The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-15
MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR JELKS SENT TO
 TWO HOUSES OF ALABAMA LEGISLA URE.

SNNN&EE<Sf SNeNs , The following message from Governor Jellxs was transmitted to the two Houses of the Alabama Legislature yesterday:
 Governors Message.
 To the Senate and House of Representa-
 tives:
 the people of great and growing State. You have been honestly elected. Perhaps not one of you holds his seat-by a title that has shadow on 1t. l congratulate myself . on the character of my GO so-Tork- york I am not unmindful. either, in this con- graduation, that you are the choice, re- spectively, of a cleaner electoral con- stituency than the State has known for . generation. You ought to partake of the increased responsibility of the voters and we have right to assume that in intelligence and patriotism you cannot at least be inferior to the wisest and strongest and most patriotic like body which has met in our sacred halls since the great war. I appeal to you, as such, to see to 1t that the time heretofore trified away in local legislation. the con. tinuous hunt by representatives for local monetary or other small advantage to his immediate constituents. shall be given to the larger study of questions affecting the whole State. 1t is fortunate for you. too. that local legislation is, in large way. out of your reach. It has hereto fore had a tendency to dwarf our legisla- tive stature. Under new conditions, the largest personality. and the strongest. will take his easy place at the head. This Is one of the blessings which the new Constitution brings us for which we should not be unthankfuL
 The New Constitution. .
 The labor which confronts you will de- mand your best efforts If you have in- dustry. you will have occasion for 1t; if To nd ism, there will be drafts upon 1t. You are to consider the new organic law and its relation to previpds statutes with the pur- pose of bringing the latter into harmony The task at first seems to be larger one than may be completed in the time you have at your disposal. Let us hope. however, that when the work Is properly divided among competent committees, the adjust themselves.
 The matter of the prohibited local legis- iotfon, except as to several subjects, VIII not make overwhelming drafts upon your tects about which you may not locally legislate have already been provided for in the statutes, not fully perhaps but largely. A few of the prohibited sub there Is no statute now to govern. there need be none. That is to say, the consti- tutional prohibition should remain. Of the new statutes growing out of the ,Hty-Ou9 IOCdl SuQJeCIB apQuI WHICH you shall legislate only in a general way, only two or three are likely to give you great concern. The subject which you will lind the most serious will be the one which prohibits any special law incorporating city. town or village. Your duty re- quires you to pass comprehensive stat ute providing plan under which towns of any size may be incorporated with privileges dependent upon It's size and needs. 20 formulate such law will tax the capacity of your wisest members.
 We have come to honest election in this State. Whatever may. have been said in condemnation of Justification of frauds heretofore. there is no further occasion for anything short of absolute honesty In both the primary and the election. The man hereafter who shall sin thus Is en. titled to and must receive the strongest condemnation of our penal statutes and the scorn of our citizenship. We must cleanse our garments In this connection. you will be called upon to provide a more nearly perfect primary law than the one we have and a statute looking to registration under the permanent plan. of the new Constitution. The very letter of the law should control in the registration under the permanent plan. The Sayre election law ought to be re- pealed and the new statute should pro- vide for representation at the polls or two or more political parties, looking to the impossibility of election frauds.
 Redistricting the State.
 
 districting the State. The Judicial dis tricts, as at present constituted, are open to serious criticism. One or more of the judges have all they can do and are even overworked. while in some of the districts there are only left two or three counties. There are a sufficient number of judges and solicitors, after killing a dozen coun- ty courts, to do the work of the State. The labor ought, however; to be more 1t might not be amlss to say that in some of the largest districts. the travelling ex- pense materially reduces the net income of the officer, and particularly is this true In the case of the supetnumerary judge and the chancellors.
 The States Finances.
 There was in the treasury at the be- ginning of the fiscal year 1900. $6z9, ,691 A, and, two years later, October 1, 9R, $729. .S51.s6. In the two years, the con- dition of the States finances had improv- ed by the amount of $l0O,0Oo. On thu first day of January. l caused the cash to be counted in the presence of the Sec retary of State, furnishing Examiner George F. Sedberry for the purpose of which amount $80,239.92 belonged to the interest account and was subject to the payment of coupons past due leav- ing an available balance of $S92,SZ9 .56. There were no outstanding obligations against this sum. :" On the first day of January two years ago, there was on hand, SPA, ,930.90, against which there were several clalmA The condition of the treasury hs improved on the whole in the two years but only to an inconsldera- ble extent. If the disbursements of the two years had been held down by the leg islature of that time to an amount equal to the disbursements of any two. previous years, there would have been on hand. on the first day of last January. some- think like S1, 800 900. for I find that the disbursements of the last two years over
 
 other years were more than $I. 400. 0c0. Here are the disbursements taken from