The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-16
GETS ROLLER
SILVER LINING IN CLOUD or MONT
 GOMERY.
was the Result of yerb9a Premise by Commfssiener GrieI fa Mayor
 elect Gunter. Some
 Months Arc.

There's silver lining to the cloud that enveloped the city government Friday, upon the news of the Su- preme Courts decision, whereby di- vision of the road and bridge fund Is lost to the municipalities of the State. For by the decisiGn. even if there are some thousands of dollars lost in rev. enue. the city gets, free of. cost. new steam roller.
 No, it was not a bet, nor yet was it meant as saive to the bereaved City Fathers, but it came about as the re- suit of proposition with the Board of Revenue. This way:
 The Board of Revenue had been the purchasers of steam roller which was little needed. Now a steam roller costs money. and it hurts to see the big bunch of cash tied up in dor mant hit of machinery. So when the city of Montgomery put in its claim to share In the road and bridge fund In 1908. Commissioner Griel offered the steam roller as part payment. It was refused by the city ofdcials, who saw where the cash would go further than the roller.
 Now as it happened, this steam roll CT was the delight of Commissioner Griel--the- apple of his eye-- and 1t touched him when his darling was scorned. And, as he has said himself, 1t was mainly out of this refusal that the first controversy between the city and the county over the division of the road and bridge fund arose. And 1t was a long time before the city got it's money.
 And now. this year, Mayor-eiect Gun ter, anxious for harmony between Montgomery, the city, and Montgom- cry. the county. appeared before the Board of Revenue, pleading for .har- monfous division, and division without ill-feeling.
 Here again was Commissioner Griels chance.
 rake our steam roller" was his proposition when the Mayor -elect first mentioned the fund.
 sYou must take our roller. and let 1t come out Of your share. Now it's brand new. steam roller, and it's something yoh needss he Nfged. Why, can do with steam roller And ev- cry modern. up-to-date city needs a steam roller, several of them.
 Mayor-elect demurred; the City Council would have to hear that prop osition.
 Hweii," was the Commissioners ul- timatum as he sat in the midst of his Board members, here's what we'll do for you. Listen. You take the steam
  you know the case is pending now in the Supreme Court--and we have to divide, you pay for 1t out of your share. If it's unconstitutiona1--a and they tell me there's big chance that way--then you get 1t for nothing. Hcw's that strike you?"
 It was all right. Even the City Council of Montgomery would not balk at the chance of getting something for nothing. was the opinion. And thus the proposition was understood.
 And now- =
 Well, the Supreme Court of Alabama says Section 120 of the Municipal Code, which Is the legal, way of telling about the road and bridge fund and its di- vision, is unconstitutional. The coun- ty does not have to divide up. And thereby some score of towns in the State mourn at the loss of the revenue.
 But does the city of Montgomery? Not altogether, for there is steam roller proposition that some of the city folks remember. Maybe the Board of Revenue didn't think 1t was going to happen so soon. but it did.
 tion than the steam roller. There IS about s30,OOo. one half of the county's road and bridge tax, that is lost to the city. And there is, in all. far over SI0O, 900 lost to the various towns of the State by the Supreme Court de- cision.
 But the counties get it. just the same, and the county folks at the 1 Court House don't see much at which to grieve. For they are for the county first, with the city as a secondary mat ter. But over on Monroe Street it is a different proposition and there is some bewilderment as to where the money to compensate the subtraction is com- 1 ing from. -