The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-08

the laws making appropriations for Con federate pensioners and the reports of the auditor from and including October l. 1905 to October l, 1909.
 T spent two days, September 15 and 16, 1909, Investigating, and last week went back and worked two days in the aud itor's and treasurer's offices, investigat- ing this matter and I found. the follow ing facts and laws, to-wit: February 10. 1899, the legislature passed an act levy ing and collecting a special mill tax on each dollar of taxable property in Ala bama as a special fund to be collected and kept separate in the state treasury for the payment of Confederate pensions. That act provided for a county and state board to examine applicants for pensions, county boards to meet on first Monday in June in each year and state board to meet first Monday in July each year to pass upon applicants and grant pensions, and that upon the state boards report to the auditor that he (the auditor) should inn mediately after September 1 ascertain the amount of pension fund under the appro- priation made, subject to distribution for that year. and, soon as practicable after October 1, issue warrants on the treasury to each pensioner, who had been granted pensions for that year. This act was compiled with under the 1 mill special tax and was paid annually, at the end of each fiscal year. the amounts that had been granted by the state board of examiners for that fiscal year. This act did not take effect until the end of the year 1900 when the special fund had been realized in the treasury and subject to distribution. This was in force and car ried out by Governor Jelks' administra- tion to September 30, 1906 and all pen sions paid at the end of each fiscal year for that year to each pensioner who had been granted pensions by the examining board.
 "September B. 1903. the legislature passed act approved by Governor Jelks, appropriating $50,00o for the fiscal year 1904, and $1500O0 for the fiscal years 1905 and 1906 each, in addition to the mill special tax and In that act 1t is pro- vided that this additional appropriation should be distributed in accordance with and under the terms and conditions of the act of February 10. 1899, and this act was fully compiled with by Governor Jelks' administration up to and including the fiscal year of September 30, 1906 leaving a balance to the credit of the pension fund in the treasury. Governor Jelks' admins tration terminated and went out in De- cember, 1906, and Governor Corners ad- ministration came in. At that time there was in the treasury a balance overpaying for the year 1906, and from October 1.
 
 s90U,0o0 from 1906. and l mill tax collected and $50,0eO appropriation had been col lected and was in the treasury for dis bursement among Confederate pensioners, making $760 900 for the year ending Sep tember 8o 1907. This sum due pensioners was withheld and no warrants issued to Confederate pensioners for this sum due them.
 "On March 6. 1907. the legislature passed an act providing that pensioners should be paid quarterly in advance, beginning October l. 1907. and it is evident that the new present auditor construed the law to mean that his pension money due pen sioners October 1. 1907. should be applied to the future quarterly payments, under the act of March 8, 1907, and has acted ac- cordingly. On October l. 1907, there was due and in the treasury 100000 to pay pensioners for that fiscal year ending September 30, 1907 and the pensioners were, under the laws that appropriated that fund, entitled to $4S2000 of that s760,- 600, which had been withheld from them contrary to law
 T also found that since this claim, as- serted by pensioners, that they had been robbed of their money for the year 1907,' that at the last special session of the leg islature. Corners legislature, 90 legislators passed an act taking this 1 mill special tax from Confederate soldiers away from the COnlederate Speclal 1unQ ana dumped it Into the common treasury, and abol- ished all distinctions as to special funds. This mill special trust fund, set apart for Confederate pensioners. was in the way of the administrators ravishing it, and the idea was conceived and carried through the legislature, and approved by Governor Conner, to destroy that special trust fund and abolish all distinctions of special fund and dump it into the com mon fund. where the administration could reach and appropriate 1t to such purposes as pleased the governor and thereby de- feat the claims and rights of pensioners. That was what was done, and you are asked to vote for and perpetuate the
 Conner administration by electing Judge Weakly governor. and for the constitu- tional amendment. Comrade veterans, what do you think of such condunct and treatment of your old comrade penson- CTS? And to be branded as skunks if you dare to vote against his, Weakleys and the Ohio apostles vicious schemes, and also having it thrown into your faces by Governor Conner in his speech at Clanton that you are too drunken to be paid the amount due you. Will you kiss the hand that has smote you?
 .sI fully believe that the auditor, as well as Col Harvey E. Jones, has miscon- strued the laws aDnropriatinR monav- AnA