The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-14
COMER OPPOSED ID THE OVERTON PLAN Does Not Want Convict Money
 Used for Roads WILL OPPOSE BANKHEAD Both Men Will Probably Take Stump for and Against the Proposition.
 Conner Gives Out ln-
 terview.

While the May primaries are worrying along with little of sensational interest, the clouds of great war are impending for the fall months. It is rumored, with good grounds for argument, that the men who stand for the two greatest move- ments in Alabama will cass. on the issue of the adoption of the Overton amend ment to the constitution.
 Will it be Conner vs. Bankhead?
 In such case 1t would be education vs. good roads. The Overton amendment, which, according to Governor Conner takes funds from the educational interests of the state and uses it for good roads is as follows:
 Section 93 Article 1. The state shall not engage in work of internal improve ment nor lend money or it's credit in such aid; nor shall the state be interested Tn any private or corporate enterprise or lend money on it's credit to any individual, as- sociation or corporation provided that the state may under appropriate laws cause the net proceeds of the state convict fund to be applied to the construction, repair and maintenance of public roads in the state and the legislature may also make additional appropriations for that purpose"
 However it is pointed out that the amount of money to be appropriated by the legislature is left optional, and 1t may take funds from the treasury without touching the convict money.
 The campaign for good roads has fafa funds to assist the counties is commented on by almost everyone quoted.
 Senator Bankhead. has given out the information that within a few months he will come to stump the state in the interest of the Overton amendment. He has made numbers of campaigns on the road issue and his knowledge of the sub ject is well known. He is enthusiastically in favor of the proposed amendment.
 Governor Conner on the other hand has always assumed the position that a lib- eral appropriation for the schools is the best policy for the state Hence it may be put down that the governor is not in love with the proposition. Whether he will content himself with leaving the matter to the voters and then if it passes, fighting an appropriation before the leg islature, is not known. but he is the au- thority for the following interview given in the Montgomery Advertiser:
 You may put me down for good roads now and all the time" said he yesterday. But I am opposed to the constitutional amendment as it TOW stands. The amend ment proposes to take the net proceeds of the convict department of the state and apportion 1t among the counties for use in building and improving dirt roads.
 "The state gets annually a net profit of about half million dollars from the working of convicts To divert it to good roads simply means to take it away from our great educational system. That, it seems to me, would not be a wise thing to do. l think the people should think of this phase of the matter before casting their votes on such a proposition.
 "To take away from the educational fund this half million dollars would mean disarrangement of the entire revenue or tax system of Alabama. It would mean that the tax for good roads-and after all it amounts to a tax-wouid be shifted from the counties to the state govern ment. That is all there is to it. It oer- tainly looks better to me to keep up the public school system and the present tax basis and let the conditions remain like they are in the counties
 "As the taking away of half a million dollars from the educational fund of the state would, as I say, mean an extra taxation, l should think it were wiser to let the counties vote specific tax &C., cording to their own wishes for the pur- pose of good roads,.