The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-01
CUNNINGHAM
 AT GREENVHLE
tcens.naea rom Page one.1


 ture should be called to gether and confer upon it the necessary power. or take any other necessary action. I want to say to you my friends. from the standpoint of policy that 1t was the most foolish thing I ever did. From the Standpoint of statesmanship 1t was the greatest thing ever did and I am pround of 1t"
 MT. Conner has come to that position now. Other leaders have come to it and it is popular. MT. Conner says now that I was right At that time why didn't he come to me and tell me that? Why didn't the other people who say the same thing. come to me and say Cunningham was right? Mir. Conner declares that the railroads are costing the people of the State millions and millions of unnecessary dollars every year because the Legislature had not fixed a rate maximum rate. Why did he not make answer to my suggestion ana help have the condition remedied Instead of going around and drawing his salary of $500 a month in position in which he says himself he Is doing no good.
 gate himself the claim that he is re- spo .sihie for all that has been accom- p!.snel toaards rate reform and in the securing of gn elective railroad com r.;ission9 He has no right to deny credit tf those Senators who fought and car ried through that bill. Rodgers of Sum fer. Powell of Butler. Thomas of Bar bcur. Johnston of Tuscaloosa. and others. nor has he any right to deny credit to the Lieutenant Governor whose vote united the deadlock and the Governor who signed the bill. he has no right to say he did 1t all. He has no tt tha whole cheese"
 Dr. Cunningham told of the surplus of over. a million dollars that would be in the treasury at the first of next year. a surplus which had been piled ur, in the face of a heavy reduction Tn the tax rate. largely increased ap- propriations to the old veterans ana to the common schools. and the big fund annroprtated for the erection of the addition to the Capitol. This was made possible through the instrumentality or the new system of working the State conyicts, by which tho State received SS5 a month. when previously It had received only s5.
 Earnings of Convicts.
 The State of Alabama was now making in the neighborhod of s3o0,ooo each year out of the labor of the con yicts when under a previous system to pedestrians and in order to use a in four years. Dr. Cunningham gave Governor Jelks and his able assistants in the Convict Department credit for introducing the system, but he said It was only simple justice to himself to say that he originated and suggested it, and that he was, in truth, It's author.
 The Lieutenant Governor branded as false the statment that he was receiv- ing $10,000 a year from the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company. He had at one time been paid a salary of $500 by the company for giving medical at- tention to the convicts when that com pany was working them, but that po- sition was lost to him when the con- viet system was changed.
 He had until the first of October been at the head of a cooperative hospital at Ensley which paid him be- tween $s50 and $4o0 a month. He only wished that he was receiving salary of $10,000 year, for then he swould be able to put his candidacy be- fore the people, in the way he would like, but could not do now.
 On the other hand Mir. Conner was a. very rich man and could afford to spend as much money as he wants to. He did not envy him because he was rich.
 The great mistake of his political career and one which he generally re- gretted was voting for the bill which exempted cotton mills from taxation for term of years Dr. Cunningham said. He was led away from his judg- ment he said by the spacious argument that the farmer would get the benefit of the elimination of the freight charges in communities where cotton mills were located. There was no more reasoni said Dr. Cunningham. why a cotton mill should be any moro exempt from taxation than a grist mill or factory of any other sort and he promised If elected Governor he would veto any bill extending the term of the exemption of cotton mills from taxation. To the cotton mill property owened by MT. Conner. Dr. Cunningham declared under this law. the State of Alabama was making practically an annual donation of $12,- 500 a year. at the cost of other tax payers of the State.
 In the latter part of his address Dr. Cunningham was given frequent applause and at its conclusion the cheering was prolonged some time. He left tonight for Huntsville where he will speak tomorrow.