The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-07
MONTGOMERY IS IN
 LINE ON TAX RAISE
Chairman Mitchell Addresses
 County Board of Revenue
WILL SET GOOD EXAMPLE
MT. Mitchell Regrets Wrongful Publi- cation to the Effect That Mont gomery Would Resist State
 Tax Commission Action.

Montgomery, June 6.--(Special) Judge J. J. Mitchell of the state tax commission visited the Montgomery county board of revenue today on the invitation of MT. Arthur Tyson, chairman of the board.
 He watched with considerable interest the proceedings of the board, as 1t was considering the values of different prop critics as assessed for taxes for the pres ent year.
 Before returning to the capitol, Chair man Mitchell expressed much qualification at the action of the board of revenue in adopting a resolution endorsing the state tax commission law and promising cor dial support in its execution. He said that recent publications to the effect that Montgomery county would decline to adopt the plans and policies of the state commission and would refuse to bring the values of the county up to an average of 60 per cent of market value had been un- fortunate in that it had the effect of mak ing other counties hesitate to do their duty
 Courts of county commissioners of North Alabama had said to him, We think the law is just and the policies of the commission fair, but it seems Mont gomery county refuses to comply and it would not be right to have our values raised if those of Montgomery are to re- main below the standard. MT. Mitchell said he had assured these courts that the publications were untrue, that he had the promise of the board of revenue of Montgomery county given without dis senting voice to bring Montgomery up to the standard.
 He then remarked that 1t was not con- ceivable that Montgomery county would put itself in rebellion against the laws of the state, that Montgomery was the capital county, the capital city of the state, a city set on a hill, as it were, by the people of the state, chosen above its fellows to be the pride of the state the center of its social and political life, and that an obligation rested upon Montgom- cry county and Montgomery city to set the standard for the balance of Alabama, an obligation to be an example of civic and political as well as social righteous ness; that Montgomery was the bene1ci- ary more than any other county or city in Alabama of the revenues of the state; that the state officers must of necessity make Montgomery their homes, that the employees in the various departments live here and here their earnings are spent, here the lawyers must come to present their cases to the supreme court, here the state conventions are held and 1t Is in conceivable that Montgomery should fall below the standard in bearing its share of the burdens of government.
 MT. Stewart, one of the three repre- sentatives of the city of Montgomery who sit with the board of revenue while engaged in the equalization of taxes, at the conclusion of Chairman Mitchell s remarks stated that the representatives of the city would cheerfully cooperate with the board of revenue in complying with the policies of the state commission. He said if the commission would have the other counties of Alabama come up to 50 per cent of market value they were perfectly willing to have Montgomery do the same, they wanted Montgomery to bear it's full share of the expense of state government.