The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-05
DR. CUNNINGHAM
 AT MONTGOMERY
SAYS IF GOVERNMENT CONTROL FAILS THIS YEAR, GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP WILL BE THE SLo- GAN IN 1912.

Montgomery, April 4.-(Special9-ln a speech at the courthouse here tohsh' Dr. R. NJ. Cunningham. candidate TOT governor, said that in his opinion II the principle of governmental control or rail roads should fail in 1906, the platform in 1912 will be government ownership of all transportation lines. He also as serted that anything created by law, like a railroad must by law be controlled
 Dr. Cunningham was presented by Ray Rushton, a prominent local attorney who said that he was of gubernatorial kind' fit company for the strong men who nave held the place in the past. The doctor said he come asking the honor of the high office as a democrat who had been loyal to his party in every respect de- tended it's platforms and supported It's standard bearers. He had an inner con- science of a right purpose in all his ac- tions and accorded to others the same honorable convictions.
 He then reviewed his record in politics from the time he was elected to the leg islature from Franklin county through
 
 governorship His ideals. of government are high and if for maintaining them he goes down in defeat then defeat It must be. His record for 2 years IS an open book. No man or set of men are ald- ing him in his fight for governor every dollar spent being his own money He would not accept money from any one who might in any way benefit by the office of governor. The speaker said that he and Mir Conner were agreed on deslf- able immigrants labor appropriations fo- old soldiers and schools. He would set aside the treasury surplus to the common schools and in making appropriations provide for expert service, and counsel for the railroad commission.
 Reviewing the office of governor and it's provisions, the doctor said that some believed that the governor Is 1t, MT co- mer would say 1t am l, but he would quietly say I am it., with power on the. He advocated the enforcement or law care in pardon matters, regulation o1 liquor traffic by local option. not believ- ing in a state dispensary The speaker endorsed the convict system that had increased the net returns in short time from s25,O00 to ssO0000 and the death rate from 20 per cent to less than three in twenty years. The plan was his, em- bodied in his bill in the legislature. adopt ed by Governor Jelks and worked out by j. NJ Carmichael We would further better it by the state operating it's own mines and works He believed in the back-tax law and if elected would certain ly in purely executive appointments honor his friends
 He argued for the Georgia rates or a;.t .f,. t1.a A bama law is good and adequate to meet the situation. It has the power to fix and determine rates and means for en- forcing them. Mir. Conner had stood for a commission 20 years and had made himself very funny by his charges. He defended his letter of March 19 to the commission. saving it was good states manship. but poor politics. He closed by saying that he hoped when he went out of office in 1911 the city would have its 100000. There were at least 100 persons present and he was frequently applauded.