The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-25
Wisdom of People

As I have grown older" said MT. Percy, "I have come to believe more and more in the wisdom of the people and less and less in the wisdom of in. dividual officials.
 q believe the people in the state 1 of Alabama are going to rebel against l the present system. As a fundamental proposition that system has got to be | changed"
 l He declared that the Pegram bill pro- posed one way of abolishing the ne | farious fee system.
 Discussing the duties of the state tax commission MT. Percy said the of 1 fcers of this department should spend l their whole time on the job That the state tax commissioners should begin work on January 1 and quit on De- | cember 5l. He said the bill did not seek l to increase the salary or any of the state tax commissioners. but only l sought to give the department an ad- ditional s15.000 increase in order that l the state tax commissioners might em. ploy assistants
 | MT. Percy said that the men who had charge of the taxable values of the state should receive a salary of $5000 each. l The Jefferson representative spoke for 1 more than an hour and delivered one of the most forceful speeches that he has
 made during the present session He 1 concluded with the statement that he 1 1 show equality to every man, equality to i every county and equality to every sec-
 tion.".
 1 Representative Jenkins of Baldwin fol- l lowed MT. Percy, and quoted from Ham, l let's speech.
 He said MT. Percy was on the wrong | company-that he had expressed the side | of the tax dodgers. He said that while | Governor Jelks had villifed the tax sys- 1 tenn he had not had the courage to re- peal it; and that Governor Conner did | not have the courage to repeal the sys~ | tenn
 MT Jenkins speech was rather facet 1 ious, his reference to MT. Percy being particularly humorous. He urged the 1 house not to vote for bill that meant | such a radical change, and declared that | if the bill pere passed great injustice
 would be done the governor and those people who opposed the measure.
 Mir. Smith opposed resolution that the house stay in session until o'clock and
 that a vote be taken on the question at 5:35. The resolution was not acted upon, but on motion of MT. Arnold the house
 decided to remain in session until the
 pending bill was disposed of. | In speaking against the bill Mir. Mil
 ner said that recently the lamb and the lion had lain down together which he
 regarded as rather significant. There is concealed somewhere in the wood pile a
 nigger" said MT. Milner, "and I leave
 the house to figure it out as they wish.
 'T have not charged any improper mo-
 tive to the gentleman from Jefferson . said MT. Miner
 Here Mr. Percy interrupted MT. Mill ner.
 Did you not commence the practice of law In my officer asked MT. Percy. 'I did," replied MT. Milner.
 Did you not then know my position in certain matters, and don't you now kno Y
 my postion?" asked MT. Percy. | "I always knew you to be honest an'l | sincere. and I now believe you to be 1 sincere" was the reply
 .1'hat is all I wanted to know" said
 MT. Percy.
 was dangerous to change the present sys- tenn. and urged the house to vote against the bill.
 MT. Darden of Blount opposed the bill. He said that in abolishing the county tax commission the state would be cutting off one of it's strongest arms of govern ment. He declared that 1t was mistake | to do so. that the system' should remain in jts present condition, and that the house would be pursuing a dangerous nolicv should it pass the Pegram bill
 Nr Melton of Jefferson said he opposed
 tho present system chiefly because the H new nIan aimed to strike down the fee
 system. He declared that the fee sys-
 ten, was iniquitous and that any bill which sought to do away with this evil
 vas a mcritorious measure.
 MT Rice followed MT. Motion, and