The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-20
TUNSTALL TAX BILL
(COntinued from Pare Oveh

u-o "o ueIeated, put the yea and nay vote showed yeas "a. nays 2.
 water Power Plants Exempted.
 A companion bill to the one passed was the bin to encourage the develop ment or the various unused water pow CTS in the State by exemption from taxation for period of ten years all water power planAs built. It was passed without debate.
 The rules were suspended to consider House bill 1290. to promote and secure the erection of factories for the pur- pose of manufacturing cement in the State. This was also bill to exempt from taxation for a period of ten years. It was passed 40 to s7.
 Taxation Blll Comes Up.
 Mir. Tunstall's bill to require each and every oficer. each and every ofi- cial body, tribunal or court, whose duty 1t Is to assess or value property for taxation in, the State. to assess or value the same at 50 per cent. of its cash market value, was the next bill taken up.
 In support of his bill Mir. Tunstall said he had reached an agreement with the chairman of tho committee to make the taxable rate 50 per cent; or the cash value. The bill. he said, would permit of a just equalization of taxes, everybody being assessed at the same rate. It would prevent any falsify- ing of returns as no one could oD1ect to giving in his proper valuations.
 The bill would not have the enect of ofipplinx the States revenues nc said, and quoted figures from the Au- ditor to Drove his statement. Conserv- alive estimates, he declared. placed the tax receipts at about $3s5.00o above the present appropriations.
 The bill was opposed by MT. John of Jefferson, who argued that the meas ure would place the control of the State in the Federal courts. Under the bill. he said. corporations would be hl- ing suits that they were being discrim- mated against and a Federal s ,uass would have an opportunity of tieing up the whole of their taxes. Mir. Johns argument was supported by MT. Maner of Montgomery. He had fairly started on his speech when the House recessed for lunch.
 MT. Maner resumed the discussion on the tax bill when the House met in the afternoon The friends of the bill, he said, were those who voted for tho large appropriations. They voted for | appropriationv for educational pur- others, all of which was right and proper.
 But these same members want to put | 1t up to the Governor to come here and say we have not money enough to meet these appropriations.
 No Raise On Farm Property. The present Tax Commission has not raised the tax on rural property 5 per | cent. It Is the big corporations that have had to raise their tax valuations Several of the members objected tc | Mir. Maner's statement that rural prop. | erty assessments had not been raised | per cent and in reply MT. Maner dehed | any member of the House to refuts his statement.
 The friends of this bill, he said. were l trying to throw obstacles in the way oi fair administration of the affairs ol | this State. He submitted that the bill | tried to put the Governor in an em. barrassing position. The men who hat | been lodging their taxes had been put. ting in their valuation at 20 or 20 pei l cent. while the rural people are putting in the full valuation
 MT. kornegay. of Dallas said ht considered this one of the most import ant measures brought before tn, House. He was with the administra ton and is still with 1t. because he be lieved 1t was right. He said he wal for the bill because he believed it wal right and because his people wanted | and Also believed it right.
 The people do not want high taxes The State had made great progress, ] he said, and Alabama's tax rate is ad mired by all the country. We hay, managed under the low tax rate to rol up s2OOO.OO0 in the treasury, whici these gentlemen have come here ant voted away" He hoped every man fl the House would support the measure l Bulger Grows Eloquent. l MT. Bulger agreed with the las speaker in that this was the most i'm portant measure that could come befor, the State in that it attacked the Tiff | blood of the State.
 l He doubted not that every member on the floor had promised his people this would be one of the measures tha would receive his attention. There i. no wonder that the cry comes from | every section of the State, equalize tn, taxation. And now the gentleman comes from Hale to do what? Inter rupt the work of the Tax Commission that has been appointed, and shield thu corporations who have always beer tax dodgers. . He for one would stand by the ad ministration and see that the honol of Alabama was upheld. The admin istration is doing this and he proposed to vote against any measure whici would put hindrance in its way. | Mir. Hughston of Lauderdale said f
 
 issues of the State. the vital and inn portant measures, it would come ou on this plant and vote against the bill
 Mir. Urquhart iof Jefferson said grea pressure had bAen brought upon hin in connection with this measure. I was undoubtedly the people who fo long years had been steadily evadinf | their taxes who were making the mos | trouble on this tax question. | Wants Surplus in Treasury.
 He thought that Alabama ought t' have enough surplus in the Treasur. to make appropriations when they ar, needed
 Look at this hall if you wish.
 have been in many capitals in thu | country and have seen none so infe rior as is the Cradle of the Confeder acy.
 we ought not to fix hard ane fast law regarding the taxes. w | might give the Governor power tt lower the taxes. but I do not thinkNi would be right to allow him to rais' them I believe the measure the ad ministration is adopting regarding thu taxes and it's Tax Commission is al that the State needs"
 | Speaker Carmichael resigned thu chair to MT Arnold of Calhoun, ant took the floor He said he felt positive that when vote was taken on the Dill it would be killed.
 "The proposition is to do just wha We are doing" he said The propo sition Is to fix valuation at 60 per cent of the market value. Is not tho com mission which the Governor appointe,