Birmingham age-herald., 1894-11-04
REPLY ITO Ex .aovERNoR SMITH.

REPLY TO EX- GOVERNOR SMITH. To the Age- Herald:
 Ex-Gov. w. H. Smith attempted to an- swer part of Senat Morgan's speech, but made a poor effort.
 Senator Morgan in his speech said that during the war Governor Shorter had sent money to England to pay the interest on S4 ,500, ,000 of Alabama bonds held there. In the published speech this S4 ,500, 1000 ap- peared as e4 ,500 ,000. Senator Morgan may have said .pounds'' instead Of '.doIlars," having England in his mind, but of course he did not mean 1t. The impression made on the minds of his hearers was that he m cant dollars. But Governor Smith held the published speech in his hand and pro- ceeded to hold the senator up to ridicule. If the ex- x-governor had given the matter second thought he would have known what the senator meant, and would not have taken advantage of: q slip of the tongue. When Mir. Smith was governor state's finances, as follows: ," Bonded debt of the state, B, 270, GOO; educational fund and miscellaneous, B ,0S5 ,663; total, s8,- 355, ,683.' This was after the war, when the state debt was much larger than in 1862, the year to which Senator Morgan referred. Senator Morgan made the point that the republicans had increased the in- debtedness of the state in four or five years from S10, GOO, 900 or $12, ,000 1000 to S32 ,0O0,- GOO. Ex- Governor Smith took the sena-
  that he said sspounds, ]" showed that &4,- 500, 900 was e9hal to $22, ,50O GOO, and that the increase from this latter sum to $32,- 000, 1000 was not so great after all.,s But the fact remains and is well known by all in- telligent men that in 1868 when the repnb- licans got control of the state government the state debt amounted to something over $8 .000, ,000, and when they we're busted in 1873 that the state debt had incfeased to $32, GOO, GOO. '.-ia . .-s
 Then the ex-governor tried to explain away the railgoad debt that the republi- cans had saddled on the state. He con- tended that the legislature of 1867 that passed the law helping railroads to the amount of S12, ,000 mile was democratic legislature. The democrats have never de- nied this. When the war ended Alabama was in a state of great destitutiop, and something had to be done to develop it's in- dustries. The legislature voted state aid to railroads as one method of putting the state on the up- grade. It is the abuse of this law that the democrats charge upon the republicans. When the republicans got control of the state government they took a5santage of to the wind and saddlsd a debt upon the stale that we are sven now paying. It matters little wh;G party originates law, but it does matter how that law is en- forced. No one cares which party gave congress the taxing power, but it does mat ter how party uses that power. The re- publicans, through the Mckinley law used this power to the impoverishment of mill lions for the enrichment of the few.
 Ex-Governor Smith also read a type written opinion given by Senator Morgan in 1870, in which he gave the legal aspects of the state aid law. He gave this opinion as a lawyer and showed the legal bearing of the law, and did not indorse or condemn Smith contended that Senator Morgan had indorsed the law and had winked at the in- jury it's misapplication had done the state.
 Senator Morgan Tn his speech contended that when the republicans he'd control of Alabama that they thad plunged the state in debt, and that if they got control again they would do the same. It cannot be de- nied that the republican state government was terribly extravagant and that the state is yet suffering from that extravagance. If we mistake not, Ex-Governor Smith in- dorsed those state bonds that have caused so much trouble. In fact, we find the fol- lowing interesting statement of the case in an able article on reconstruction in Ala bama by Hillary A. Herbert Tn book en- titled ''Why the Solid South?" published in 1890:
 ssThe democratic legislature of 1867 voted to encourage railroads by allowing the state to indorse their bonds to the amount of SIP 1000 mile. The second ses- sion of the republican legislature of 1868 increased this indorsement from SIP GOO to $16, ,000 per mile. Under this impetus there was great fraud and speculation. Rail- roads were started to get this state aid and were never completed. Negro members of the legislature sold out for less than they brought during slavery. Only one road begun under thls law was completed, viz, the Alabama and Chattanooga. It was 295 miles in length and entitled by the statute to iudorsement when completed to the ex- tent Of S4 ,420, ,000. But when yet lacking 100 miles of completion it had received, as shown by the report made to the house of representatives ,sGs by B; So,as B. Lewis, extent of s5, ,360. 1000: and, uot even satisfied with these, it demanded of the legislature $2, 900, GOO of straight bonds and got them. Gov. W. H. Smith issued most of these bonds, including the over issue to the A. & c. No one believes he accepted any bribe, but he was criminally csreless. h letter dated April 8, 1871, after explaining the over- issnes, he said: ''I admit that if had attended strictly to the indorsement and issue of these bonds that all this never would have occurred"
 FACTS.