The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-27
COMMERCIAL CEUB
 ON REVENUE BILL
Objections to Certain Features
 of the Measure
THE UNJUST PROVISIONS
Resolutions Protesting Against Basis of Assessments on Merchandise and Stamp Tax on Notes.
 Committee of Fifteen.

The Commercial club held a special called meeting yesterday afternoon at o'clock in the club rooms over the First National bank. President Roden outlined the object of the meeting. which was to take action on two clauses of the revenue bill recently introduced in the state iesis- lature providing for tax on all notes, mortgages bonds and other evidences or debt and the assessment fot taxation or mercantile establishments at 7S per cent of the insurance carried.
 s. W. Lee, Tn order to get the matter before the club, moved the adoption of the following resolutions:
 Mir. Lees Resolution.
 Be it resolved by the Commercial club of Birmingham, That this club is inn pressed with the fact that the provisions in the proposed revenue law offered in the legislature, under which merchants will be required to assess their stocks at seventy five (7O per cent of the amount of insurance thereon will demand the assessment of such stocks at far higher valuation than other property is assessed at particularly real estate, our stocks bearing the same relation to our business that land does to the farmer or the road bed to railroad, and that it should be the object of all taxation to assess all property at the same relative valuation, and further that this tax in addition to heavy license and property tax we are required to pay the cities and towns in which we 1o business, will prove too great a burden on our business.
 Therefore we respectfully call the at- tention of the legislature to these facts rand earnestly and respectfully petition and request them not to place this pro- vision In the revenue law.
 MT. Joseph Speaks.
 M V Joseph speaking on the resolu- tion, said: "I heartily endorse the resolu- tion, and hope the club will adopt it. The enactment of a new revenue law as- sesslng merchants at 75 per cent of the amount of insurance they carry would be an extreme hardship to the merchants of the state It would be an unjust discrimin- ation against merchants, and would re- tard the commercial interest of the whole state As merchant and as member of this body hope the club will take de- cided action against it."
 B. F. Moore.
 B. F. Moore-This measure probably strikes some as fair and reasonable. but a. tax in order to be fair must be equit- able. This tax undoubtedly discriminates against merchants, for 1t does not strike anyone holding personal property. It singles out merchandise Merchandise must carry proportionateiy heavier insur- ance than any other form of property. We are willingsto pay fair taxes and do our part, but we don't want to be dis criminated against.
 Mayor Drennen.
 Mayor W. M Drennen-There is no doubt this tax would be hardship. It would assess merchants too high, for they carry their insurance up to the limit and a good business man realizes that 1t behooves him to carry all the insurance possible.
 Colonel Bush.
 Col. T. G. Bush-I fully agree with the previous speakers Having had some experience in the mercantile business I know that frequently a merchants stock is insured for a larger amount that be has on hand, because he carries smaller stock at certain times during the year than at others have noticed that legis- lators in preparing revenue bills lock around to see who can stand it best, and they usually light on the merchants be- cause they are the easiest to get at. The whole trouble is in the raiiure to enact law that will bring about a uniformity of values As a rule land in this state is not assessed above 4o per cent of it's value In addition to objecting to this measure we ought to insist on uniformity. President Roden then put motion on adopting the resolution and it carried unanimously.
 B. F. Moore then stated before the club that there was another objectionable feature of the same bill and offered the following resolutions
 Another Resolution.
 Whereas, The members of the Commer~ cial club of Birmingham deem it their duty to protest against the enactment into law of sections nine (s) ten Q0) ana eleven CID of an act ito be entitled an act to better provide for the revenue of the state.,' now before the legislature;
 And whereas The stamp taxes proposed by those sections would not fall upon the hanks. but upon the people who borrow money thus increasing the burdens upon the debtor class; therefore be 1t
 Resolved, That the president and sec retary of the Commercial club be request ed to take such steps as may be neces- sary to call attention of other commer- cial bodies of the state at large to the evils of the sections referred to and to use every effort to defeat them; and be it further
 Resolved, That copy of this resolution be sent to each member of the Jefferson county delegation. with instructions to use their influence in defeating It.
 Objectionable Measure.
 Mir Moore said that4fhis r1ea asiire wa