The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-10-06
Delivers a Long Address
 at Greenville.
THE RAILROADS ATTACKED
CriticiSeS His Associate Com
 miSSiOnerS.
He Fails to State Whether He h Flirt- Ing With Governorship or Has Serious Designs Upon
 the once.
BY WILL T. SIBERIAN.

BY WILL T. STEPHAN.
 Greenville, Oct. 5.-(Special Corre- spondence e)-President B. B. Conner of the Alabama Railroad Commission in a long address here today devoted to at tacks on the railroads of the State and criticism of members of the Railroad Commission past and present, failed to say whether she waS merely flirting with the Alabama Governorship, or that his intentions were serious.
 He edged up little nearer a positive declaration than he has yet come, but he fell short of committing himself. He is still able to run or not without break ing his word.
 Mir Conner and State Superintendent of Education I. W. Hill came to Green vile to make speeches on the question of local taxation in the campaign now on in Butler County and which will end with the election Monday Mir. Hill made the speech for local taxation. MT. Conner told how the railroads were grinding down the people of the State and how Messrs. Tunstall and Sanders refused to cooperate with him In his crusade.
 The educational portion of Mir. Com- CTS speech was like the overeoat the travelling man bought, dividing the cost among the items in his expense &C., count so that his house would have to pay for 1t. The overcoat was in the ex- pense account, all right, but nobody could find it if they did not know about 1t. Mir. Conner had some remarks on education but they were so dovetailed with assertions and charges on the rail- road question that the average man could not grasp or assimilate them. Like the mystical Israfel MT. Conner played upon Tyre with but one string.
 Flirting With GOvernorship.
 And still he did not say he would be "a a candidate for Governor. but he firted brazenly with the Governorship. His attentions were so open, he pressed his suit so vigorously that the Governor ship has right to believe that his in- tentions are serious and honorable. Any jury In the country would give the Gov ernorship a verdict for heavy damages for lzcerateaS feelings and breach of promise, if 1t was called to pass upon the earnestness of Mir. Corners pur- poses.
 The President of the Railroad Com mission was just a little more aggress- i've, jrst little more vehement in his attacks upon the railroads than he has yet been. Spe lking of the rate of tax ation he said:
 Did you know that the rate of tax ation in Alabama was fixed by two men, two railroad men, J. M. Culp and Mill ton H. Smith? They are the, men who fix your tax rates without limitation, assisted by Colonel Sanders and MT. Tunstall," he said at one time.
 More than once, in helping the cause of education he turned aside to criti- else the two Associate Members of the Commission, Messrs. Tunstall and San ders, as well as his predecessor in of- flee, John V. Smith. He declared that they had put their consciences against the consciences of the people of Ala bama.
 He averred. too. that the officials at the Capitol were manipulated and con- trolled by the railroads of the State. He grew indignant when he said:
 They put thirty stenographers and typeWr,ters in the Senate Chamber and had them sending out that vile liter ature aimed at me in the last cam paign. In the Senate Chamber. the most sacred place about the Capitol. they had them there disseminating that vile literature. Who permitted itT
 Coming down to the important part of his present crusade he gave advice and got confidential with his hearers
 Select tEe men for Governor, for members of the Legislature with care Let them be men that you know are with the people on this great question Be careful whom you put on guard. Know him and l-now that he is with you. l do not know whom you may have in your mind foc Governor, but I know that he should be a man whom you can rely and depend at this crisis.
 When you are fighting the railroads you are not fooling with fools The rail- road men opposed to us are as smart men as money can hire. You have got to be sure of the men you put behind the guns. Put SchIey there, not Cervera; put a Dewey, a Togo. behind your guns, but be sure you know the sort of man he is before you put your faith in him"
 MT. Hill for Education.
 Superintendent Hill had nothing to say on the railroad question. He was there to deliver an argument on the justice and wisdom of one-mill tax for school purposes, and he delivered it effectively and eloquently Mir. Hill did not appear to share Mir. Corners opinion that the local taxation ques- tion and the railroad question were bound up in each other.
 The speakers were met at the depot by County Superintendent c. s. Lewis, who had charge of them throughout the day. Through some misunder- standing sufficient notice of the speak ing had not been given. goodly DOT ton of the people of Greenville did not know of 1t.
 Wherefore, a black and good natured negro was armed with a cowbell and a poster on a big stick The negro started from the depot up the long street to the court house, along which the town of Greenville is built, jang- ling the cow-bell at every step. He stopped at all the store doors and rang the cow-bell until the proprietor and clerks could see what was doing. Not withstanding this heroic measure, the crowd at the court house was not large. When the speaking began, it numbered less than one hundred. number of the ladies of Greenville were pres ent.
 State Senator D. NJ Powell presided and introduced the speakers. He did the same office for Lieutenant- Gov ernor Cunningham a week ago. Sena- tor Powell explained that the meeting was a part of the campaign in Butler County in favor of the levying of special tax of one mill, or 10 cents on the hundred dollars. for school pur- poses a campaign which would end with the special election on Monday, October g. Senator Powell quoted figures which showed that while Butler County paid in round numbers to the general school tax $10,000 with $l l.5o0 poll tax, the county got back from the