The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-01
LETTERS TO
 THE PEOPLE.
MUNICIPAL TAXATION.
Some Thoughts on the New Consn- tution's Provisions in the Light
 of Experience.


 tution's Provisions in the Light
 of Experience.
 Editor The Advertiser:
 A member of the Convention left with me this morning the report of the Com, mittee on Municipal Corporations, anu since its consideration will brins m re- view the provisions of Section 10 Of the or dinance on taxation, I hope the follow ing discussion may not be inopportune;
 I desire to state some objections 10 tne action Of the Convention in regard 70 limitations on municipal debt and also m erty to pay for improvements on stree,s. No important matter has come petore the Convention in regard to which so tew delegates are well informed. rev hao given some attention to the subject 5e- fore coming to the Conventlon put tne expert knowledge of those who are pes. informed. has been derived rom VsIy narrow range of observation; ana u Is eTu .h. dent that no one has spoken from tne standpoint of a competent knowiedge oi the best results of experience. .,.,
 The result Is that the ordinance "aten ah, rate in some of the larger cities 200 or 300 per cent above the average oeot Ias. authorized by the organic law oI otneI States. and nearly 100 per cent nU aooVs .te sfe highest debt rate Iegalized by any Stu'e except California.
 Unless one of two extremely improbable things has happened, this is very ser ous mistake. Unless not only tne aVes- s age. but the highest, of the debt ratea es- tablished by Jaw in other states Is en- tirely too low; or unless the Alanama cities ailud d to have sour:.s of revenuS not enjoyed by other cities m the oM.eu States--unIess one or the other Of these conditions exirt. of which there is hoa sme slightest evidence--the Convention nas au, thorized the larger cities or tne Stast .o run their municipalities into pamhr sturv and thereby intiet most grieVous in)uIy upon the commerce and industries oi ths people. It may be that our cltles woulo not exercise the powers conlerreo so disastrous extent, but the ppopeI n;,es. ton is to prohibit altogether such oA"s'r- ous exercise of power. .a
 have seen private property onsrsn for sale at the Court Square touhtn.ah @ oraared by the United States District Court 70 pay interest on city bonds. have seen the City Building advertised TOT sac so sainsG ,a an the Uuised states Court the bonded debt of the city. l have seen me Mayor and Council sent to prison :a ac. count of their refusal to conform 70 tne such debts; but l have never known ns she . debt of the city to bear so dangsrous . relation to the value of her taxaoie prop erty, as it does in this good year oi iSI, authorized by the Convention. At the time I speak of. when United states courts were advertising our property ana imprisoning our city officials m 1ttenipts | to enforce the payment of the onliEatlons | of the city, the debt rate was IF 7s-loo per cent. It Is now 15 so-100: and under Sec | tion 10 of the ordinance on taxation Whlcn has been adopted by the h ,oo Sonyensl1h'f for lr purposes not specified and to an unlimited amount for school houses, sewers, wa terworks and street improvements; Inls section limits where there is little danger r4A when the temptation to extravasance IS | great. Is there any reason to believe | that we can provide for a deDt when ,n relation to our taxable property s aolnis ,.S E | that which forced us into repudiation ana compromise? Will the Convention auInor' | ize such reckless financerins? Will 1t al- | low cities to court financial rum py con tracting such unpreeedentea dsplst stu,.. | ton and gloom" which I have mentioned | Mir. M L. Moses entered upon the aalnin, | istration of our municipal geVernmehl m | tent and conservative Council; They 1 found an empty treasury, floating depl l of $l67 300 and the eity's credit so TOW that money could not be norroWea & al ,,,s 1eSs | than g per cent. per annum They com, ] promised the city debt at 75 cents on the | collar for which new bonds were issued | at low rates of interest-S per cent. lot five years. per cent for nve years anu rate was reduced from 1884 per cent to l.lE1s and when MT. Moses and the Council which served with him retired at tEe enc of his third term there oe was va ,ba no reSsurv o | Credit had been restored: put the cry had no occasion to borrow money at any l rate of interest" The Finance ComHltte's ' | m its final report, May. 1881, attributes al these benedcent results to reso,ure res .uu1 business tact, repression of the eVil ten. | dercy of most muni2ipal corpora'lohs,, ~ l extravagance, economy ana lne Tba, | tjor of ueeless appropriation ons iheS practiced the homely economy ~. ~ntb. tb. l fudCe Walker wisely commehden to tns M favorable consideration of the GonNenllor 1. C, ', | as A remedy for the Ills entallsu ns t. a, | over-issue of bonds: but the innatloh,s. ', ' bsd their ear, "strangulation,' the las,
 i1 boding progeny of extravagance penn | hrought into the Convention ana eAnIu H;rH,
 as the offspring of econonhsii thi, nyonriet, that they would not listen to the Suuse ecn anproved doctrine of applying tne eeu | norntcs of private business 10 tno iH"'
 agement of municipa! analrs. lru,bs-e q, | hid .Istrangulation' ever anyWne'o'y, y,Il at anytime result from economy anS D,[ financial ruin ever mock trosa'e'' "''N | "resolute business tact. .strorpula
 Bogie as 1t was tne cns.ion. cns e and MT 1 Weakley's substitution was adep.edd ,h,
 "Vhiist the thrift which followed .n' homeiy. but classical. economies, is,,,eppties tiseedd Use u;s,t py ' in Montgomery, the City Co1n
 stih htttiored aW1ie net the General Assembly 10 10 ell pet. to nave Commerce Street, th | autnii autnoii 's snSs ging to bear one-hal1 oi tn' | ont H,ithout borrowing dollar; anu nat na, Ue' ne the nroperty owners on tns s| Se l iil-advisedly, as they now nf navin, | feated the bill. hall the co'r out a
 the street would Gi,ln have 1s tSe HSen city. EaD
 l tn1 ann In favor of the sale or oonu pom. | ,a,, fnr permanent Improvements. out r | pcydent above mentioned snoWS Saht
 hsr cities are embarrassed ~ltn as u | thera Ia another and safer way to ,pa Pa TS f, | neritv than that offered by pr Ps oddi unlimited authority to contract "No' | tlonal debt. l., .,v,ss of oros | ,,sr;tv forget the lessons or aoVets'ttS
 PPnd so regularly have commerce ahu n. In l dmstrv made the disastrous rounu - o', n,
 nrosneritv to hard times, that Wtn WtiteLe S Si | economies have attempted 10 esta poosnar ssr
 law of the periodieity of panlcs. oraS,t
 is,V it" cnroes and with 1t inflated creaii anormnus business on borrowed eapl,Ha ,;a.
 ond reckless speculation. The nanset m iii
 % %reached-a great business house talS
 s,d then comes the plunge into the aoS , S ;.
 of the panic with failing banks and ma, tll%n kets, unemployed labor an9 genera e'-''
 "Tha most inflated of Hush times ore
 ..dnS the manic of 1857. Reckless expan
 sfon of business. imprudent porro"in
 and lending, wild speculation-at, W.h W | asencies and architects Of ruln,an tn
 clements of d Fools Paradise. tnous
 unperceived and unheeded, were presen pit ts
 in ideal potency and danger The Ihlts tS
 country like a cyclone; and all the neid
 of industry and trade were stre"n "i'
 Municipal officers. who are but for