The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-24
4rrn sa.ssases or co.nn1su.-

what good did the niliion or 50 dol.
 the State ffsaiury? None whatever.
 Iii: moaey snd 3srs SSnss out f0s to " nol
 for the ignorant children of the 6tafs
 scmfors sad esss h his dssIinin1 years
 off the peopies neckas by chsApenins
 made the blg street railway corpcre:
 Sns s.d s,s ssnk p.y .s ss. oS ~.sss, n;,
 class pay their just shsre Of the bur:
 dens of taxation. ana the last but no, the les:t of the great thiges the Conner . chance to amend the constitntion and
 whica is tke srsatest and most hurtfui
 Ss s ss ssd Ss ssps :s ssss.
 Handsome majority.
 To begin with in commenting on
 the above 1t csn be stated that the surpius left in the Treasury by Gov ernor Jeiks. served a good purpose for the Conner administration. But for that surplus the skeleton in the Conner standardization cIoset--a defioit--- would have been much sooner dis closed As it stands now 1t Is Jelks several hundred thousand dollars to the good--Ccmer . million or more to the bad.
 while Governor Jeiks was in office the condition of the people was not by any means of a character to war rant excessive taxation, yet he man. agsd to meet every State obligation. to increase the expenditures for sol- diers pensions. for schools and for public institutions. with the result that he left as satisfactory a baiance sheet for the State as any Governor ever turned over to . successor. The state was in really . happy situation from a financial standpoint on the day that Jsiks left office and Conner assumed charge. The worst enemy of Conner could want no stronger indict- msnt to bring against him today than contrast of conditions in October 1906 and October 1908.
 All this talk about increasing schools. pensions. etc. is ridiculous in view of the fact thss there had been . steady increase all along, the lines. beginning long before the present ad- ministration and there would be no deficit aow If the same prudent leg isiation with gradual growth of ap- propriafions had continued. The peo- pie must be bankrupted, if 1t becomes necessary to exait Conner, seemed to be his motto. and that of an obedient Legislature.
 For years the tendency fin Ala bama at the request of the lo- caiity interested was to become dry" and by action Of the Legislature had become ''dry" to the extent of ss per cent. before Conner and Brooks Law renee and the whole brood of reform CTS set on foot their scheme to com tinae the Conner policy in State af- fairs and exait him to the United States Senate. No community In Ala bams ever asked for prohibition with. out the necessary legislative action. and the approval of the Governor. It was secured under local option and there was peace and harmony in piaes of the bitterness and strife that these political agitators have created. There was not a single county in the State in which there was not some conn munity where the sale of liquor was forbidden and in nearly all of them prohibition. but 1t was at the wish of the people interested and not at the command of Brooks Lawrence and gang of politicians who hoped to swing into office by hanging on to his coat tails. Give us the peace. tranquility and neighborhood good waii that prevailed under. the admin istrations oR Jelks. Sanford. Johnston, Oates. Jones. seay. o'Neai. Cobb and Houston rather than the hate ana the malice and uncharftabisness that have been poured in a flood upon the peo- pie of Alabama during the Conner era of selfishness and greed.
 When it comes to tho matter of tax alton the people have been harried and harassed under the present admin istration far worse than at any other period of the States history. The fine tooth comb has been used in hunting for subjects of taxation until abso- luteiy nothing is left untouched. Not satisfied with the returns from a rate at the very highest point the Consti- tution allows the edict has gone forth. that the valuations under which taxes are now being paid will not be al. lowed to stand for the next season of tax gathering, but that twist must be given and the screw Of increased valuation be turned to the very ut- most limit. And great is Conner and I,tm vr0uhe4sl