The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-04


 tenn of sidewalk and street improve ment, and sewer improvement. by which the least hardship falls upon the people and all of the people in that community, I might say almost With out exception ,are satisfied with lt. Why I tell you that the Board Of AL dermen receive censure because they cannot proceed fast enough with the improvements demanded by the prop erty owners. The property owners In a section of the city will come and demand a sewer, and in order to build that sewer we have to issue bonds, and then the property owner, if he chooses, may pay in cash his assess ment, or he may pay 1t in annual in- stallments for ten years. The city seeing the danger, declined to proceed further until the bonds to be issued upon the work should be sold. Then they came in many instances guaran- teeing themselves to take the bonds, in order that the work might not be re- tarded.
 Now this provision would prevent all that. That bond is the indebtedness of the city, but 1t is secured to the city by a first lien upon the property i'm proved by it. Can a city grow without sewers? Can a city thrive without streets and with | out sidewalks? l say mo-. l say that the people in Birmingham who are | bearing the burden have not" uttered | cry of complaint. There has not been tho suggestion of complaint from them. I tell you, gentlemen. they are | not only satisfied, they are more than pleased with the existing conditions and the laws under which those great works of public improvement are be- | ing carried on there.
 Why. our county is now engaged in building a sanitary sewer that will cost over five hundred thousand dollars and may be three times as much. but then we are building great community. Gentlemen. this says mo city, town or other municipality shall become in debted in an amount exceeding five per centum of the taxable value of the property thereof" Birmingham is now exceeding 1t by ten per cent. There | fore you say to Birmingham, although our credit is still good. we are paying | the interest on our bonds, we gre maintaining our credit at home and abroad. and it becomes necessary some | times in advance to discount incom- | ing receipts from taxes in the course of current affairs. from day to day, or month to month. and we never have the slightest trouble
 MT. White-Is it not the fact that we have the means of paying that other cities have not, by the means of u amendment in the Constitution so as | to allow us to levy a tax to pay 1t?
 MT. Lowe (Jefferson)-I answer the gentleman that we have the means Of paying that no bankrupt city has. We have means of paying every dollar we | owe. and we now have the means of going to the banks. when our accounts are falling due and the rates from taxes have not been received, and get ting money at and per cent for six ty days, and ninety days. until the taxes come in. This would deny us that privilege. We would have to is- sue script from the minute that became | a law if we fell behind or else we would have to hound the tax payers from the instant his taxes became due. Now. I am in favor of the subs tttute offered by the gentleman from Dau- derdale. The fact that 1e is mayor of a city. and the fact that he has be- come from the very nature of his bus mess. as an honest and :ndustI ious man. and faithful public servant, an expert in municipal matters, ought not to discredit his statement here. His proposition is acceptable to me. It will be acceptable to my community. The proposition reported by the Com mittee Is destruction to the best inter ests of our commUnitv It stops our streets where they are. It stops cur sewers where they ara. and our side walks
 Mir Weakley-Will the gentleman al- low a question?
 Mir Lowe (Jeffersonl-Y"s.
 Mir Weakley-Would not the report of the Committee on Taxation make it absolutely impossible under any U,l . cumstances for the ,itY c; Birmingham to own its water works system?
 MT. Lowe (Jeffers Jnl-I am glad thet the gentleman has suggested Ii. was going to refer to it later. Our water works, MT. President. are worth more than a million of dollars. They are woI th more than three per cent, we VIII say. of the taxable value 0f :nliertv. This makes it utterly impracticabl@ for Birmingham to ever own her water works, the matter that has been cear to the hearts of her people and under consideration for many years being the project for the purchase If the wa ter works . :,
 MT. weatherIy-I wish to know If 1t is absolutely clear that that three Ter cent applies where the five per cent limit has been reached 1lready?
 Mr. Lowe (Jeffersonl--I am not sure \ ka AA la