The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-04

interest of truth, and as preventive of an epidemic of sickness among members of this Convention and their families, one or both, be 1t resolved by the people of Alabama in Conven. tion assembled, that the said resoiu- tion No. 1S4 which offers a premium of A per day for sickness, be and the same is hereby repealed.
 Referred to Committee on Rules. MT. weakley-The substitute for Sec tion 10. which has been read to the Convention, Is Section 8 of the report of the Committee on Municipal Cor porations. The question of fixing a proper debt limit for the cities of Alabama Is very difficult proposition. The people who have investigated the financial condition of the various municipalities are convinced that there should be placed some restrictions upon the pow CT of municipalities to incur debts. At the same time we must remember that under the Constitution under which we have been living for the last twenty five years there has been a limited power on the part of cities to raise | money by taxation and an unlimited power to increase debts, A great many of the cities of Alabama, in fact nearly all have incurred tremendous amounts l of debt, far in excess of that which ought to be incurred by any city, the | affairs of which are prudently conduct | ed. For the purpose of ascertaining | how debt limit placed in this Con- stitution would affect the various cities of Alabama. have instituted ap in | quiry and I will present to the Con- vention the substance of that so far | a . fhA val fa o fau nf a leading cities of Alabama.
 | The city of Birmingham has an as-
 sessment valuation of s15 100000. It's debt is somewhere in the ne.ghborhood
 of $2,000.00p. in other words. absut Ia
 per cent.
 The city of Bridgeport. North Ala
 bama. has a bonded debt of 31 per
 cent. of its assessed valuation.
 Decatur has an assessed valuation of
 $675,000, and 10 per cent. debt.
 Dothan has an assessed valuation ot
 $45o,0 and an 8 per cent. debt.
 The city of Eufaula has a valuation
 of s2,700,OOO and 1-2 per cent. debt.
 Gadsden has a debt of II 1-2 per cent
 Huntsville was an assessed valua tion
 of $2.S40, 900 has a debt of per cent.
 Mobile with an assessed valuation oi
 S15.SS0,000 has total debt of $3,100, GOO.
 or about 20 per cent.
 Montgomery with an assessed valua-
 tion of $12, 800 900 has a debt of IS per cent.
 Selma with a valuation of s4,6s2, ,0oo
 has $324.000 debt or 2-10 per cent.
 Tuscaloosa with an assessed valua-
 tion Of N,576.0ooo, has a debt of per
 cent.
 Bessemer has a per cent debt, Flor
 ence per cent. debt and Ozark 4 l.:
 per cent.
 So the gentlemen of the Convention
 will see 1t is a difficult proposition tc
 find the exact limit which should be
 placed on the powers of a city to ere
 ate a debt that will not create some
 hardship or prevent cities from carry.
 ing on some necessary and muuch need.
 ed improvements.
 The Committee on Municipal Corpor-
 ations after full discussion and con.
 slderation of this matter reached tho
 conclusion that in the first place there
 should be no limit fixed upon the power
 Of the cities to create a debt for tn.
 purpose of purchasing water works ol
 acquiring system of water works ol
 system of sewerage. These tw,
 items of public utility are st
 necessary to the public healti
 and the public good that it ought
 under all circumstances to remain
 within the power of the people to built water-works and a sewerage system
 Apart from the fact that consideration
 of health and public safety require tn, construction of water-works and sew craze, it is also an admitted fact tha no enterprise which produces a revenu to the city should be regarded in fixin, the debt limit of the city. I wish t take up the time of\ the Convention
 long enough to read a short item iron , paper prepared by the Honorsbl
 Bird s. Coler, Comptroller of Nev York City. who is high authority up on all questions pertaining to municipa
 indebtedness. He says:
 ,, ''I wish to state clearly my apprecia ton of. and adhel ence to. the wisdom of constitut ional restrictions on the in debtedness of cities. These restric tions are to be found in the Constitu , tions of nearly all our States. and hay 1, been upheld both in letter and in spiri by the decisions of our courts. The, have undoubtedly served to prevent tn
 financial ruin of many small cities which in the hands of interruptions DO litical adventures would otherwis
 have undergone disastrous experiences Yet this constitutional limitation ha itself it's limitations. It should not b made a fetish to be worshiped blindl
 at the expense of really necessar progress.
 If the competition which exists toda . between nations and cities, as well , | between individuals, to stand sti ] means to retrograde. and if it shoul ) happen that choice must be made be 5 tween stopping the modernlzation c New York an1 amending the Constitu 2 tion, am in favor of the latter course ] provided no real danger to the city credit and solvency be thereby threat ened.
 believe the clause in the Constitu tion limiting municipal indebtedness T wholly admirable at the time 1t wa T written--is not altogether adapted modern requirements. in that It doe D not discriminate sufficiently betwee
 two classes of city debts of who'll different character.
 n A city issues bonds only for perma Q nent improvements, the benefits C g which inure to posterity. But theT I are two classes of these Improvement s easily distinguishable from one an ] other, and between which sharp dis s tinction should be drawn. In one of these classes are improve @ nents which, while adding to the al
 tractiveness, beauty, and healthfulnes I of a city, to its economical administrs r ton, or to the better conduct of It's goN ernmental functions, bring in no diret S financial returns. This is by the ereC e tion of public buildings. includin
 schools, the acquisition of parks, an S the repaving of streets. No matte r how great the material benefits ma r be that are derived from such improve h y,,anfS the expense incurred is unquei