The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-26
Ward Says Revenue from Street Tax VIII Not Offset 0bjec-
 liens to Its Passage
RREWERIES LET OFF WITH
 TOO LITTLE. LICENSE
Mayor Claims Fire Limit Ordinance Is Violated By Passage of Certain Resolutions By the
 Council.

l his signature, and with the change in po- sition of one alderman this veto can be | sustained and probably will.
 The second is not quite a. veto. He turns | down the proposition to permit another frame building within the fire limits, and at the same time calls attention to the fact that the Alabama Great Southern's freight house permit was also not grant ed legally.
 The third calls attention to the at tempt of the council to let the breweries | off at fourth price, and several other 1 attempted changes in the license sched- ule, which cannot be made except by l ordinance. l The feature of the street tax veto is l the prophecy that 1t contains. Here are 1 the veto messages:
 Veto For Street Tax. January g, 1908. ] To the Honorable, the City Council of 1 Birmingham:
 1 Gentlemen-I' return herewith, not ap proved, the "street tax ordinance" While 1 the justice of this tax from many points of view cannot be questioned, do not be- lieve it will produce enough revenue to l justify the disturbance and bitterness 1t will cause at home or the misrepresenta- tion it will be responsible for abroad.
 The object of this tax is two-fold: 1 l. To help carry the city through the next 12 months pending it's financial re- mobilization.
 2 To reach those persons who do not contribute in any other way to the gov ernments support
 ! afa To frct iS probable the tax'wil1 produce over $15,000, | even with vigorous efforts, more espe- l cially as the garnishment clause Is illegal. Collections from all who refuse to pay must be by suit. Every one who has l had experience in courts knows what that l means. Even were garnishment legal, doubt the justice or wisdom of using such a weapon to force s and $4 costs more out of people, many of whom are | already unable to pay other s items, which are for the necessities of life
 It is now certain the city will be forced to borrow between $200,000 and $300000, if it can, to reach January next. Under such conditions believe it would be ! wiser to borrow a little more and not invoke the aid of harrassing tax that l is known to be temporary and which at best will furnish only small part of the relief needed
 Furthermore, our fiscal year has been
  January l. and if after the passage of a few months it becomes apparent that bor- rowing operations cannot be relied on, the council can still use this tax as g. last resort and commence collecting | July 1 next.
 Will Not Accomplish Object.
 In regard to it's second object I be- lieve the tax will do exactly what it is intended not to do. A large majority of the people who will be caught are all ready bearing the burden, viz merchants, wage-earners and professional men who have fixed places of work.
 The vagrants and willy boys who throng our loafing places will escape as | usual The same shifty qualities that enable them to look in on all the pie ture shows in town at least once day; to play pool and billiards from morn un- til night, and later all on somebody else s money, will enable them to elude all the tax collectors in the world.
 However. the shfty element, who will not pay and the high priced clerks who are willing to pay, constitute small majority of those who ares liable; there l fore the tax dwindles down at last to one more burden on those who pay every thing.
 It is a good principle to act on that when the masses are in distress the gov ernment should be medium Of relief, if possible, rather than an additional burden.
 At the present believe the condition of labor and trade should outweigh all other considerations.
 Labor is now lowering between reduced wages and no wages at all. Trade Is hanging in the balance and fiuctuating in sympathy.
 Such conditions are generally the sig nal for accidents, reverses and misfor- s,, fratN d ny1 and bounce upon those thrown in the ruck or found on the down grade.
 To individuals or families who can rely with certainty on their positions; their homes or their bread for only a few weeks ahead-oft-times not so long $3 becomes an item of tremendous im- portance and the possibility of having S4 added for costs of suits makes the propo- sition more serious.
 Viewed in it's broader aspect the tax will undoubtedly place Birmingham at a. disadvantage with other large cities. No city of its size now ever attempts such l a law.
 thousands who come and go-who hap pens to be caught for this tax will never stop spreading rumors of tyrannizing con- ditons around our otherwise fair reputa- tion out of all proportion to any B dam age done to him.
 | In returning the OfulHduce l Cetiiiiot Ic- frain from paying a tribute to the de- votion to the cty's interests shown by the aldermen who voted for this tax. It was an unpleasant thing for them to do, but each doubtless felt that 1t was the only way to keep the government run- ming and some doubtless overestimated the amount it would produce. Very re- spectfully, G. B. WARD, Mayor.
 Violates Fire Limit Law.
 January 23, 1908. , To the Honorable, the City Council of
 Birmingham:
 Gentlemen-I herewith return, not ap- proved, petition of Mrs. Charles Childs to add three rooms to a frame building, No. 2224 Fourth avenue.
 For the information of the board, will say that an ordinance of the city of Bir- mingham cannot be suspended by grant, ing a petition. If 1t is still the wish of the council to allow this petition 1t must be done by another method, yiz: amend the fire limit law.
 I will take the liberty again of sug- gesting that the board is not only making serious mistake in recognizing requests of this kind, but is violating moral ob- ligation with the Southern Tariff associa- tion,. which is expecting, and has hereto fore been acknowledging, strict enforce l ment of the fire limit law. In this connection call the attention of