The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-13
ONe
yNF SUNNY JIM

At last nights session of the Ala | hama good roads convention addresse were delivered by United States Sen ators J. H, Bankh cad and Joseph + Johnston on Goods Roads and Fedora Aid" and by W. A. Morris, presioen of the Farmers union of Alabama, o' "Convicts on the Public Roads of Ala bama," In addition, resolutions In re gard to working convicts on the stat hiehways were read before the conven ton by Mrs. J. B. Waterman of Mo bile. president of the State Conferene | of Charities and Corrections; l. Ii Putnam, in charge of the Mobile eoun tv juvenile court system, was hear' from on the same subject. and Mrs. A l o. Lane and Mrs Charles A. Sharpe representing General Sumter chapter Daughters of the Revolution, wer' heard in appeals for cooperation iron the Good Roads association for th' preservation of historic road memorials In discussing Good Roads and Fed eral Aid" Senator Bankhead declared that 1t was not a breach of authority on the part of the federal government to appropriate funds for the building of good roads in the various states but that specific authority was given Congress by the constitution to make concentrations flor post roads and oth- CT roads"
 Authority In Constitution
 "If state rights forbid internal im- movements to be made by the federal
 Rankha then we have been doing unconstitu- tional things since the government was organized. It began in 1S16, when the great highway from Cumberland on the Potomac to St. Louis on the Mis- sissippi was constructed by means of a s16,O0e, 900 appropriation. Appropria- tions have been made for improvements in every state of the union. Rivers ano l harbors have been improved. All the great territory in the west would be q wilderness but for federal aid and encouragement
 why should Congress appropriate money to build roads everywhere ex' cept home? Some years ago we went into Cuba and began building roads there. We have spent millions In the Philippines. It is too late to say Con. gress has no right to make approprl- ations for road building in states. "Our present method of road build ing is a relic of barbarism, brought to this country from England 300 years ago. There is but one correct method =co-operation of the federal govern ment with the state and county gov l ernments. When Alabama has put int effect the amendment to its constitu tion providing for road building 1t vii be time for the national governmen to supplement the appropriation mad with the larger appropriation of Con gress Let your present. campaign CT. be, On to Montgomery and later le 1t be, On to Washington. Instruct you senators and members of Congress t. work for the appropriation and Con gress will make 1t, depend upon It.
 Johnston's Address
 l Senator Johnston declared that whil | he was utterly opposed to centralizin all power in the federal government, h believed that states rights includes the right of states to secure all the al I possible from the federal government il making internal improvements, notabl Improvements of roads. Congress ha the authority in the plain letter of tn constitution" said Senator Johnson, "an we are going to stand by that constitu ton, though there was once a temporar separation in regard to its provisions Tn the next House democrats are goin to have a majority, and in the mex Senate we will have either a majority O very respectable minority, and tha will mean something that will be of in terest to Alabama in the good road movement.
 "The great trouble in Alabama is tn lack of organization. I am glad the gov ernor -to-be has announced in favor o a state highway commission. It will SC cure confidence at home and pave tn way for big appropriation from Con gross. The government can't put none in Alabama roads if they are to be al lowed to fall into ruin.
 we senators are with you in your goo
 roads movement heart and soul. Br you've got to say, Come on,' and nt Go on You must lead the way by start ing the work in Alabama, and we WI | not be tardy''
 III Resolutions Read
 The resolutions adopted by the stat | conference of charities and correction on the convict leasing system and pr,
 scented to the good roads convention la
 night, contained an assertion that "tl
 present leasing system should be abo
 ished and a thoroughly modern syste
 should be adopted; that it is conduct, to good health that the convicts
 worked in open air as much as possibl
 and to this end it would be beneficial tn; as many as possible be placed at wol : on system of public roads throughol
 the state"
 The appeals for cooperation of the a. l sociation made by Mrs. A. O. Lane ehai ss man of the historic roads committee [ the local chapter, Daughters of the Anne
 ican Revolution, and Mrs. c. A. Sharp l wora rosponded to by tho adontton of fl