determined by the
 legislature" which as my distinguish
 ed friend has said. may be one per
 cent or one-tenth of one per cent. to
 each of the cities of the State.
 Mir. Walker-Probably suggested by l the express companies.
 Mir. Pillans-I thank you for the sug-
 gestion. it would probably be suggest
 ed by the corporation that had come
 and obtain, d the favorable legislation from the State.
 Before closing I would call the at-
 tention of the Convention that 1t must
 not be forgotten in the existing state l of the law, as we have already adopt- | ed 1t, there is no embarrassment in the | State depriving any city of the power to tax occupa tions out of existence, De- cause the legislature has almost plen- ary power to control the creatures or it's creation the Municipal corporation. MT. Harrison-If the city of Mobile | xo tn hn State All of tne l liquor licenses, wouldn't 1t lose money even If 1t got this. Don't your city get more by retaining the liquor licenses than 1t. would from this.
 MT. Pillans-Our city does not get one dime from the liquor licenses. | There is not one cent of the liquor H. | cense that passes into the treasury or | the city of Mobile. There is State | liquor license which passes into the school organization of Mobile County, | not the treasury of the city The city | does not receive one dollar ot II, ana | will say right here that the county outside of the city. which IS very sparsely settled, gets more than one l third of that money, although the city | and it's immediate suburbs pay aDout nine tenths. of the money.
 MT. Fitts-Mr. President and gentle men of the Convention, I hope very much that the Convention will not reconsider the Section as reported by the Committee on Munici- pal Corporations. The Section to which this motion is directed has hld- den in it the protection which one spe- cial corporation has obtained in this State, by an act long since passed oy the Legislature, and which nas gwen great trouble and dissatisfaction. have had some experience with that act, and it has given great dissatisfied tion to other corporations doing bus mess in the State. We ought to either have one system or the other, applica- ble to all corporations alike, and the Southern Express Company ought not to stand on a different footing in this State from other corporations. II Is not right, and there is no just reason why 1t should stand in one attitude wilh respect to license taxes, and all the other corporations in the State stand
 in another attitude. Many years ago 1t came to pass that the Southern Ex- press Company came here and by some influence or other upon the Leglsla- ture got a special act passed. putting them upon an entirely different foot ing from the other corporations doing business in this State. 1 take 1t the object of this amendment which is pro- posed is to leave that class of legisla- ton now in existence which is in favor of that corporation. That ought not to be. If corporations doing business In this State are to pay license tax into the State Treasury, then all ought to pay it, and if they are to pay licenses to municipal corporation. who afford them police protection, whose streets they wear out, and where they obtain and solicit the business, they all ought to pay 1t to the cities and municipal corporations, and there ought not to be one favored corporation in this State doing business under special piece of class legislation, as that corporation has been doing for years. The purpose now is to put that class Legislation into the fundamental law of the State. There never was piece of legislation in this State that caused more dissat- isfaction to other corporations doing business in this State than that special act of the Southern Express Company. and I see upon the floor of this Con- yertion two or three gentlemen who can bear me out from the school of experi- ence. Other corporations when they have to pay city taxes, constantly come up and say how is this that there Is one corporation that does not have to pay any city tax whatever, while we have to pay it. This has caused dissat- isfaction, and has caused lack of har- mcny in the administration of the law. I hope that the motion to reconsider will not prevail. and l move to lay it upon the table.
 Mir. Wilson (Clarke)-I ask for the. ayes and noes.
 The call was not sustained.
 MT. Reese-I desire to make a par liamentary inquiry My information was that the gentleman formerly made a motion to reconsider. and that motion was laid upon the table, and he was now making a motion to take from the table.
 Mir. Wilson (Clarke)-The gentleman fl om Dallas is mistaken.
 The President-The recollection of the present occupant of the Chair is that the gentleman from Dallas is mistaken The question is upon the motion of the gentleman from Tuscaloosa to lay upon the ble the motion of the gentleman from Clarke to reconsider the vote by which th4 Article on Municipal Cor porations was ordered to third read ing.
 Upon a vote being taken a division was called for, and by vote of 50 ayes to 13 noes the motion to table prevailed.
 MT. Barefeld-I move that we do ad- journ.
 Mir. Wilson CClarke)-I make the point of no quorum.
 MT. O'Neal-The point of order comes too late.
 MT. Wilson (Clarkel-I was on my feet endeaVoring to make the point of