The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-19
LETTERS TO EDITOR
About the Bond Issue


 I again beg for space in your columns to air my viws in regard 10 the coming election for a bond issue of sl.25o,0oO. I think this moment apropos to say a few words.
 The people at the meeting Of the city commission yesterday, according to their different viws expressed in your paper this morning, seem anxious to know some facts which bear upon this question and I desire to furnish some of these facts.
 In the first place, it will be neees- sary to raise our tax rate mills on the dollar before the money could be realized on these bonds. This is not necessary for reasons patent to every body but tax dodgers This statement I have before offered to substantiate by the tax books at the courthouse if it is desired.
 Prior to the adoption of a commits sion form of government the board of aldermen called upon the city for a bond issue of more than s400.000. Just after the adoption of the commission form of government we were called Upon for bond issue of S40GUo0 to wipe out some debts in the suburbs These debts in actual figures amounted to s226,000. These bonds were sold for $412,000. One year later a state ment of the city's financial department showed $1700o of these same debts still unpaid. What became of the other $146,oOo and also this sl7,o30?
 Eighteen months later we were called upon to vote for bonds for s1.- 4Vo.000 which carried. Now IS months later again We are asked to vote an- other bond issue of s1,250,O00 Where is it going to stop? The same logic would warrant me mortgaging my landlords house to pay the grocery bill every time it came due, If nai the great newspapers of the city back of me.
 The city of Birmingham has never paid penny of its bonded indebted Eess since it was chartered. It has voted bonds to pay debts. 1t has voted bonds to pay interest on bonds etc. ad nauseum. It now owes bonds the interest upon which is 1900 per day This bond issue will increase them s2o0 per day. or, to be exact, S171,23 pere day. Our deficit for running the city is 5000 per day according to the last financial statement This deficit is all interest on bonds. Where will it end2 It Is all very well to borrow money to meet all contingencies, but what will the harvest of such puerile acts be-
 There js but one Justification for this bond issue, that is that we must have the money now and that something is done (not promised, but done) to pre- vent a continuous performance along this line. It is true that We need the money. but in IS months we viii need the money again. All know that tho fec <.f tl,~ meet the contingency. It will not meet it for it will not increase the amount of money actually paid in by the large tax dodger.
 The people who are now paying their full share of taxes are paying all they will stand. They are paying all they can pay. Answer this question: you citizens who are actually paying taxes on the actual value GO per cent of it) on your property Can you pay any more? Don't you find the present bur den all that you can bear? If you vote for this bond issue. 1t will mean an increase in your tax rate Can you pay 1t?
 Don't vote for this bond issue on promises from the state legislators, for l have 1t direct from such members that antitrust legislation cannot be put through the present legislature. This means that no adequate tax law will be put through for these trusts with their immense property are the tax dodgers, which if they paid their full tax share, we would have plenty of money.
 No tax law which allows an owner of property to assess his own property on his own word. is adequate. In states which are free from the troubles under which we are struggling. the tax laws require that the tax assessor must be on or in the presence of all property assessed This law would meet our demands, but it will never be put through legislature dominated by the trusts. That this present leg islature is so Is evidenced by the as- rhyxiation of the Lewis joint resolu- tion. It has been peacefully laid to rest, irrevocably interned.
 Yes, have remedy. The Bell Tele- phone company has never paid one cent for the use of our city streets. One million dollars would be cheap for the use of the streets for the past 30 years, and for the next 30 years. Why not ask them for that amount? Why not demand that amount? One of the members of our present city com mission gave his sacred promise to q citizen of this city that if that com pany had never paid anything, they would certainly do so. That was over a year ago and no record Of such a they pile up untold millions that arc in their vaults in New York and use our streets scot free?
 One other feature of the bond issue then I will close. This bond issue, es understand it, is to be divided into two parts One of $750,0OO to pay for rast deficit the other of $5o0.u00 to meet the deficit from April 1 to October 1, 1915. This Is period of 1s0 days. Their last financial statement showed deficit for the past year of $l0)0 per day. They are cutting expenses: what Is the $5OO,000 for? Yours,
 DIR. CF1AS. P. COPELAND.
 Birmingham. March 1s 1915.
 At fhe Lyric