The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-03

attempting to persuade him into acts,
some of which would be worthy of the
decisions of the debating society in a
modern lunatlc asylum. Every disgrnntled
man in the state feels that he is part
and PARCEL of the present administration.
and is attempting to make himself heard
in existing legislation.
There has never been Legislature in
the history of the state of Alabama in
which so many bills have been intro
duced Almost every man in the body
wants to regulate something or some
body; ana from what / have seen and
heard l really have human sympathy
for the man who has been elected gov
ernor on the existing political platform,
as it is construed down here.
But Governor Conner is right in push
ing the tax commission bill. 1t will regu-
late the assessments and the taxation in
each county. It will equalze. adjust and
make right that which has heretofore
been unequal in the state of Alabama.
The question of intangible assets will
be a serious one. l understand there is
to be an amendment to the present bill
made up largely from suggestions by the
governor himself, b. which the tax conf
missioners shall be permitted to simply
call witnesses to testify as to Intangible
assets Other matters of assessment
would be decided by the commission it
self from personal investigation; and the
commission will visit each county in turn
to pass upon the tax values as made by
the tax assessors of the several counties
The salaries provided by the bill for
the three state tax commissioners are
sufficient to warrant the employment of
good men and | believe that with good
men on the commission this law will
be benefit to the honest individuals and
corporations of the state, rather than
hurtful in any way to themselves or the
state in which they are doing business.
The Greater Birmingham BILL which was
about to go through in the shape it was
understood by the great mass of people
of Birmingham who had petitioned for it
mingham larger town, has been an
alyzed, amended and thrashed out until
1t is beginning to be understood, and if
Birmingham is to he made Greater Biz
minsham it will be made such on legti-
mate lines.
The bill originally introduced seems to
have provided for the classes as against
the masses. The man who owns much
land was to be exempted from taxation,
while the one who owns a little home
was to be taxed The manufacturing en-
terprises were likewise to be exempted;
and in the original bill I am told, that
everything from one end of Jones Valley
to the other could be annexed.
However, by virtue Oh the cafelulneSS Oh
some of the Birmingham people and the
efforts of Senator Miller and others rep
resenting Birmingham in legislative af-
fairs the matter of Greater Birming-
ham has been brought down to a reason
, able. practicable business proposition and
the result will be that nothing can get
within the city limits unless it bears a
just and fair proportion of taxation In
other words Birmingham is, and is to be,
city of equality and equal Justice to
ALL and each property owner must bear
his just burden and his just proportion
of taxation. If we cannot extend on this
line we should not extend at all l en-
Enthusiastically applaud the work of Sen
ator Miller in standing out against the
petitions signed by men who did not
know what they were signing, other than
confident in the belief that they were as
sistng to extend, and make Birming
hams population show up in proportion TO
the real growth of the town. If, how
ever, the original bill had passed. and a