The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-05
Understood Standard Home Company May Become
 AggressOr
NOTHING GIVEN OUT
 BY COURT ATTACHES
o. D. Street With Grand Jury Yes- terday and Declines to Comment On Subjects Which May Be
 Considered

1 A Specldl united states grand jury
 was organized by Judge w. l. Grubl
 at the federal building yesterday aft
 ernoon.
 The usual secrecy prevailed in con
 nection with it's deliberations, but ther, was much discussion of possible mat
 ters to come before the body. It wa. I understood that the Standard Hom, company would figure in the delibera. 1 tions but court attaches would say
 nothing on the subject
 l It will be recalled that indictments
 were found against officials of the Standard Home company sometime ago 1 Whether these indictments were faulty l known.
 May Become Aggressor ] It is even stated that the Standard Home company is about to become the
 aggressor and present charges aeainsl certain government officials and agents l for conspiring to wreck the company
 by bankruptcy proceedings whereby 1 these government officials and others were to profit.
 l However, nothing definite on this subject can be stated. This company has | figured in considerable litigation in other states, but in each case it's con- l tract has been shown to be legal. ! The original case against the Stan l dard Home were begun when 0. D , Street was district attorney and after | trict attorney MT. Street was retained | %< e11I ter. MT. Street was with the grand | jury yesterday during its deliberations When asked last night about tho grand jury's organization MT. Street 1 said: q have nothing to say about mat ters that may come before the grand | jury"
 Thomas Bowron Is Foreman 1 Thomas Bowron is foreman of the grand Jury organized yesterday and 1t is considered not improbable that mat
 ters other than the affairs of the Stan-
 dard Home company will also be con
 sidered. The complete grand jury Is
 made up of the following: | Thomas Bowron, foreman J. W
 Powers. John J. Rogers. Wright Good
 win J. N. Cunningham, J. T. Headley
 w. w. Prestidge. H. w Lee. Clarence Abbott, A. l.. Smith. F. P. Qu,gley
 M. P. Jeeter A. V. Fair. Arthur Bar- | ton, R. l.. Payne, w. T. White Max Blach, J. H. Patton, G. R. Gilbert, s. c.
 Black, R. N. Trotter, J. P. Duke.
 .>~~~~~~~~~~>~~ good business. But can't get over the idea that the argument now used is the same old argument which has been fvrzv xf,-,<. fsV,vV i.1 n T issue. in certain sense, does appear intelligent"
 Advocates Dispensaries George Kelly, appearing before the committee, declared that the people would vote down a bond issue and would defeat movement seeking to increase the burden of taxation. He urged the committee to recomm end that the legislature permit the city of Birmingham to establish a dispensary for the sale of liquors.
 w. H. Gillespie. appearing before the committee, declared that the burden of taxation must be capitalized. He spoke against increasing the rate of taxation. He declared in favor of a nonelectivc equalization board of which one of three members would be city 1cm- missioner.
 "The commissioners are paid we'll and have time on their hands Let them work bit"
 After that observation he declared that his own tax assessments on real estate were too low, but were larger than those of some of his neighbors He then recited instances of alleged discrimination in giving asse ssments. He finally declared that for temporary relief a bond issue was necessary
 The committee then went into ex- ecutive session and adjourned without rendering verdict. There seems to be no question but that its recommends tion Will be bond issue of more than 31. 1000. .000.