The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-21

debate on this amendment. He declared that. under the provisions of the | amendment, the Muscle Shoals prof ect, not yet begun. would be subject to taxation.
 Senator Lee told of the great ben efits which had been derived by Eto- wah county as a result of exemptions and predicted that similar benefits would rebound to the entire state if large industries in the preliminary stages of their operation should be ex- empted from taxation.
 Senator Hill of Montgomery fol- lowed with the strongest anti exemp- ton speech of the day. He denied that the amendment in question affected the right of any corporation already in operation. He then produced figures to the effect that agricultural counties which had not granted exemptions had shown greater growth and progress within the past 12 years than those large industrial counties which have extended these privileges.
 Senator Hill compared Cullman county's growth with that of Etowah, and read figures to show that the per centage of taxable valuations in the former county had nearly trebled that of Etowah since 1901 and read statis-
 
 show that the counties engaged in agricultural pursuits had outstripped those counties in which exemptions mad been extended to large corpora tions.
 Hartwell Favors Exemptions
 He was followed by Senator Hart well of Mobile, who made a lengthy appeal in favor of granting exemptions. He made the point that large indus tries were being exempted because oth- erwise they could not be reached. in asmuch as they had the option of To- eating elsewhere.
 Senator Lewis of Macon followed with strong anti-exemption speech. decla ring the Alabama Power company was one of the greatest monopolies in the entire south and stating that it should be throttled.
 Senator Kline of Calhoun next spoke, and had the floor when the senate re- cessed for lunch. He concluded his speech when the senate reconvened for the afternoon session.
 The Calhoun senator declared that An niston, his home city. was the ceature of exemptions" inasmuch as that city had been built largely by the aid of the large industries located there. He fin- ished by reading an article from the Man ufacturers' Record on the importance of sranting exemptions in the south.
 Senator Bulger of Tallapoosa, president pro tenn of the senate, an attorney of the Alabama Power company, opposed exemptions in a strong speech. He de- clared that Alabama is losing millions of dollars by the attitude of the English government towards the cotton of the south He said he was against granting exemptions. although he represented the Alabama Power company as an attorney, ''The whole theory of exemptions is wrong" declared Senator Faulk in be- ginning his speech against the proposed amendment He said the corporations require the protection of the ssa;e and that, therefore. they should bear a por- ton of the expense of government.
 Senator Pride of Madison made one of the strongest speeches of the day in favor of exemptions He told of the efforts of the people of the Tennessee valley to develop Muscle Shoals. and referred to the immense benefits which would accure to his section of the state as the result of this development His speech was