The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-04
M'[ENDON INVITED
To DISCUSS TAXES
WITH REALTY MEN
Sees Possibility of Two New
States, North Alabama and
South Alabama

city commission was officially invited
Thursday morning to discuss before
the Birmingham Real Estate board
the taxation Limitation as now ap-
piled under the Alabama law. Mr.. Nc
Lendon accepted the invitation He
will address the real estate men
either May IT or May "a.
Calling attention to the great
losses Birmingham and the rest OF
Alabama's towns and cities are suf-
fering under the present system, Mr..
McLendon has aroused much interest.
He is the member of the city COM
mission who directs Birmingham s
financial affairs. His analysis, as
published Thursday morning. show
week is being lost in Alabama be-
cause cities have to pay 5 PER cent
interest on bonds against Az in other
states has resulted in no few COM
munications reaching him.
o. H. Horton, secretary of the Bir-
mingham Real Estate board, visited
the city hall Thursday morning and
extended the invitation to the presi-
dent of the commission to discuss the
subject before the real estate men.
Unfair To North Alabama.
DISCUSSING the DOnQ interest
penalty with Mr.. Horton and others.
Mr.. McLendon said the situation was
far more grave than the trying
money loss to the communities i'm
plies. He said that in this state
there was a distinctly Objectionable
tendency toward taxation without
representation. and a growing detri-
mental dominance in the lower CEN
trail section of the state to over
burden jefferson and the other north
central and the northern counties OF
the state. jefferson county is paying
something like one fifth of the taxa
ton OF Alabama. Its higher values
are recognized but are allowed to
leave from their lists articles that
the northern counties are heavily
taxed for possessing.
Il am inclined to believe" Mr.. Nc
Lendon said Thursday morning.
that If relief is not given and
given soon, it is but a short time be-
fore we will see a North Alabama and
a South Alabama. separate nd dis
tinct sites, the division line going
through at a point just south of
Calera. Such action. because of plain
ly divided interests, was taken in the
Garolinas. the Virginias the Dakotas
and today is plainly to be seen devel-
oping in California.
THE situation as I find it is based,
control. a lack of sympathy for the
rest of the state eminating from that
section. AS tax assessor of Jeffer-
son county in past years l made six
trips to the state capitol in efforts
to get fair treatment for Jefferson
county l found that central Alabama
farms were, at that time, often SELL
ing at $50 an acre while they were
paying taxes on 4-dollar valu-
alton. Although Jefferson county was
fundamentally an industrial section.
with little or no farming, 1t was
paying greater and higher taxes on
live stock than the south Alabama
counties. Oil paintings in the north
ern counties were being listed and
taxed. They were not mentioned in
many of the Black Belt counties,
though there were more there than in
the upper part of the state. l cite
these instances not as the total cause
of complaint. but to draw attention
to fragrant unfairness.
mo one would regret to see the
state divided into two distinct poll
teal identities more than / would,
but, ], for one. am mighty tired OF
seeing our part of the state regarded
as an unresisting, splneless, grab
bag.
Penalized For Thrift.
1T is obvious to everyone look
ing into the subject that the part
of this state north of Calera is be-
ing penalized for thrift.
II wish to distinctly reiterate," Mr..
McLendon said, that no man in this
state would view with greater regret
its division. | am solidly for con-
tinuance of Alabama as it is, but as
much as l wish to see the state re-
main intact, my greater interest is in
common sense, fair taxation, and
simple, unalloyed justice. 1t may
sound ungrammatical and undig-
nfied to say it; but the most ex-
pressive term l can think of Is, I'm
tired of seeing the people of north
Alabama being exploited as good
things
The subject will be taken up with
much interest by the legislators from
jefferson county at the coming ad-
journed session of the legislature,
and if We do not get fair treatment
then and have these matters fairly
and satisfactorily adjusted for all
time, especially through a modifica-
ton of the existing state law on tax
alton, then l am in favor of taking
up the other phase of the question
and handling our affairs ourselves in
our own distinctly controlled ter
al