The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-15
Document Teens With Practical Suggestions and Keeps Close Eye on Finances of the State.
Goes After viOlatOrs of Law With Vim and Is Specially Severe on Mob Rule and lynch ings.

Montgomery, January l4-(Speclal )-- Following is the full text of Governor Jelks' message as read in the house and senate of the Alabama legislature today: To the Senate and House of Representa- tives:
 You have met as the representatives of a great and growing state. You have been honestly elected. Perhaps not one of you holds his seat by title that has a shadow on it. I congratulate myself on the character of my co-workers in the states interest-and the state l am not unmindful, either in this congratulation, that you are the choice, respectively, of a cleaner electoral constituency than the state has known for a generation. You ought to partake of the increased res spectabilty of the voters and we have a right to assume that in intelligence and patriotism you cannot at least be inferor to the wisest and strongest and most pa triotic like body which has met in our sa- cred halls since the great war. l appeal to you, as such, to see to 1t that the time heretofore trifled away in local legisla- tion, the continuous hunt for representa- lives for local monetary or other small advantage to his immediate constituents, shall be given to the larger study of ques- tions affecting the whole state. It is Tor tunate for you, too, that local legislation is in a large way, out of your reach. It has heretofore had a tendency to dwarf our legislative stature. Under new con ditions, 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 learning, immediate need, and if patriot ism there will be drafts upon 1t. You are to consider the new organic law and it's relation to previous statutes with the purpose of bringing the latter into har- mony. The task at first seems to be a 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 com mittees, the difficulties will grow less se- rious and will adjust themselves.
 The matter of the prohibited local legis- lation, except as to several subjects, will not make overwhelming drafts upon your wisdom or your time. Many of the sub jects about which you may not locally legislate have already been provided for in the statutes, not fully, perhaps, but largely. few of the prohibited subjects are of such a nature that while there is no statute now to govern, there need be none. That is to say, the constitutional prohibition should remain.
 Of the new statutes growing out of the thirty-one local subjects about 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 find the most serious will be the one which prohibits any special law incorporating a city, town or village. Your duty requires you to pass a comprehensive statute pro- viding a plan under which towns of any size may be incorporated with privileges dependent upon its size and needs. To formulate such law will tax the capaci- ty of your wisest members.
 We have come to honest elections in this state Whatever may have been said in condemnation or justification of frauds heretofore. there Is no further oc- casion for anything short of absolute honesty in both the primary and the elec- fion. The man hereafter who shall sin thus is entitled to and must receive the strongest condemnation of our penal statutes and the scorn of citizenship We must cleanse our garments. In this con- nection you will be called upon to pro- vide a more nearly perfect primary law than the one we have and a statute look ing to registration under the permanent plan of the new constitution. The very
 
 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 of two or more political parties, looking to the impossibility of election frauds
 Redstricting the State.
 The duty will devolve upon you of re- 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 aree even overworked, while in some of the dis tricts there are only left two or three counties. There are a sufficient number of judges and solicitors. after killing a dozen county courts, to do the work of the state The labor ought, however, to be more equitably divided. In this con- nection, it might not be amiss to say that in some of the largest districts, the travelling expense materially reduces the net income of the officer. and particular ly is this true in the case of the supernu- merary judge and the chancellors.
 The States Finances.
 There was in the treasury at the be- ginning of the fiscal year, $629, ,691 A. and. two years later, October l. 1902, $729 351. .S6. In the two years the condition of the states finances had improved by the amount of s1O0.o0o On the first day of January caused the cash to be cunted in the presence of the secretary of state furnishing Examiner George F. Sedberry for the purpose There was on hand on that day s472, ,569. AS, of which amount ESQ., 23992 belonged to the interest account and was aVbject to the payment of coupons past 0ue leaving available balance of S392 ;32956 There were no outstanding ob- ligations against this sum. On the first day of January two years ago, there was on hand s424,9S090. against which there were several claims. The condition of the treasury has improved on the whole in the two years. but only to an inconsid- erable extent. If the disbursements of the two years had been held down by the legislature 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 Jam uary. something like q l.sO0,00o, for I find that the disbursements of the last two years over those of two years before or sany other years, were more than q, 400, 000 Here are the disbursements taken from