The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-28
COFFEE COUNTS
 TAX TROUBLE IS
 AIRED IN HOUSE
Two Members Barely Miss Personal Encounter in De- bate on Records Sub
 Stitute Bill
By FIRED IT. GoRMBEY Montgomery Bureau. The AEe-HeraId 22i-2 First National Bank Building

Montgomery. October 97.-(Spe- ia1)-Coffee countys tax troubles were aired In the house of repre- sentatives Thursday afternoon, the members barely missed an encounter between J. A. Carnley of Coffee and Oscar L. Tompkins of Houston, and the bills providing for the substitu- ton of tax records which were of fered at the beginning of the special session as result of the theft of the tax books of Coffee county were passed.
 The trouble between Mr Carnley and MT. Tompkins came in the dis cussion of an amendment to one of the senate bills, the amendment pro- posing to strike out such words in the bill as would establish the valid tty of the tax records which have al ready been substituted for the origi- nal records in Coffee county.
 Mr. Tompkins said a demand had been made for the payment; of taxes in Coffee county, but that many per sons had refused to pay. In the midst of Mir. Tompkins' speech, MT. Carnley
 
 true" Mir. Tompkins advanced to- ward him and said: DO you mean to tell me 1 have told an untruth ?' Chauncey Sparks of Barbour and B D. G. Waddell of Russell stepped be- tween the two, The speaker instruct ed the door keeper to establish order. MT. Carnley and Mir. Tompiins were requested to take their seats. This ended the trouble and the chair again recognized MT. Tompkins, who con finued his speech and reiterated the statement that many persons of Cof- fec county had refused to pay their taxes although demand had been made on them for the amount due.
 The house laid MT. Carnley's amendment on the table and passed the bill in It's original form.
 Venue Measure Killed
 Another surprise in the house was the defeat of the bill proposing a change in the law relating to changes of venue which would have given the state and defense the right to q change of venue as many times as changes were necessary for the ad- ministration of justice Chauncey Sparks of Barbour spoke for the bill and J. A.. Carnley of Coffee against 1t and 1t was defeated by a vote of 40 to 20. Attorneys were critical of the measure, contending that the pro visioin for more than one change Of venue might prevent the punishment of persons guilty of feIonies.
 Even before the bill was defeated 1t was amended so as to provide that cases already moved from one county to another should not he affected bv the change In the law. Under this amendment the national guardsmen charged with the lynching of will baird Tn Walker county would be tried in Marion county. to which their cases were moved shortly after Baird was taken from the Walker county jail and shot to death.
 shortly after MT. Carnley offered his amendment to the bill providing for the substitution of county rec ords he gave recent history of events in his county as they appeared to him, charged that the substituted records were not correct and that he suffered personal embarrassment by the seizure and sale of his automobile for taxes.
 MT. Carnley declared that the best citizens of Coffee county did not and do not approve of the theft of the books that he does not know who got the records, but 90 per cent of the people of his county believe it was an inside job" He said the rep resentative of the state tax commits sion who was sent to Coffee county seemed determined to persecute the people as much as possible.
 It was also asserted by MT. Carn- ley that the tax commission had no legal authority to make the records. and that the states legal department in giving the commission advice either did not know the law or did not proceed under the law. He said there was much feeling about "the high-handed methods" used by the state in the effort to collect taxes guns.
 It was during the discussion of the bill by MT Tomplsins, who opposed