The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-02-21
HOUSE MORNING SESSION.
Fulton Wanted Farmers to Act ol
 Stock Law

Stock Law. The morning session of the House began with prayer by pr. J. A. Rice of the Court Street Methodist Church.
 Seventy-six members answered to their names at roll call.
 MT. Fulton of DeKalb presented a res olution reciting the fact that as there had been so much discussion of the gen. eral stock law bill that the farmers of the House should meet in the House i'm mediately after adjournment. No action was taken on the reso ution. MT. Bankhead of Walker submitted a joint resolution declaring that in case the Legislature went to Mobile the members should receive no per diem for the two days on which they were absent from the Capitol.
 The Joint resolution was referred to the Committee on Rules. A bill introduced by MT. Goldsmith of Lowndes seeks to reduce the pay of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House from $1O per day to $6 per day.
 MT. Goodwin of Montgomery offered a motion that the vote by which the Maner bill consolidating the law and equity courts of Montgomery be reconsidered. Reference to the journal of the House
 
 that motion as he had made the same motion and had had it tabled at the ses- sion Thursday night when the bill was passed.
 A communication from Hon. R. R. Poole, Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, in response to a resolution of enquiry stated that the receipts up to the present time from the sale of fertilizer tags this season amounted to $5S, ,350 and from licenses $5S5.
 Revenue Bill Considered. Tn House then resolved itself into Committee of the Whole for considera- ton of the general revenue bill. When the committee had convened and MT. Lyons of Mobile had assumed the chair, MT. Minge of Marengo moved that the committee rise at once and report the bill to the House.
 MT. Lusk of Marshall objected. It was unwise, he said. for the House to stop the consideration of the revenue bill in the committee before 1t was completed, and | railroad 1t in that state through the House.
 MT. Rich of Mobile urged the necessity of quickly passing the bill. The measure he said, had been before the House all most since the Legislature convened and | the members were familiar with it's pro- visions. --- A vote having been called the commit tee refused to stop the consideration of the bill or report it back to the House The question recurred to the amend ment proposed Thursday by MT Lon don. striking out the provision of the bill deductikg from the tax valuation of corporations Alabama and United States bonds, held by them these being exempt from location.
 MT. Benners of Jefferson had offered an amendment to the amendment confning the exemption to insurance companies Mobile Insurance Companies.
 It was generally understood that 1the two amendments related only to two Ala bama insurance companies at Mobile
 MT. London led the fight against the provision. The trouble with the revenue machinery of State, he said was faulty assessment of property. If the provision was put in the bill another portion of the revenue of the State would be cut off
 MT. Rich of Mobile opposed the amend ment and supported the provision. The insurance companies he argued were on a different basis from other corporations They were, he said. required to invest their capital in easily convertible secu- rities.
 MT. Hoffman of Mobile supported and .
 Mir. Simpson of Lauderdale spoke for the provision. It was aimed by the com mittee said MT. Simpson, to prevent the indirect taxation of non-taxable securi- ties.
 MT. London was successful In his fight, the House adopting his amendment and defeating that of Mir. Benners.
 The whole section was left out.
 Tax on Express Companies.
 To the section taxing express companies MT. Maner of Montgomery offered an amendment by reducing the license tax from &OOO to 5000. He thought that the former figure was too high in view of the municipal taxes that were now charged.
 MT. Simpson said that the representa- tive of the large express company doing business in Alabaml had appeared before the committee and expressed himself as satisfied with the license tax.
 At this juncture the Maner amendment was withdrawn.
 Mir. Lusk. of Marshall, proposed an amendment placing a privilege tax of $10o on all railroads in the State
 He made a forcible and earnest speech for his amendment The small assess ment of railroad property in Alabama. was he said the reason why the State
 
 He contended that all railroads. accord ing to their tax valuations, shrank as soon as they crossed the State line.
 Value of Railroad Mileage. He wanted to know why the main stem of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was worth $37.5O0 a mile in Tennessee and dropped in value to $lS,5OO a mile as soon as 1t crossed into Alabama. Even with the privilige tax the railroads would pay, he said, $23 a mile less than they were now paying in Tennessee.
 He said, too, that the Nashville, Chat | tanooga and St. Louis Railroad in Ten nessee was valued at s38, 900 a mile, but 1t dropped to $4, 900 a mile when it crossed | over into Alabama.
 Speaker Tunstall on the floor called the attention of MT. Lusk to the fact that he was reading from the wrong page of the Auditors report. He was, the | Sneaker pointed out, reading from the table of side tracks instead of the main line.
 MT Lusk admitted the error in that particular, but he asked why there was such a discrepancy in the Tennessee and Alabama valuations of the property of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company.
 Tuscaloosa Foster Speaks.
 MT. Foster of Tuscaloosa opposed the Lusk amendments and he replied to the arguments of MT. Lusk. The Tennessee and Alabama system of assessment. he said differed. h Ten rtssee he said, main stem and side 6Confjnued on Fage Eight.l