The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-04
PERCY SEEKS BASIS . FOR HOPEFULNESS AND COOPERATION Writes Ned Brace Calling Attention to Need for
 Harmony TOO OLATE TO LAMENT
 OVER PROHIBITION Thinks Prohibition Cannot Succeed in Large Cities, But Urges Every body to Help in Securing
 Strict Enforcement

Brace termed an "ebulltion" was re- celved yesterday by The Age Herald from walker Percy, one of Birminghams best
 known citizens. The tenor of Mir. Percy's s
 letter to Ned Brace Is that the people should get together and while the local opuonists may not favor everything that
 has been done or is being done at Mont
 gomery at the same time there should be
 Cooperation and law enforcement Mr.
 Percy says that he questions whether
 prohibition will be effective in Rirming-
 nam, Montgomery and Mobile, but at the
 same time there should be the strictest Kind of enforcement and co-operatio to
 enforce the laws.
 The "ebullition" is as follows. Birmingham, Ala, February 8. 1915. Honorable Ned Brace, City.
 Dear Ned: I have read with genuine
 grief and concern the recent pessimistic
 comments of yourself and my friend
 Glass on the condition of the public well
 fare in Alabama.
 War news having begun to pail, the
 latest diversion seems to be that of cuss-
 ing and discussing the government in
 general and the legislature in particular.
 And when We think of the troubles the
 world Is having, and then remember the
 way in which the prohibition majority are possing the state, you can't blame
 local optionlst for a certain amount of
 gloom But cheer up Ned Remember that you are, above all things, a preacher
 of optimism. And if the prohibitionists
 having counted noses and found them
 selves in clear majority are giving us glimpse of the relentless rule of the
 winner, remember that after all. that's traditional incident of American pon- ties and government. Think for a mo- ment of how an appeal for referendum from the prohibitionists would touch you and Frank Glass and myself, and the
 balance of the local option crowd, if we
 were in the saddle
 Occasion for Cheerfulness
 Let us philosophize a bit and see If
 we can't find some occasion for your
 perennial hopefulness and cheerfulness. The prohibitionsts are in power Whether
 they achieved victory because of our ig- norance, because of their superior organ ization. or because we didn't have enough
 Nott't dOCSh SttlH lO ndke any real difference. We are confronted with a
 condition, not q theory. As wise men, mustn't we recognize that a loser hasn't any rights and that the wall of a loser is the poorest sort of music? Every man who wants a drink will always be able to get it and the man who doesn't want 1t will never have to take it. and while don't believe prohibition in Birmingham Montgomery Mobile can succeed. let us get this behind us Let's get together and stand for the enforcement of the law, whether it be right or wrong, and forgetting this issue, pull together on other things and see if we can't make some progress in the upbuilding of the state Some of our local option friends crit icize the legislative leaders because they faVor split session and am early recess. Having been member of the state legis- lature, I want to say that the only hope for any big constructive legislation Is along the lines proposed by the domi- | nant faction in the present legislature. This legislature has some big problems before it, the encouragement of the ju- dietary. the redistricting of the state, the passage of a wise workmen's compensa- tion act, and, above all things the pass age of revenue bill that will not be mere patchwork, but will be a piece CA place the state upon an enduring finan- | cial basis. These important matters of legislation and others that may suggest | themselves cannot be dealt with intelli- | gently during the hurry and confusion of | ordinary legislative work. If the best | men in the legislature are put on standing | and a recess of three or four months Is taken, there will be an oppor- tunity for wise, well matured and endur- ing legislation, and in no other way can useful results be achieved.
 Has Usual Percentage
 The present legislature contains the usual percentage of crude, raw and am bilious statesmen. It has been flooded | with the customary number of unwise bills. But the legislature must be Judged, not by the character of the bills which | have been introduced, but by the charac- ter of the bills which will be found at the end of the legislature to have been passed. Never in my experience have known legislature which included more thoughtful earnest, sensible, high minded and patriotic men than the present state legislature. The big problem before it is to achieve an equitable, fair and compre- nensive plan of taxation. May suggest that work in this direction must be &C., along one of two lines? Either the state must select certain subjects )f taxation from which to derive its reve- nues, leaving to the counties and cities the entire revenues from the taxation of real and personal property or the state tax commission must be so to deal with the assess nent of property without any regard to county lines.
 "The fundamental trouble with our pres snt system of taxation is the lack of | my adequate provision for securing eoual- ty. Every taxpayer Is afraid that he may pay more than his neighbor, and the tax payers of every county are afraid that hey may pay more than the taxpayers of other counties, and we have become of tax dodgers. If our pres mt general plan Is to continue. shouldn't Ill county tax commissioners be abol- shed? Should not all county tax assess 'rs be appointed and removed by the tate tax commission? And should not he boards of revenue of the various coun- ies of the state be relieved from all luties in connection with the assessment if taxes? Should we not quit playing avorites and end a system under which he officials of every county are seek ng to protect their own taxpayers? Use- ess offices should be abolished and the saste of public money should be stopped. But, after all, isn't it true that in the de- elopment and upbuilding of our state ve must spend more money on our roads nd on our schools, teaching scientific ag- iculture, and in thousand other ways? Ind that the taxpayers of the state, as yell as of the cities, must realize that he burdens of taxation must be heavier lot lighter? That we cannot expect to let off with less money, and that all we an hope for Is to see that our burdens re more fairly adjusted and that our money is more wisely spent? Sincerely {