The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-15
CHARLES

choice will fall for governor and the
candidates for representatives in the
various counties who will make the
laws for the next administration.
The Other Departments
we all know that a well rounded
government requires different depart
ments through which its affairs shall
be conducted, every department car
rying out the functions for which it
was instituted, and the whole supported
by a well rounded and established sys-
tenn that will tend towards the highest
efficiency.
In the operation of such a govern
ment 1t is necessary to have money,
and they tell me there Is no money in
the state treasury; but that does not
signify that the tax gatherers have
been lax, or that the back tax commits
sion has been sleeping on it's job Most
Of you have a feeling recollection as to
the raises In your taxes, and the fees
taxed by appointed fee officers, in or
der to meet the extravagant expendi-
lures of the recent administration, and
you are familiar with the struggle of
the present administration in its ef-
forts to cover the large deficiency
caused by the laws enacted by the pre-
ceding administration, together with it's
own lavish hand
Heretofore it has been the practice for
the members of the legislature to make
appropriations based upon the showings
of the various interests that they repre-
sented, and after the appropriations have
been practically agreed upon, attempt to
form revenue measures that will squeeze
enough money out of the people to set
tie the bill. and then go home, and when
called to task by the long suffering tax
ridden people, they reply. oh. well. we
gave II to the old soldiers and to the bare
footed boys and sun-bonnet girls in the
hills and values of Alabama But they
do not tell you how much additional was
spent in political jobs, increased salaries.
high priced attorneys who were special
friends of those in control of your af-
fairs.
Lack of System
This lack of system in our financial
affairs not only grinds the taxpayer not
only takes from him money that ought
to be retained by him in the maintenance
of his home and the well being OF his
wife and children, but 1t is a great injury
to the departments of state by forcing
them into a ceaseless grind for toll, and
such departments are looked upon as sue
cesses or failures in proportion to the rev.
enues which they turn into the state
treasury, and funds drawn from certain
classes for particular purposes are di-
verted from the proper channel, thereby
making the state party to the fraud of
taking money from the people for one
purpose. and using it for another. IF this
were done by a private individual, 1t
would be called embezzlement. and he
would be liable to indictment and pun
ishment in the criminal courts of your
state. | use one illustration-the tax tag
on fertilizers. which was created for the
erce of agriculture in all its branches.
This tax is paid largely by the farmer
who eultivates the poor lands. and who,
by reason of his industry. has caused the
sand hills of Alabama to blossom as the
rose and thereby. to become one of the
chief assets of this great commonwealth.
And yet, all the fertilizer tag taxes for
last year amounted to 1854, 329.67. which
should be retained as sacred trust to
be used solely for developing the agri-
cultural interests of this state I say of
this amount there was used only $50, ,26314
for this purpose, $l3673 for the expenses
of the department of agriculture. S6500 for
experiment stations. leaving many thou
sands of dollars which went into the
general fund of the treasury to help
make up the profligate expenses of a
profligate government.
''The state of Alabama has no right to
take this $l64.000 from the pockets of the
cotton raisers in the state OF Alabama
and use ii for other purposes than that for
which it was collected.
Cotton Mills Exempted
The cotton mills are exempt from
taxation for a period of 10 years. in Or
Ger, they say, to encourage the man.
ufacture of cotton goods. Did you ever
hear of an exemption from tax on new
farms being opened to encourage the rails
ing of cotton? Such special legislation is
secured through lobbies maintained at
your legislature while the working peo-
pie remain at home and pay the bill
IF this money taken from the farm
ers as fertilizer tag tax cannot be used
advantageously in the development and
building up of our farms in the rural
counties. the tax ought to be taken off
of the farmers. so that the money could
remain in the pockets of the men who
are rightfully entitled to it. The law
has gone so far as to discriminate against
the very interest it was supposed to fos-
ter. The consumer cannot buy his fer
tilizer in the same condition as others
may. under the law.
Another illustrations; under the guise
of creating a game and fish department
and incidentally of giving a $500 or $4,000