The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-08
CUNNINGHAM AND HILL
GOVERNOR AND SCHOOL COBIMIS-
 sTONER AT ENTERPRIsE.
They Address Large Audience, Urging the Voting of . Special Tax for School Purposes In Coffee
 County.

Enterprise, Feb. 7.--(Special Corrc- spondence. )--Governor Cunningham and State Superintendent of Education l. w. Hill addressed a large audience here last night, urging the voting of spe- ciaI tax for school purposes in Coffee County.
 Great local interest was manifested in the speeches of the two distinguished visitors. The school house in which the speaking took place was packed and damned, notwithstanding the in- element weather. Both speakers were enthusiastically received. They were introduced to the audience by County Superintendent Simmons.
 Superintendent Hill reviewed the edu- cational conditions of Alabama. He showed that the State itself was doing more for the common school education than any of its neighboring States, and yet educational conditions were de- plorable, they were much worse than conditions in those States. This was true because all that was being done for education was being done by the State, nothing were done by the coun- ties and only little by the municipali- ties of the State. Ninety per cent of the money spent for education in Ala bama. he said, was paid by the State, and only 10 per cent by the municipali- ties.
 The deplorable conditions existing in Alabama he said, were to be improved by the counties and by other agencies. Mir. Hill pointed out that Coffee Coun- ty received $6.0O0 more for it's schools than 1t paid in school taxes.
 Governor Cunningham followed Mir. Hill in a speech an hour long. He held the close attention of the audience from start to finish, and he was fre- quently applauded. The beginning of the address was in a humorous vein. The Governors humor found a quick response in the audience. The humor was only the introduction to the prin- cipal part of the speech was an earnest and eloquent plea for the advancement of education in Alabama. The assur- ance of life. liberty and property de- pended upon an educated electorate. He quoted figures to show the amount of taxes the banks, the railroads and oth- CT corporations had paid for school purposes, notwithstanding that those bodies had no children to send to the schools they were doing so much to support. They were doing this for the effect it would have in enhancing the value of their property and assuring it's safety. He lamented the fact that with all It's natural resources, Alabama stood so low in developed wealth as compared with other States.
 The Governor pointed out that the Constitutional Convention had reduced the tax rate 1 mill, or 10 cents on the S10O They were there simply to ask the people of Coffee County to put back that single mill and devote it's entire results to the county's schools. He closed with an eloquent appeal for bet ter education. for the better develop ment of Alabama's riches and re- sources.
 The Governor and MT. Hill spoke yes- terday afternoon at Elba. The Gov ernor returned to Montgomery this morning. Mir Hill left this morning with Superintendent Simmons for vio- toria, where both will speak today.
 The friends of the special tax are confident that 1t will get the neces- sary three-hfths vote.