The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01


 cessible to them There has been no at
 tempt to meet the challenge. On the contrary. so far as has come to our in
 formation, there have been some three
 or four evasive replies made. The first
 Is the same our ancestors have met si
 every step for greater constitutional hb-
 erty-trust the legislature: the King can
 do no wrong" Second, as a chorus-"ShoW
 us the man, whether he be democrat or
 republican, who would take dollar from
 the old soldier" Refrain T would lose
 my arm frst-trespassing by a synonym
 upon the patent Burn my arm on,
 Adam" And. third solo by the sea-
 ator that the amendment is necessary
 to enable me to get federal aid.' Morgan
 asleep for thirty years! Pettus ignorant
 or indifferent to the interests of Ala bama!
 If any reply other than bare asser-
 tions has been made to the arguments adduced against the proposed amendment,
 1t has escaped our reading One says, ''If you can't trust the legislature, there is an end to popular government Such a1
 argument is like a well without water,
 cloud without rain.'
 If any one can explain how the reten- I ton of power by the people can tend to destroy popular government, the expla- nation will take it's place among the
 
 Such are mere hullsballoo exclamations-
 impositons upon the minimizing, and an insult to the thoughtful. But says MT. | Craft, where Is the man who would take dollar from the old soldier, or the cause of educatlon?" Senator Overton says, "No legislature under the sun would
 do that;' and Senator Bankhead says, "Under our elective system, 1t can't be done" Great swelling wordsl exciting, a1r mi islatures have been so elected.
 MT. Craft tells us the association pre- pared the Overton bill which the senator introduced into the senate at its last ses- | sion, and which, because of its unconsti- nationality, failed to become a law. This | act was to take effect from and after its passage By its terms "all money de- | rived from the state convict fund was | taken from the general revenues of the state' The amount will exceed $4OO,OO0 l a year. Now, take the report recently made, the auditor report, and Senator | Teaslys analysis of the condition of the
 state finances. Senator Teasly stands to- | day as a specialist. a reliable expert in | the matter of taxation and finance. If l their statement be trIe, tine old soldiers
 were given a "gold brick" the teachers
 deferred in their payments. the funds in- terded for these objects diverted, tempo
 rarlly, at least. to other expenses. Our | condition cannot be controverted, and that | is a great deficit is impending.
 l Keep in mind that this condition has arisen with the entire convict fund in- l cluded in the revenues. Had the Over | ton bill become law as was attempted. the deficit would have been double what | it is Those who caused the introduction l of the Overton bill and favored its adop- | tion would have been responsible for such a deficit.
 And Naman the prophet said to the King "Thou art the man
 | The legislature was the product of our 1 "elective system," if you please. You are not required to go back to the days | of reconstruction to find such legislation.
 The senator has proclaimed that the
 amendment is necessary to secure federal aid. The proposition has been utterly | refuted and he has not undertaken to
 meet the argument
 | The state is in no way hindered to ex- pend the money appropriated by the ted- eral government and every county in the
 state has authority to raise all the money
 1t may need to. build roads within its
 own limits There is not a particle of
 merit in that contention, and 1t Is bol-
 stered up solely by bare assertions. The 1 fact is, as far as we have been able to understand the sophistry of those who l advocate the Overton amendment, 1t Is to misead the masses. The object is | stated: Are you not in favor of good roads?" Answer: "Yes; everybody Is" | Then follows: Well, if you favor good | roads, you must vote for the amend
 ment' Nothing but surplus will be used"
 The means to be used, the principles involved the injustice of the action, the dangerous power to be invested in the leg
 jslature, the unjustified assumption that
 'only surplus will be used,' are never touched upon or explained, and the dis cussion of these questions, so often pre- sented and urged, is avoided. Such course to gain an end Is not commenda- ble. and it is hoped the people will awake to the imposition attempted before it is finally too late. It has been well said that "the power to tax Is the power to destroy, and Is a dangerous instru- ment. reluctantly parted with by the peo- ple" Under the facts presented to us at this time the state cannot engage in this work without more revenue-more taxes. To do anything practicable 1t will he doubling the assessed value of prop erty of every man in the state; and un-
 less they desire to place lien or mort gage upon their real estate which can never be satisfied. they will vote and work against the Overtou amendment. Thomas Wilkes Coleman, Henry F.
 Reese. c. Fl. Greer, Joseph N. Miller, Lee McMillan, P. H. Pitts, Joseph
 Norwood Watkins Vaughan, M. M.
 smith. William c. Fitts, Norvelle R. Leigh, Jr., T. M. Espy, W. H. Tayloe and
 E. P Wilson
 Sent from Selma, Ala, october 2s, 1908.