The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-10

lHduBufateu Willen was based upon dIbu ments more unsound, illogical and unpa- triotie. Its purpose Is to escape the pay ment of honest obligations, and to secure that escape not by an impartial trial in a court constituted for that purpose. after full hearing, but by appeals to prejudice and by arraylng all the forces of selfish interests against the enforcement of the law.
 Tax Dodgers
 These gentlemen resent with indig- nation as an unwarranted insult the im- putatlon that they are tax dodgers. In my former statement carefully refrained from indulging in personalities. 1 made no direct charge, but directed my re- marks only against a class. However, I do now challenge these gentlemen to in- form the public whether they claim that they or their associates have returned | their property at 60 per cent of it's true value. If they have the state has no case. but if they have not, in view of their 1 frantic efforts to escape investigation by the courts they cannot deny that they are justly entitled to be enlisted as stout recruits in the whole army of tax dodgers. They have evidently been lodging some thing. and if they have not been dodging taxes they should inform an anxious pub | lie what 1t is they are lodging. T have no information on the subject tNttHl TepOTlS CpnlplleQ DN ille officials of the state tax commission l am perfectly willing to show the states hand, and I will cite for their information assessments which have been made and the amounts which they have returned, so far as the members of the committee are coneerned
 Frank Nelson, Jr.-Value of property, S2e5.5s5; commissions assessment s159, $50; returned by owner for S76, 750; per cent of value returned. 2S per cent.
 Robert Jemson, Sr.--Nalue of property, $iS3,195 commissions assessment $1o9,9l7; returned by owner for $52,1S2; per cent of value returned 2S per cent.
 'Dr. J. S. Gillespy-V Value of property, $l76.0o0; commissions assessment, S105.6oO; returned by owner for $67550; per cent of value returned, sS per cent
 | "J n. Moore, for Moore & Handley Hardware company-Value Of property, S90,666; commissions assessment. $54, 400; returned by owner for sI0 i00 per cent of value returned. A per cent.
 ''J. D. Moore, for Moore & Handley Hardware Supply company-value of property, $223,50o; commissions assess ment s134100; returned by owner at s12o,. 0O0. per cent of value returned, 51 pel 1 cent.
 MT. F. L. Brown. another committee man-The following is a list of MT Brown'n clients, whose values were inves tigated by the commissions assistants;
 Fifth Avenue Hotel company-Value O. property, S150,0o0; commisson's assess ment, s9o,OO0; returned by owner for s65, 0oo per cent of value returned by owner Az per cent.
 Mrs. Angelina Woodward, executri, of estate of ". II Woodward--Value O property, s2ool.616; commissions assess ment, $1.200, ,970: returned by owner fol &el,1s0; per cent of value returned, 43 pe cent
 Mrs. Woodward's assessment is mad, up of her home on the South Highlands the BrownMarx building, the Woodward
 building, and the Metropolitan hotel prop | erty.
 ''The value of the Brown-Marx ant i the Woodward was obtained by the rul, adopted by builders. that is, determln, the cubic contents in feet and multiply | that amount by 90 cents. This rule Is fol
 lowed by the tax commission of Wiscon- | sin. Every assessment made in that state on office buildings is made in that way | the height of the building being taken into consideration The value of the real es. tate Is added to sum found.
 The Jemison Real Estate and Insur- ance company, a number of the clientt of this company of property SS- 1 III, ,215; commissions assessment, $1, ,902, ,729i returned by owners for sl 096,O09; per cent or value returned, 34 per cent.
 Tn this list the Corey Land company was assessed by the commission on a val. uation of s766.600 but was returned for taxation at SAG, 400 or 19 per cent of its value.
 Birmingham Ledger-On March 8, 1911 | the Ledger bought certain property on tn, southwest corner of First avenue an, l Twenty-hrst street. paying therefor $60, ,OOC ! Since the purchase of the lots and befor ha let nf nD# .. l the lots purchased it's publishing house which is a steel constructed building. mod ern in every respect II was returned fol ! taxation for S25. 250 The commission val. ues it at sl17500. The per cent of valu, returned Is only 22 per cent.
 Made By Experts
 As to correctness of these assessments l have no personal knowledge If they are not correct the commission will gladly correct them. They were made with care and by well recognized experts.
 "To illustrate the motives that have. in. spired some of the meetings that have been held I quote from letter received from prominent citizen of West End h reference to meeting held on May % tc protest against raises In assessments in Beat o
 - I did not attend this meeting. but the i incident was told me by reliable spectat- ors During the meeting Mr. J. B. Drake arose and said, ''I am opposed 10 this 1 meeting, and the very men who nave made speeches against the raise in as. | sessments have their property asse ,. .d l- dioulously low and accused the chair man of the meeting, who is the owner of the building in which the meeting was l held, that he had the same assessed al 5000, and that tho lots on which the building stands cost him S450O. and the building not less than s7oO0. The chair man said the assessment was more than i s2000; thereupon Mir. Drake produced a copy of the tax assessors record and verl- l fled what he had said, and then the chair man remarked. "lf you are going to make ] q personal matter of this meeting we had 1 better adjourn The papers did not con- tain any account of this incident. 1 know of my own personal knowledge that the 1 lots referred to were bought by this party al s4500 three years ago. and he told me himself before the building was finished | that the cost would exceed s70O0
 This little incident is rather illuminat. inG of the motives which have inspired ths movement.
 Commencing in Jefferson
 T have been very severely criticised be. cause this movement to enforce the law requiring an assessment of 60 per cent oi value was commenced in Jefferson coun. ! ty. l have no apology to make for my action I felt 1t my duty to commence at the top instead of the bottom of the l, financial ladder. If the state was unable to force the representatives of big Dusl- ness and corporate wealth in the richest and most populous county of the state, those who enjoy and demand to a greater ' l..S afb bAF Ct ue m