The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-06

. down that win not work inequality an
 injustice to some of your most Import ant cities, and which will really an indeed be SO well founded in reason that you may afford to put ft in you organic law.
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-Mr Presi dent. if the city which have the homo in part to represent, were not vitall interested in this question, would no
 trespass upon the time of the Conven ton.
 It seems we have mixed in the dis
 cuseion of this question two proposi
 tions. One Is whether the rate for To
 cal benefits ought to be curtailed ant the powers of municipal bodies as~t,
 that. limited. As to this last proposi
 tion. I am in hearty accord with tn,
 gentleman from Montgomery CMr
 Macdonald) upon my right. But I seems in order to force favorable ac
 tion on that propositlon; some of oul
 friends, to my apprehension. have un
 to go in debt for other purposes, ant
 seek to confine them to narrow and un
 safe limitations.
 What is the condition of Montgom
 cry? am satisfied nobody here want
 to throttle anybody if they know 1t
 It is because believe some of the dele
 gates do not know that they will chokt
 Montgomery if they adopt the substi
 ute of the gentleman from Madison that I call their attention to these fg ures.
 The city of Montgomery has an as sessed value of real and personal prop erty of $12,5550 900. It has a total debt of N.s7s.000 in round numbers. not in. cluding therein, approximately. $1O0. .00f of what are called "baby bonds" Of that indebtedness 6o0.000 is for water works. and that debt will take care of 2T9e50 or about 10 per cent of the as- sessed value of all of the taxable prop erty in the city.
 If the substitute offered by the gen. tlenian from Madison is adopted. what
 becomes of Montgomery have great reluctance to differ from the gentle man from Madison. for have often avowed my admiration for his common sense and honesty of purpose. I think,
 however. in that substitute, he has. un- intentionally. struck blow as cities in the condition of Montgomery.
 Now let us take an account and see where we are. what has this debt been contracted for. outside of the water works debt? Five hundred thousand dollars was to build . railroad years ago. the completion of which prevented the town from drying up and getting In the condition of the town of Ca- haba. Whatever may be said about that debt and the taxation for it, 1t was 8 beneficial investment. will further say that 1t was voted by the people, sometime before the city actu- ally incurred the debt. I believe the Supreme Court declard the act, under which the election was held, to be un- constitutional. The balance of the debt is for sanitary sewers. street paving. storm sewers and school bonds, in round numbers about $600, 900. 1t is to this expenditure and our magniff- cent sewers that the city Is indebted to its practical escape three years ago from yellow fever. which was confined to one part of the city. and which outside of the alarm and the death of few good men. did no real damage to the city. We have death rate. believe. as low as any city on the continent. This is due to our ex- pendlture for water and sewerage. We have a growing city. We need to ex- tend our system of sanitary sewers and under this limit we cannot do it. Our people are proud of our school houses. They are a good investment, and If we want to- put up more we can't do it. I ask the Convention if 1t is wise. If 1t is right, If 1t is just, especially in view of the fact that we may take 1t for granted that hereafter all debts will De required to be approved by majority vote of the tax payers, to put the city of Montgomery in Ia condition where she must stand still, and oan not ex- tend It's sewerage when needed. and may. perhaps. be compelled to go Lack wards.
 Mir. sanford-when you pay your debts you can go forward.
 MT. Jones (Montgomary)~-Som a man is not able to pay debts. al- he can pay interest. and some- times if he is honest and wants money and needs bread and meat, and has a family which will starve without it, it Is wise to leave 1t to the people he deals with to determine whether to credit him. He ought not to be cut off from the use of his creditors.
 Mir. Walker-May l interrupt the 
 Mir. Jones (Montgomery)-wni that come out of my timer
 The President pro tem-Yes.
 Mr. Jones-Then. hope he will make It short.
 Mir. Walker.-The suggestion in be- half of Montgomery, Birmingham and perhaps some other cities in the State goes to show that they are not in po- sition to stand this kind of a limita- ton. because of what they have done n the past. Would not that objection be obviated by adopting the scripturai and excepting the prodigal ,ons from this limitation?
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-Unques- ,ionably 1t would. but we cannot tell whether this Convention will accept hat mode of relief. We have had these up for several days, and We do not know what the Convention will do. So we must fight for an acc ,eptable proposition at all points.
 Now. I wish to state another fact bout the city of Montgomery which Illustrates the unwisdom of cast iron provisions in regard to We are restricted to me half of one per cent for current xpenses. It is the universal experi- nee of every one connected with the | ity government that they cannot do l t. Although I fall in that class to l which allLsion was made by my dis | insuished- friend from Montgomery l nd no man loves him better, an ex- Herman. I desire to give my experi- | nee and to say that during ten years | n the City Council with such men as | ieorge W. Stone. Jno. W. Durr, we | ound the city could not live on the fif- y cents. What is the result? It drives | hese corporations to do many of the l hings of which such just complaint is | made. They arc bound to have rev. nue and they reach out everywhere l