The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-18
WEAKLEY IS TART
 IN HIS ANSWER TO
 JAMES WEATHERLY
(Continued from Page Five)

with my position on the question of rais- ing the taxes in Birmingham but since he has alluded to a small financial in- terest I hold in certain public utilities in Decatur and Anniston, I have to say that in both of these cities, the matter of city license, or privilege tax Is con- trolled by a contract made many years ago by former owners of both properties and with which 1 had no connection what ever. In the matter of the state lcensc the bill which has been reported to the legislature increases the privilege tax 10 be hereafter paid to the county and state, by each of the companies in which am interested. Possibly MT. Weatherly, whose name, I am informed Is not on the tax books of Jefferson county, cannot appreciate the patriotic spirit which might prompt one personally to oppose the plac- ing of new burdens on others, but might be willing for the good of the state, to Lear such burdens himself.
 Limitation of Franchise Taxes
 "A great deal has been said about the effect of legislation embraced in the report of the recess committee on finance and> taxation of which I am chairman. dealing with the limitation on the power of municipalities to i'm pose license taxes on public utilities, and the effect of this limitation upon
 
 to in MT. Weatherly's Sensational At tack For many years it has been the practice of the legislature to make such limitations; the power of the legisla ture in this regard has been exercised in favor of life and fire insurance com panies. sleeping car companies, express companies, and lately in favor of public utilities in what Is known as 36-F. The recess committee considered this sec ton of the old law, and while num- Der of It's members thought that the license should be abolished entirely, 1t was at my insistance that the tax was retained in the bill. The Sensational Attack also seeks to impress upon the people that by my advocacy of this measure, I have taken away from the city license tax levied against the water company of s1S,000. AS a matter of fact. the city of Birmingham tried to collect this license from the water company through the courts, and made an egregious failure. The bill which advocate levies a license tax of some- thing over $5000, which in my opinion the city could collect in the courts. Isn't s5000 better than no tax at all? Moreover, I am informed that in the recent negotiations with the water company, the matter of license tax was settled by contract, and the proposed bill which MT. Weatherly attacks will not affect such contract.
 Magnified His Importance
 q shall not lengthen this statement by discussing the effect of this proposed law on the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company, but shall reserve that question for later article. must be allowed, however. to say that Mir. Weaherly magnified my importance as a factor in the preparation of the re- cess bill by the committee on finance and taxation. While I favor this bill, and participated in Its preparation, am not alone the author of 1t. The com- mittee was composed of some of the strongest members of the legislature
 both house and senate; the experience of some of the members covering many years of legislative work. The bill is the result of three months labor of the entire con- mittee. Since the reassembling of the leg islature it has been submitted to the standing committee of the house on ways