The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-02-12
MIR, LEEDY TALKS
 ABOUT TAXATION Addresses a Letter to Senator
 Hugh Morrow ASSESS AT ACTUAL VALUE Gives Reasons Why Valuations Should Be Higher and the Tax Rate Lower-5eheves Corporations
 Should Be Encouraged.
ASSESS AT ACTUAL VALUE

W. B. Leedy of Jefferson has addressed a letter to Senator Hugh Morrow asking his ideas on certain matters of taxation that may come before the legislature in the general revenue bill.
 MT. Leedy takes a very firm stand rel ative to taxation, and alter carefully reading it's contents Senator Morrow an- nounced in Montgomery yesterday that he favored all the suggestions which 1t contains except the S1 tax on mortgages. MT. Morrow said he was opposed to this idea because he considered 1t double tax ation.
 The following is the text of MT Leedy's letter;
 MT. Leedy's Letter.
 "A tax to raise revenue to support a government is a necessity which none can deny, and all law-abiding citizens should contribute their pro rata share; but how to make a levy that will bear equally upon all is question that has disturbed the minds of lawmakers for centuries, and one likely to give law making powers the greatest concern.
 "The recent revenue bill has many ob- jectionable features, and it Is not my pur- pose to dissect that bill in detail and show the objections as they appear to me- The stamp tax feature is distaste- full in any form. The tax on notes is burdensome and onerous. The tax on mortgages of $1 per thousand in lieu of ali other taxes is just, for the reason a tks on the same footing, and will, in my opin- ion, bring out more money to lend, and will bring in more revenue than the old law of $2. 30 tax on resident lenders, and above all things will do away with the very unjust feature of double taxation; that is, a tax on the land and the mort gage. But change the mode so that the abomlnable stamp must not be used, but the tax of one-tenth be paid to the Probate judge in money when the mort gage is recorded
 75 Per Cent Tax on Merchant Hard
 'The tax on the merchant of 75 per cent based upon the amount of insurance carried, is a hardship and troublesome to arrive at, and can be easily avoided Dy QlSnODeSl ldADdN A ldA Oll BipoS receipts is highway robbery. There are many objectionable features, but as stat ed before I will not attempt to criticise section by section
 'Of course bill to produce suf- ficient revenue for the support of a gov ernment, economically administered and one that bears equally upon all is surely the desire of the committee.
 Many are the suggestions made; but I will offer a suggestion with the view of eliciting your opinion. My idea is to tax every living and creeping thing; let no guilty man escape, and tax everything at it's par or actua! cash value and not at 40 to 60 per cent of it's value as has been customary. This would reach every one, and while the value would be doubled the tax rate could be correspondingly de- creased, and morS revenue would be got ten. My reasons for this method are:
 Some Reasons.
 "1. To the world it will show the real and very large wealth of our state. This attracts attention.
 ''2 The very low tax rate will attract capital and Investments If this method of assessment was enforced 1t would bear equally upon the rich and poor.
 As for exemptions, I would exempt
 '1 institutions whose purposes are who'll ly benevolent.
 '2. Churches. Here we would draw the line, except I think it good policy to ex- empt for a term, new manufacturing plants, but not real estate upon which they are located.
 Again it has been suggested that the bridle be taken off, when consistent with good government, and restrictions remov- ed in the matter of granting charters to corporations to be formed in Alabama to do business in this or other states. This I think broad idea and would be pro- ductive of good.
 At your leisure kindly let me hear what you think of these crude ideas.
 DEW ID LAIE CnMIhn