The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-07
President of state A.roei.t,eu Aecu.e. Governor Conner of Not Acting h Good Faith With
 peopIe

l t"c SNN'S ~%8Vr anu pEGRdIeQ DAli | which was presented to the first ses-
 sion of the Legislature to create q highway commission, and also to pro- | vide State aid.
 The object of the bill to create a | highway commission was so that roads
 would be built on economic and busi-
 nesslike methods. and the construction
 would be of permanent nature; as the | present meth ods In vague are merely a | temporary makeshift and waste of la
 bor and money.
 The sum of money that is spent in l cash and statute. labor is the enormous sum of about $1.700,000 annually. and for that sum not one mile of perma-
 nent road is constructed. The object of the bill that the Alabama Good Roads Association Is advocating was
 the first step for economic and perma : | nent roads so that the people of Ala
 bama, and especially the farmers could have the easiest and most economic
 method of transportation of their pro- ducts from the farm to the steamb oat landings, and the railroad stations, and merchants and factories. Governor Conner in his campaign for Railroad Commissioner. then for Gov ernor, proclaimed from every housetop. in the valleys, and through the press, ] that the ,railread rates of transporta- ton were excessive and tS at the rail- roads needed regulation.
 He laid great stress on the fact that the poor farmers were charged enor- nous rates on their fertilizAr. Gov ernor Conner knows that the bad coun- try roads are costing the farmers to haul their fertilizer about thirty times more a ton per mile over our neglected country roads than the railroad rates which he declared were excessive. Governor Conner has not raised his voice in behalf of the poor farmer and against excessive rates he is taxed to haul his fertilizer on the bottomIess mud roads of the State of Alabama D If you will investigate the Governors record you will find that he has not raised his voice to improve the roads of Alabama.
 The writer was delegate to the Democratic State Convention that pre- scented the platform that Governor Conner and his State officers ran on be- fore the people of Alabama. and my particular mission was to advocate a plank for good roads. That plank of the platform MT Conner was elected on, but he trampled 1t under his feet The Alabama Good Roads Commit tee appeared before the Legislature and advocate a highway commission. and appropriate money for State aid, and in the bill they gave the Gov ernor the power to name three com missioners proposed In the bill
 After the good roads bill was intro duced. the Governor and his leader. Senator Lusk, began opposition, claim ing it was unconstitutional to appro- priate money for internal improve ments, notwithstanding many other precedents had been pointed out where the State had appropriated money; and at the same session of the Legislature Governor Conner. Senator Lusk and others passed a bill appropriating $25,- 900 for the Jamestown Exposition This is an illustration of Governor Corners inconsistency.
 The Alabama Goods Roads Associa- tion held that If Governor Conner and Senator Lusk were sincere in providing economic transportation for the peo- pie of Alabama, and the constitution prohibiting, as he and Lusk claimed, the State from appropriating any money for the upb uilding of our much neglected country roads. so that the boys and girls could get to the schools, the men and women to the churches. then 1t was the solemn duty of the Governor and the Legislature to enact law so that the constitution might be amended, and that the State would aid the counties to improve and provide a permanent system of good high ways.
 The Alabama Good Roads Associa- tion followed up the measure. and hence they had Senator overton, who is one of the executive committee of the Alabama Good Roads Association. to introduce the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State.
 Every ton of fertilizer hauled from the steamboat, the railroad or the mer- chant, in the average haul of ten miles over the present bad roads. costs 25 cents ton per mile. An average haul of ten miles from the railroad station is S2.50 per ton. If the roads were made good, such as the amend ment to the Constitution proposes, then the cost to the farmers will he 10 cents per mile, saving on every ton of fertilizer to the farmer of $1.50 Statistics show that about 100000 tons are used In Alabama a year. This illustrates only one item. an absolute loss to the farmers of $6O0.000 per year.
 Last year the cotton crop of the State was 100000 bales. The loss on every bale of cotton that was hauled over the bad roads of Alabama was S4 cents. On account of the bad roads we have in Alabama this was another loss of $S74.QoO to the farmers
 It is estimated that the farmers sell about 900 tons of cotton seed. and
  nn every ton hauled over the neglect cd roads of the State. This shows an- other loss of $750,000.
 These three farm products arc an example of the enormous tax on tho farmers of Alabama. and if Governor Conner Is sincere and wanting the cheapest transportation rates for tho farm products he should not oppose the upbuilding of good roads. Presi- dent Alderman. one of the greatest Southern educators. said at a good roads convention in Louisiana some years ago that he had assigned his life to the cause of education. and he ! wanted avery child to have a common education. and he believed that the first | step toward accomplishing general | education is to build good rads Good roads improve the school houses. give l o bettAr class of teachers and a long
 CT session of the school wear. and a
 very much larger attendance Of the | children.