The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-16
"A LAME AND IMPoTENT coNCLU-
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SION.v
 It was the special privilege of Sena- tor John A. Lusk, of Marshall. to pose as the special guardian of the interests of Gov. Conner in the Legislature. One had but to see him walk or watch him when in meditative mood to conclude at once that the whole weight of re- sponsibiltty~ rested upon his broad clude that he is still a representative and spokesman of the inner circle and that what he says must be regarded as having the administration mark of | approval A few days ago at Fort Payne. in DeKalb county. which by the way, Is in the Congressional Dis ! trict whose representative he has un- successfully sought to be, he essayed to defend the acts of the administra- ton and legislature. He is reported to have made this deliverance as to | the tax commission law.
 r He said he regretted the fact that the tax commission had caused so much trouble in DeKalb county; that 1t had | never been intended for the men who | owned forty acres of land and were | referred to the fact that over 700 men had been summoned before the board of commissioners in this county to have their taxes raised from $2o to $200, and said the law was for large corpo- rations of which many had been rais- ed several millions of dollars.
 Now to use common Expression he is giving away. the plan of salyation."l Here is the leader declaring that the measure for which the governor and his chosen leaders claimed so much credit, was never intended to do what it set out to do. viz: equalize taxation, but | to do the large corporations" This is plain repudiation of the doctrine of equal rights for all, special privileges for none" and in it's stead a shameful l declaration that leading measure of the administration was a humbug and sham. But the 700 men who were sum- moned to the DeKalb Court House, to tell why their property valuation | should not be largely increased for tax ation purposes could tell him that no matter what was intended, the effect was to harrass them and take more money from their pockets to fill the coffers of the State. Their actual ex- perience will nullify the great lead er's declarations.
 If. as Mir. Lusk says, the tax com mission was only intended to hit and the three tax commissioners travelled over the State, laying down the ulti- matum to county officials to bring up property values for the tax books or we will come back and do it our
 selves. Why have assessment values
 of all property owners been raised
 to greater extent, than was ever
 before known if it was only intended
 to hit corporations. The sum of $23,-
 900 has been set apart to pay salaries and expenses of that tax commission, a
 sum that would not be needed if 1t
 was not intended to hit and harry ev- cry man and woman in Alabama for
 tunate enough to have a bit of prop
 erty. Senator Lusk has damaged his
 cause by such a statement as he made
 at Fort Payne. All taxation must be
 equal and it is an outrage to pick out
 one class only upon which to place one
 rous burdens If MT. Lusk can make
 no better defense of the administration
 and legislature than this he had bet
 ter give up all idea of succeeding John
 Burnett in Congress.