The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-15

vice corporations, which are valuable, and the same assessment should be placed upon these as any other prop erty of the State. And there are cor porations with great holdings of prop critics and magnificent display of sc- curities, and with tremendous shrink age of their value when turned into the tax assessor. Certainly this needs the equalizing hand of the State.
 The farmers lands are always list ed. and while they, may not pay as high tax value as they should. you must re- member that 1t Is they who are the burden bearers. the bone and sinew of the State, the very foundation of the State, and whatever is left to them, stiff goes to the upbuilding of the Stat but these other escapes go from the state never to return. In the anne manner. large timber tracts held for saw mill purposes should be assessed on their valuation. The tax value Is in the timber. and as soon as the tim Der is cut. the value will be gone. Advocates Increased Pensions.
 Alabama has been very derelict in its care of the old soldier. It is nearly forty-two years since they laid down their arms and made their weary way home. and commenced on the desolation of the war to build again the ways of life. Many of them have not many years here; many of them will suffer and pass their last days in want, if not properly cared for. They had last year nearly s500,o0o. and am advis- ing a direct appropriation of $500. 900 additional and in the event the State assessment from taxes should increase, as reasonably can be expected, this amount, will be largely increased. mak- ing nearly $500, 900 for them.
 This may. to some of you, look ex- traordinary; but we owe no higher duty than to these old heroes, the remnant Of that great civil struggle for you and for me- We build monuments to them. we scatter flowers over their graves. gentlemen. that is for the dead and the memories of the dead. This is right; but we should make 1t pos sible for the living to pass their last days in comfort and peace.
 The curse of Alabama has been cheap labor. More than forty per cent of our population are negroes, and, from the very nature of the case, furnish ing low order of labor. and this is certainly a sufficient burden on the white men of the State to educate, take care of and build up; and l imagine no greater curse to the State than the introduction of a low class of white labor. I understand there will be a bill before the House for the State to
 
 abroad to secure labor. and with the stated broadness of field reaching from the Baltic to the Mediterranean, and with the apparent purpose of going to that congested section which bor- ders the Mediterranean and bringing the lowest class of labor that comes to the American shores, and against which the whole United States is cry ing today.
 Caution as to Immigration.
 T would caution you of the danger, with our present surrounding of the forty per cent negroes, of bringing into our State, introducing and amalgamat- ing great horde of cheap labor from that section. What law me make, cer- tainly we should make 1t so restric- tive as to make those who come fit associates for our own yellow haired. blue eyed people.
 Alabama is just emerging from the impoverishing condition of low price labor, and for the first time we are approaching the standard of price paid by Northern State, and 1t would ube a calamity to throw an undermining g class of labor from the congested dis tricts of the Mediterranean.
 Make the conditions in our own State so fructifying that our own peo- pie will stop emigrating. and give the natural inflow and increase. that will come from improved conditions a chance, and this will largely rectify the proper demand for labor. Some 400, 900 of our own people have emil grated, pushed out by small returns from their daily toll. It will be . calamity to put in competition with, and push out those who are here, sub