The Lexington progress. (Lexington, Tenn.) 1884-current, 1922-10-06
MEMORANDUM OF RECORD OF
AUSTIN PEAY AS A MEMBER
OF THE LOWER HOUSE
OF THE LEGISLA-
TURE OF 1903.


Page SEA, House Journal, 1908,
House Bill Gil, to give fertilizer COM
panies lien on crops Of farmers to
secure payment for fertilizers. Mr..
Peay voted Aye.
Page 655, House Journal, 1908,
House Bill Ats, to repeal act which
put District Attorneys General Of the
State on salaries and took them off
of fee system. Mr.. Peay voted to re-
peal this bill and to put District At
,rneys General back on fee system.
The bill putting Attorneys General
on salaries was passed in 1897. There
were fifteen District Attorneys Gen.
eral in the State and they received
in compensation for their services
under the fee system about $4,000
year each, or about $4,000 an
nually for the fifteen. The bill which
placed them on salaries fixed their
salaries at $4,000 year each, or a
total of $37,500 a year for the fif-
teen, or net saving to the taxpayers
If the State Of $112,500 annually.
Mr.. Peay as a member of the Legis-
.ature in 1908 voted to repeal this
act and to thus increase the CON-
pensation of the District Attorneys
General at the expense of the tax
payers about $112,500 annually.
The Legislature Of 1921 during the
administration of Governor TAYLOR
passed an anti-fee act applying to the
yarious county officials. II is esti-
mated that this act will turn into the
State Treasury and County Treas
uries, in excess fees above the sala-
ries, three or four hundred thousand
dollars annually. Judging by. Mr..
Gays record made in the Legislature
Of 1908, if Mr.. Peay should become
Governor, he would want to repeal
the anti-fee act both with respect TO
District Attorneys General and with
respect to county officials. Governor
Taylor signed the anti-fee bill which
will save the taxpayers of Tennessee
three or four hundred thousand dol
ars annually. Mr.. Peay voted to re-
peal the anti-fee act which saved the
taxpayers nearly three quarters of a
million dollars from the time Of its
enactment up until the time Mr.. Peay
voted for its repeal.
louise Journal, 1908, Page 760. House
Bill 1I5-Back Tax Law.
Mr.. Peay voted for this bill and
was a member Of the Finance, Ways
md Means Committee which drew the
bill, introduced it, recommended it
for passage and helped to lead the
light for its passage on the floor of
the House. This act Ia the most dam
nable, indefensible and unjust back
tax law ever passed in the history of
the State. This act provided that the
revenue agents and back tax attor-
eys should back assess every farm,
every home and every piece Of prop
erty in the State Of Tennessee which
had been assessed at less than its
actual cash value. At the time this
dill was passed the entire property
VI the State was assessed at net more
than one-third Of its value, and this
act directed the revenue agent and
the back tax attorney to back assess
every farm and every home in the
State Of Tennessee. Under this law
We might have had an assessment
made by the County Assessors at
exactly one-third the value of the
property 50 that each taxpayer in the
State would have been bearing exact
Iy his proper share Of the tax burden.
The assessment might have been per-
fectly equalized 30 that each mans
assessment would have represented
exactly one-third of the value Of his
property and so that no injustice was
done any taxpayer, and yet under
this bill which Mr.. Peay put through
the Legislature Of 1908. the revenue
agent could have gone out and picked
out farms and homes here and there
20 back assess them for the differ
ence between the assessment and the
actual cash value.
To illustrate: Tive farms laying
ida by z,de aack worth $50. eco. saeA