The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-13
GOVERNORS OPEN LETTER

first make mad
 GOVERNORS OPEN LETTER
 Here is Governor Kilby's open letter;
 STATE OF ALABAMA,
 Executive Department
 August F. 1919
 An open letter to Messrs. L. B. Whit field, Montgomery; Bruce Kennedy. Montgomery; George H. Malone, Dothan; Norman Gum. Jasper; Alex Henderson. Troy; E. c. Melvin. Selma; R. D. Thomas, Eufaula; J. B. Bell, Prattville "Gentlemen
 My attention has been called to your full page address TO the People of Ala and other papers Of Sunday, August lo' opposing the income and excess profits tax clauses of the pending revenue bill
 q note Sat you claim to be acting as "A Statewide Committed, the outcome of a conference of representative men held in Montgomery, August S, where sixteen towns and cities were represent ed
 "In view of the big business interests that you are representing, together wlth the fact that only 16 cities and towns were represented in the conference whlcn gave your committee birth. l am dls posed to take issue with you in your statement that you are interested in the rich and poor alike l can draw no in- ference from the language of your ad dress or the circumstances of your olrth as a committee that you represent the farming or labor interests of the state or the interests of education. the puolc health, or the charitable, penal or ui- emosynary institutions of the state or like interests.
 While YOU do not mention the pro posed license tax, based on the output of coal and iron interests, the genera, trend of your criticism and the personnel of vour committee inform me that your purpose is to strike down the license .aA on coal and iron as well as the income and excess profit taxes.
 NO SUBSTITUTE OFFERED
 "And vet YOU offer no substitute-no constructive rernedy-for the things yoI nronose to strike down other than the ad y-alorem tax on real and persona nronertv You say, If the business ad- ,oinistration desires to raise more money, the way for them to do 1t IS to raise the tax assessment on every man aiiho' Tn other words, exempt all tax on ln- comes. profiteer excess profts. coai seoa age hoarders, middlemen manipulators' bi1le-skv operators, money loan sharks, bond and stock speculators. fuel 1000 and clothing forestallers, and all tnelr l,ith and kin, many of whom are no" l in co,Irse of prosecution by the Unteo States government for their offenses against the general welfare in the maii- l tenance of the high cost of living. ..Tt is true that property since 1911 has noar assessed at not to exceed 50 per , cent of it's value, but will your commit ! fee. individually or collectively, undertake ! to get this legislature to increase thls | assessed valuation to 100 per cent. It was tried only the other day by Repre- sentative Van de Graft in the house as an amendment to this very revenue | hill and so overwhelmingly defeated | thai MT. Van de Graf and five compan- | ions in defeat arose and left the cham her in disgust Powerful as you are, gentlemen and the great influence or wealth which you represent, 1T you shouiu attempt to make this change yon would l ho treated as Mr. Van de Graft was treated and would be lost, like babes | in the wood" The house even struck out the machinery of the revenue plll bv which alone taxes may be equallzeo and collected. Equalization, famous ] and magic word, So soft to the ear, so | broken in the deed. property tax l equalization statute is but the beginning | of war--war between the state authorities and the land owners, and the larger ana richer the land owners the bitterer ana more relentless the war. In such con ] test is not difficult to predict which class of land owners will come out best l in this war. the rich or the poor. EQUALIZATION IMPOSSIBLE 1 And let me ask. how can equalization l be obtained under the ad valorem land | tax system in this state where we have 1 corporations, some of them doing a world wide business, and owning vast acres of Alabama coal and iron lands ] on top of which are vast and intricate structures enclosing more intricate ma chinery, turning out millions of dollars
 of coal and iron and steel products for world wide consumption?
 'sWhen you gentlemen advocate simply