The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-05
Superintendent GunneIIs Cor
 rects Wrong Impression
COMER AS AN AUTOIST
Makes Trip From Montgomery to Bir- minqham in His Machine-Gov- ernor Conner Favors Gray's
 Insurance Bill.
BY HERvEY w. LAIRD.

Montgomery. May Recent publications with regard to the proposed 1 educational superintendence bill, with az itation brought about by friends of the measure has aroused new interest in the measure and given it attention among many who have not recently taken note in special way of what il proposes to accomplish. With regard to recent mo- tiee of the bill in this paper State Superintendent of Education H. C. Gun nells says: sI wish to thank you for the article and to say again that l con l sider it the most important piece or l legislation which has been or will be in7 | troduced at the present session of the l legislature
 "It seems to me worse than folly | confirmed MT Gunnells, Ito continue to pour the peoples money into rural schools without providing at the same tune aoe- duate means for it's intelligent ana enee- l tive expenditure. All of us know that 1 the school supervision in the rual ds- l tricts at present, except in a lew couh- 1 ties is more than farce. The mus | tice which the state allows to be done to 1 inc children in the rural schools, con i stituting more than eighty-one per cent of our school population IS almost ap palling to a mind that appreciates ths l fact that our future great men and women l n1,st in a large measure come from these 1 districts Every child is entitled to ana should demand supervision as intelligent and efficient as is given to the city child
 Corrects Wrong impression.
 The county supernitendeney is the key to our present educational situation l have been told that the voters in the rural districts have opposed thls meas ure because it takes out of their hands the right to elect by direct vote the 1 county superindendent l have never eN- nlained inc provisionss of this bill to 1 | man who did not acknowledge that 1t was good and that something along th's line ought to be done, The only opJectors that I have found are men who will be | affected directly or lndlrectly py liS P''9 sage of the law. .
 "A short time ago I made speech at which there were at least two hun dred voters present. l discussed the SUI | pervision bill and when had conciuueu asked all who favored the bill to stand LID. Not man remained seated. nave hundreds of letters from educators over the Tinted States congratulating Alabama I that we are attempting this much needed l reform. Not single state superintnedht I has faild to endorse and commend II. am glad the newspapers are taking part | in the fight The educational forces owe much to them for what has already been accomplished along educauohai lines'
 Governor Conner, Autoist.
 Gov R R. Conner ran his big machine from Montgomery to his home in Birming- ham A. few days ago, stopping along tue 1 route to see some of his friends in the country territory. He seems to nave at tracted attention as he went along ne Clanton Banner says: "Saturday nishe | c,ianton had the honor of entertaining Coy. B. B. Conner. who arrived Tn an | automobile from Montgomery ahout o'clock. and put mp at the Elliott house. The goovernor saved his railroad lafe of three cents per mile, but what the trip cost him we are not prepared 10 l say He left next morning bright ahd early for Birmingham and Montevallo.
 With the other educational officers or state Governor Conner will be away most of the time for the next few weeks, l attending commencements and board meetings. Monday he will be at Living ston for a session with the board or the Livingston Normal, which Is presided over by Miss Julia Tutwller, so long ana so | well known In Alabama school service After that he will be back at his office most of the week. Sta;e Superintendent | Harry C. Gunnells and Chief Clerk w. F. Feagin will have trips in and out to make addresses as will 1T. ]. Willingham, secretary to the state hoard of examiners of the same department. There is marked interest in the elosings this year.
 Ineurance Legislation.
 The bill to be introduced by Lieutenant l Governor Henry B. Cray, which will pro- vide that all foreign life insurance eom- panies doing business in the state must invest at least fifty per cent of receipts in the state. is thought to have the ap- proval of the powers that be at the capl- 1 tol including Governor Conner and ln- surance Commissioner Frank N. Julian The fact is, tfere seems to have been some discussion of the same idea when the general revenue bill was made up when. it is understood, the governor fav- ored the idea
 A man who has sounded him on the subject makfs the statement positively that Governdr Conner Is with Lieutenant Governor Cray and will support him. It is also well known that MT Julian had the same idea during the sessions of tho i legislaturey However, no definite action was taken by any of them at that 1 time. the first positive move coming from | Lieutenant Governor Gray in a recent iil- terview fin the Birmingham Age Herald. in which he said emphaticaily that he