The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-11-09
Says Amendment Is Not ld- ministratiOn Measure m '' Z
 Has Been Asserted
GAVE HIS ADVICE AGAINST
 STATEWIDE PRO9I!B|T ION
Governor Maintains That the Present State Administration Is Not on Trial in Amendment Now
 Before the People.

Montgomery. November S.-tSpecial.)- Denying that he will call the legislature together if the constitutional amendment is defeated, or that he Is in any sense a candidate for office, Gov. B. B. Conner this afternoon gave out an interview, the intention of which is to refute the intima- ton that the fight for the amendment IS a fight for the further preferment or Conner or additional advancement of his friends.
 "Behind the amendment l hide no po- litical aspirations" he says. ''I am in no sense a candidate for the United States Senate or any other office. l regard and respect that section of our constitution which provides that the governor shall not be eligible to election or appointment to any office under this state or to the Senate of the United States during his term. and within one year after the ex- piration thereof.
 The interview is in the shape of signed statement. in which is recited that he was not in favor of the passage Of inc statewide prohibition law, and that 1t was passed over his advice; that the amendment ure. also contending that in this fight the Conner administration Is not on trial. lie gives a list of the laws passed by the present legislature in detail, showing them nr as being in all respects good' and brands as false and untrue the as sertions, often made, that the money or the old soldier has been taken from nm and used for other purposes
 Tie governor says, however, that while he was opposed to the adoption Of state wide Lill. he now believes the legislature was right in doing so, and the amend ment es he sees It. IS aesisneo eo p,oS pht time lock on the prohibition code. wnlcn he thinks is good in every way SC thar ,he laws therein cannot be emasculateo without the consent of the people.
 The full interview follows:
 sIn view of the fact that the opponents of the constitutional amendment are at temnting to cast reflection upon the an,endment by wholesale criticism of the Acts of the present legislature, decrying as drastic and radical the most impor- tant enactments of that body. think 1t well to call your attention to those en- actments:
 Benefit of Farming Interest.
 "Fstablishing the bureau of cotton sta- tistics. requiring the collection and pub fishing of weekly reports of cotton ginned and providing list of public ginners. "Reouiring public cotton gnners to reg ister in the name of the owner all cot ton delivered for ginning, to mark every hale and keep a register of said marks open to inspection.
 "Requiring public warehouses to pay license and give bond for the faithful per- formance of duty.
 "Proyiding for surveying and classify ing soils and appropriating $10,000 per an mum therefor.
 s.Providing that samples of fertilizer brands shall be furnished and published. and for holding Farmers institutes and experiments, and appropriating $40O0 per anrum therefor.
 "Proyiding against inferior fertilizer material and fixing penalties for violation. sRegulating sale of cotton seed meal. ..Providing live stock sanitary board to operate in counties where a majority of the area of the county Is under stock law.
 "Authorizing each county to levy a tax of not more than one-quarter of i per cent on the taxable property in the county for improvement of public roads and bridges and providing for working county convicts on said roads.
 Benefit of Legal Profession.
 Increase in salaries of supreme, circuit and chancery judges, so as to secure the best talent.
 .'Increasing the number of judges and establishing new law and equity courts, so as to relieve congested dockets, to insure speedy trials and empty the jails.
 Benefit of Medical Profession.
 s'Providine for new buildings and sup port of State Medical college at Mobile, and consolidating same with the uni versity.
 Amending and improving the entire health laws of the state and appropriating sl5,O00 per annum for health department.
 Benefit of Pharmacists.
 Amending and enlarging the powers of the state board of pharmacy.
 Prohibiting the sale of cocaine and strictly regulating the sale of other harm ful drugs.
 Benefit of Bankers.
 Allowing surplus money in state treas- urv to be deposited, without interest in banks throughout the state, on condition of purchase of state bonds, under super vision and direction of the governor and treasurer
 .Increased Appropriation of 5000 per annum for state militia, and making the National Guard more efficient.
 Law EquaIizlng Taxes.
 ''The law establishing the state tax commission, providing for the equaliza- ton of tax burdens and requiring all properties to contribute in equal propor- tion to the support of the state gov ernment This has added s10O,0O00O0 to inc ad yalorem tax values and yields an income of s65O 600 a year, $30O000 of which goes to the public schools and $1OO,0OO to the old soldiers.
 Increased Revenue.
 Providing tax on the intangible prop erty of the state, which has hitherto es- caped taxation and which has increased taxable values over $2o,Ooo.ooo per annum. sIncreased tax on life and fire insur- ance companies doing business in the state to the level of taxation maintained in other states. This has resulted in an increase of y1O0,000 per annum in revenue "A license of $10 was placed on each foreign corporation doing business in Ala
 ccoNT1NUND ON PAGn 1)