The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-16

of the County as being tno uuH< ok - local taxation. am insfavcr of . t1ek and fair and equitable dtstrfnutlon eS the funds raised by this method oe- tween the races. I am opposed to tho proposition contained in . measure that would give to the white people tho money raised by taxation of the wh1te people. and to give to the coiored per pie the money raised by taxation of the colored people. I think that the lawyers upon this floor ha ye the better argument who contend that the propo~ sition would be a violation of the four teenth amendment of the United Statee
 I contend, Mir. Psesideat. that 1t would be a violation of the fundamental pr1u- ciples underlying the whole question of taxation for public schools. fl we subscribe to the doctrine that thcee who pay the taxes are to get the oen- eft of the moneys raised by taxa&ions then we necessarily would carry It to individuals, into communities, thak means to say that the rich countiee ox the State who will contribute thirty cents on the one hundred dollars un- der the provisions of this NConstitutions for the common schools and who nave not sufficient population to get more than one-third of that back say ten cents. on the one hundred dollar. should not be compelled to contrioute the other twenty cents. That would
 he inc position of the County of Jef-
 ferson. which will get back under tnis
 proyision a little more than one-third
 of the money paid under this prove-
 ion a little more than one-third 0f the
 money paid under this three miiI tex: Garry the argument further. It wouo
 mean that the poor counties of t1e
 state could not get any penenN Industrial corporations and the de. velopment of your unsurpassed nsturs. resources. and therefore snoulo rey entirely upon the local ccndttion ano the wealth in the commWlty n wsS. sSs thev live. I undertake to say tnat tns rn;noritv on this committse would
 not subscribe to that policy. The gen-
 tieman from Limestone, for Example. '
 am ouita sure in his county they eet
 more iu proportion for pubic scnoo,s
 than they pa~ into the State trsasurys
 than th.. county of Jefferson wouie pe
 willing to turn over the excsss tnros
 mills taxes beyond the number CT cnti-
 dren that they have to enjoy the pans.
 fits. Carry the argument fursners H
 would mean that the great cisy ek
 Montgomery, or the city or Moptes "
 Birmingham paying two-ffeas. possi~
 bIy one half, maybe more--ta my ceun-
 ty it pays two-fifths of the taxes tn the county, would net divide up eno whack up with the poor beats m " county. Carry the argument ueclo further. The rich man would get tho benefit of the money for his children the comparatively rich man would ees the benefit of the money for his chii- dren, and the poor man the benent 0x the taxes paid for his childrens ana frally the corporation which fs not . matter of flesh and blooO and never participates either as a parent or chtl0s ought not to pay anything at all. am therefore opposed to the principle uti- deriving the proposition of paying out the money raised by one race to that or by one county to that county. or by one community to that community. or by one individual to that individual. Now the question may properly arise what right have we to tax at all for
 education. Why not tax to clothe the
 children, to feed the children ana to
 bury them when dead. to provide them
 with doctors just before they die and
 with lawyers to administer afterwardsf '
 The answer to that proposition Is that
 these things are necessary evils and
 that the individual must bury thenls
 but education is a blessing t-nd 1t Is q necessary condition to prosperity. safe- ty and civilization and to the growth of this country. Statistics arc snnu.nsr-
 able to demonstrate the fact that ed- ucation in any commonwealth bids prosperity; in otherf words, the greater l the education the greater the prCduct- l i've capacity of the commonwealth. and inasmuch as the production of the ccnl-
 monwealth is but the aggregate pro- | duction of the individual, hence that
 which increases the productive capacity of individuals, is the only excuse q at we have for taxing anything, state, | county or individual, fer the purposes of education. Now the only objection | that I have to this report Is that 1t | fixes it at ten cents. am fire to con- fess that 1 prefer the report offeyed l by the Committee on Taxation wt.ch
 gave each county a margin between the | sixty-five cents, the maximum State | tax and the maximum county tax, I | would prefer that. want to say, in my | judgment, if this provision for local | taxation is defeated yo1 will have | taken a backward step :n education.
 The question was asked me when it was pending if I would advoclt a reduc- | ton to sixty-fve cents. if I would vote | for it If I knew 1t. would not pass. | did not feel at that time that 1t was necessary to give my case away. but
 say to you frankly that I expected
 this great Convention to rise to the co.
 casion and give the people who desire | the opportunity to tax themselves.
 believe 1t Is a wise provision. New there are some counties in the State l that do not need it. We'll. then. if you
 do not need 1t you need not have it. There are other counties in the State
 who do need 1t, and if they want 1t,
 you ought not to deprive them of 1t. I
 believe the great county of Jefferson Is | getting along very we'll today with | educational institutions, but we ,an tna- prove on them and I want the cppor- tunity to be a unit. I do not want to
 confined it to the beat, city. | district nor the town, want
 the outlying districts to get the bene-
 tfis of our industrial cities that are
 being built up in the county. I eeree
 with the gentleman from La1deriaie that this is an innovation, and I agree
 so far as giving the negro the respon-
 sibility in the matter is concerned.
 1t Is a wise innovation, and as | in-
 formed him privately, would be will
 ing to support some provision of that kind if it could be done so as not to
 conflict with the Constitution of the | United States, to make him the truf tee
 of his part of the fund. would have
 no objection to that proposition. be- | lieve 1t would be a step In the right di-
 rection and aid in influencing the char acter of this dependent race. to en- | courage them in that line, but that | can he done as I understand If undeF