Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-02-01
Letter From Big Bad.
JACKSON, Mss, Jan. S0th, 1918.

hope we will get down to Work
this week, as we have had the re,
port of the special committees ap.
\ pointed last session to advise ways
and means to put the government
Of the state on q better basis, and
we have been waiting for this be-
h fore acting on the larger appro-
priation. The report is quite
lengthy and quite exhaustive for
they have covered the whole mat
ter, and they recommend that the
tax commission be retained and
that a levy of six mills be made on
the present assessed value. am
| almost sure that this will be done,
4 for since writing the above the
bill to abolish the tax commission
was called up on minority report
I from the Judiciary Committee and
4 indefinitely postponed by a large
/ majority. The Noxubee delega
tion voted against this. Tom
/ Brame explained his vote by say.
ing that he was not opposed to the
! tax commission, but voted against
I postponement by instructions of
his people.
Members of the National Model
Tax Commission, who have been
holding their annual session at
Pass Christian, were the guests of
the Legislature Tuesday, and ad-
! dressed a joint session Of the two
bodies during the afternoon.
The tax experts gave approval
I to the report of the JOINT commit.
tee on Fiscal Legislation that sub,
mitted a lengthy report to the
lawmakers on Friday and urged
I the adoption of the changes pro.
1 posed in the report, which will in
volve the adoption Of about TWEEN,
4 ty.five new statutes and at least
three constitutional amendments.
The leading address was made
by Prof. Charles Bullock of the
Chair of Political Economics at
Harvard University, who went
fully into the taxation problems
of the state.
Tax commissioners from Mime
sofa, Kansas, New York and Ore
gon also addressed the body.
8 All of these gentlemen advocated
N tax commission for the state
and that they be allowed money
enough to district the State and
4 visit the various counties and in,
a struct and aid the tax assessors,
u whom they claim should be the
q best men in the county and get a
salary sufficient to have him de
Z vote his whole time to the duties
2 of the Office, and that he should
be required to stand an examina.
tion on the subject of taxation.
The members of the Kansas tax
commission said they raised their
assessments the first year from
~ $400, 900, 900 to over two billions,
n Nand I asked them how they got
away alive. All of the members
of the Legislature who spoke il
favor of tax commission being re-
tained today laid the blame to the
various Boards of Supervisors;
said they should have reduced the
county levy, and they had the ex-
ira mohey paid by the people for
taxes. If so I hope our honorable
body will hold enough money back
so that they will not have to make
a large levy this year.
Our House is like party ol
school boys-vote for bill today,
and on motion to reconsider the
next day reverse themselves. Last
week we got a minority report
from the Judiciary Committee ia
'oring the act allowing two year
redemption for lard sold under
mortgage. made vigorous fight
for this meritorious measure, and
4 we carried it by a good majority,
but Frierson, of Lowndes, made a
motion to reconsider, and it went
over until next day, and when il
was called up on this motion, in
spite of all we could do, it was re
considered and indefinitely post
poned. Brame and l voted for il
and Hubbard against it, as he op
posed the bill.
Then a resolution was offered or
Friday to take junketing trip o.
four days down on a visit to tht
institutions in the governors dis
trict, and although it was know
that the governor was very much
in favor of this, we killed it by
large majority; motion to re
consider was made and on Satur
day morning it was called up and