The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-03
Chairman Campaign Com mittee Replies to State
 ment From Opposition
POLITICAL MOTIVES
 ARE IMPLIED BY HIM
Points Out That Dr. Martin Is a Former AIderman-Says He Is Mis- informed and Explains Reasons
 for Two Bond Issues

ident and organizer of the antibond | issue campaign committee, as an | nounced in yesterday mornings Age i Herald. eis barking up the wrong tree" according to statement issued yesterday by sydney ]. Bowie. cam paign manager of the bond issue for s1,25o,ooo to be voted on April 12.
 MT. Bowies formal statement is as follows
 Tt is matter of regret that any
 number of citizens could be found in
 Birmingham willing to form an or
 ganization for the purpose of defeat
 ing the proposed bond issue. Person.
 ally l have a high respect for pr.
 H. L. Martin of Avondale, although as
 an old alderman he is naturally sore
 on the administration. but l have all
 ways believed and I believe now that
 those of the opponents of the bond
 issue who are not actuated by pure
 ly political or selfish motives could be
 made to see the error of their position,
 and I have never doubted for one mo-
 ment that the large number of voters
 of this city would be found in favor
 of the issue on the 18th of April.
 Barking Up Wrong Tree
 .Dr Martin and his committee are
 barking up the wrong tree
 "The city commission has nothing
 whatever to do with the equalization
 of taxes. The constitution of the state
 requires the commission to accept the assessments made by the state and county authorities. The law has al
 ways required equalization or taxes.
 To that end we have a county tax as sessor the county board of revenue, the county back tax commissioner and the state tax commission and over all is the petit jury. The city is not rep resented anywhere. Why should the city be held responsible for that over which it has no jurisdiction or con troi? If there are the ineuualittes which Dr. Martin claims, why has not some thing been done with the state and county tax commission and the county board of revenue and the county tax assessor in past yearsF What has he and his coadjutors done to remedy these injustices in the only places that
 have Jurisdiction to correct them? Personally. I do not doubt that there are inequalities and think they should be corrected, but l think there has
 been some exaggeration in regard to | it. l feel sure that all we can hope | from equalization in the future. if | that, will be to take care of the de | mands of the future. We would never be able to take. care of future growth and absorb million and quarter of l indebtedness past due at the same timc l The idea is preposterous.
 l .Dr. Martin evidently misunder | stands the situation in regard to the | two bond issues. There was at Ieast s1,25O,000 due on old debts January l l. In the months of January and Feb
 ruary heavy tax collections were made. These collections were intended 4 i, arfr q fS bt1t. counsel for the bond buyers insisted that the money collected from the taxes in the early part of the year
 should be applied to the payment ot the old indebtedness as far as 1t would go and that a second bond issue should be made to take care of running eN- penses for the balance of the year. This was not a disadvantage to the city, as 1t saved q small amount or interest The excess moneys collect ed in the first quarter of the yea" were applied to the old debt under this ruling and the second bond issue IS simply to take care of ordinary run hing expenses during the next six months when revenue collections are abnormally small.
 Explains Two Issues
 If the money collected this year had not been used to pay the old indebtedness of last year. the S500,000 bond issue would not have been necessary, but there would have been simply one bond issue of $l,25o.- GOO; but in the meanwhile the city would have lost a certain amount Of interest, and no good would have been accomp- lished It was simpler and in accordance with the law to apply the actual cash col lected during January and February to the indebtedness brought over from the previous year, and then to borrow money to take care of expenses the balance or the year when collections were light. This. as stated. is the reason for the two bond issues. pr. Martin was an alderman and he knows that collections are not equal throughout the different months of the year. but that they are heavily in excess of the receipts in the early part of the year and heavily below receipts in the latter part of the year. There is no ex- cuso for anyone misunderstanding this matter.
 'Dr. Martin tells us that all that the creditors have got to do is to extend pay ment. They have been carrying the city now for four years until the amount mas exceeded s1OC0,000. They have relied upon the credit and honor of the city to take care of this debt, and now they want their money, They have collected part of 1t in January and February, when 1t was
 due, out of taxes in hand. Does pr MAT 1! tin think they can be compelled to loan additional money in the remaining months | or the yedT IT tlt NOtSio VI e''o pudiate this bond issue? How VIII ne go about compelling the banks to iend ] this additional s500,000 necessary to carry the city until october l? The creditors will undoubtedly say that they are out | enough already, and if the people are not willing to protect their obligations they will not incur any more.
 "Dr Martin knows that the tax rate of Birmingham is very low. For general purposes it is only mills on the dollar, the rest of it being applied exclusively to the payment of interest on the bonds and the creation of sinking fund. The average tax rate in cities of Birmingham's class is TO mills. The commission has done remarkably well with it's low tax rate, and it does not deserve, and the people do not believe it deserves the cen sure implied in pr. Martins statement. Of course, we do not expect those actu- ated by purely political motives to listen to the truth: but we do expect the honest and patriotic men of this city who have misunderstood this matter. who have been rnisled by apparently specious reasons, to come to the polls and ratify this issue by an overwhelming majority
 
 Making Good Work Possible As long as one is on his feet. he can work after a fashion, no matter how badly he feels. But you cannot do good work-have ambition and energy. feel that life is worth 1iving-wfth sluggish bowels or torpid liver. Foley Cathartic Tablets do away with that drawsy dull tired feeling They never