The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-18
CITIZENS POINT OUT
 NEED FOR VIGILANCE
Four Voting Places In Birmingham. Polls Will Close at 5 O'Clock In the Country
 Precincts.

and courth ouse for Bessemer will be put up to the voters tomorrow, and upon them rests the responsibility of choice in matter of vast importance.
 The campaign committee believes that it will win. but bases this pre- dietion only on the hope that every patriotic thinking voter will leave his business and cast a vote for the bonds. We know that the opposition is at work. Men for purely selfish reasons are doing all they can to defeat this isssue," said B. Asbury Thompson. We do not claim the victory by any great majority.
 We simply say that if the men who favor the measure and who see that it will be saving investment for the county will not only vote but spend the day at the polls and work just as hard as the opponents undoubtedly will, then within a short time Jeffer- son county can start to work on the erection of a courthouse that will be credit to her citizenship"
 This is an economic question which would be taken up by any board of directors on earth" said ". B. Pink hard yesterday. The practical proposi- tion before the Board of Revenue if the bond issue does not carry will be to spend s150,O00 putting the present county jail in such sanitary shape that the state authorities will permit the prisoners to be incarcerated
 "The state jail inspector has every authority to remove all the prisoners from the jail and he has served notice that he will do so if work on improve ments is not immediately begun. Tt will cost the public more should the board be forced to spend $15O.OO0 out of the general fund which is being used for other purposes equally as inn portant and where there is any sur plus in this fund, 1t may be applied on the roads.
 "On the other hand the bond issue will bring $6O0.OoO into the district, and will not cost the voters one addi- tiona1 cent. Within two years, if the present growth of the district con tinues, the courthouse will either have to be enlarged at a great cost from the treasury of the county, or court
 
 buildings, to the awful inconvenience of everyone having anything to do with the court.
 We must look at this from the economical viewpoint, and then every body should get out and hustle before it is too late"
 "The question of taxes seems to bc worrying the people in the rural pre- cincts considerably" said Job Going, president of the Board of Revenue, yes- terday afternoon. ''In Birmingham and Bessemer the matter is thoroughly un- derstood and there Is little doubt as to the outcome of the vote in these two places. But in the. rural districts false impression that taxes will be increased # the issue carries seems to have gained considerable ground.
 "It might be well to state, by way of correcting this misunderstanding, that the taxes are already as high as they will be. At present the tax rate is 65 cents each for state and county and Jefferson coun- ty has a lower tax rate than any other county in the state.
 "The assessed value of property in Jef-
  When the present courthouse was built at a cost of $250,0O0 the assessed value of property was a little more than s5,5OO,- 00o In other words, in the course of about 20 years the assessed value of property in Jefferson county has increased about SS5,000,00O It Is safe to say that by 1912 the assessed value of property in this county will be s1OO.o00OOO, which will give the county s675.O00 year in cash money, Last year the tax rate was 70 cents, but 1t was reduced to 65 cents this year. It son county will continue to increase in value and if the bond issue receives g. favorable vote there will be no increase in taxes"
 Sterling A. Wood said yesterday: "The lawyers do not favor this bond issue from any selfish standpoint. We are used to 1t and its delays often help our bust ness.
 We, however. are in the position best to judge its deficiencies, because we see the suffering of the poor women and chill dren. the hard working people. the sick and invalid, who are called daily to this courthouse and have to spend the day in misery. I intend to work for the bond issue and I believe that If every man who has ever heard protest or suffered himself will just go out to the polls and vote this bond issue will carry
 In Birmingham there will be four poll ing places tomorrow: The city hall and courthouse on/ the northside and the southside fire department and lee fac tory on the southside. These voting places will be open from a. m. until 6 D. m. The polls at Bessemer will be open until o'clock, while in the couu- try precincts the polls will close at 5 o'clock