The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-14
SPEAKERS AT FAIR
 URGE GOOD ROADS
Bankhead, Underwood and 0verton Present Arguments
ALL FOR THE AMENDMENT I
Show That 1t Does No Approorit Money Directly, But Simply Elm powers the Legislature
 To Act.

Boosting good roads and declaring the Alabama State Fair the greatest he has ever witnessed, Senator John II. Bank head made his first public speech in Bir- ] mingham on the subject for which the whole state is aroused since he began his stirring campaign.
 Congressman Oscar W. Underwood and Senator John w. overton made the other speeches celebrating good roads day at the fair. They appealed to the warmest spot in the hearts of the many farmers : who heard them, and if the sentiment of the people who are gathered from all parts of the state is test, Alabama will go three to one for the amendment. They turned over all the objections which have been raised, and Senator Bankhead. calling attention to the fact that only surplus money could be used for building state roads, declared in no weak terms that .'ander a sane, compe- tent administration we will have a sur plus"
 All the speakers and committees were highly satisfied with the success of the fair. "The agricultural exhibits are as tourdins.s said Senator Bankhead. T have never seen anything to equal them in the soutl. It only goes to show that Alstama is the greatest and richest state iu the ulion. The farmers are energetic, and l am surprised what a showing they can make
 Congressman Underwood was particu- larly delighted with the free attractions. "You won't find much better attractions than these at an exposition, he said. T think it can be recommended to all the people 0. Alabama as a show well worth their visiting"
 Mayor George B. Ward visited the swine pens and was particularly captivated by the hogs. In all his experience he hZd never seen such large ones and so many together time.
 Congressman Underwood took up na- tional aid for building roads in his speech, showing that the constitution provides for it, all European countries are already practcing it. that the United States is behind the entire civilized world, being practically without system of roads. He said that it costs as much to haul one bale of cotton one mile in Alabama as it does to carry the same bale 500 miles on the sea, and thus showed the insignifi- canoe of rate and railroad regulation as comlhred with the great problem of re- ducing the expense of marketing the farmers products. He closed with the idea that for the women and the little children alone the work is well worth 1 doing.
 John ". Overton made a strong defense of his amendment. He struck at the heart of the 'fallacy that we would take money away from the soldiers and the schools. q | No legislature under the sun would dc that. Nothing would do more good to the rural schools than to build a good road to every one of them. We can do noth. ing without a surplus, and the legisla. ture is not pledged to spend cent.
 The amendment only gives the legisla. ] ture the power to make such an appro pration when the money left over iron the schools and veterans is sufficient"
 Senator Bankhead said that only luna tics in asylums and criminals in prisoni could be disinterested in roads, that every one speaks of the need of them, but wher it comes to the matter of voting for tn, proposition he said there are a number of hard-headed ones who balk. He in sisted that the state constitution, as wei as the proposed amendment specifically provide that the state shall contract nc debt As an auxiliary for the schools churches and the only immigration agent in the country the senator used the latter part of his speech an argument fol the development of every section witt hard roads.
 There was loud applause after eacE speech.