The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-19

| away from police protection: there was
 a condition being established that would
 have theratened sanitary conditions, ev-
 cry peaceable condition, and every prop | erty of life. It was the democracy of
 the state, it was the law-equal rights to
 all, special privileges to none-that came | to your relief and said this should not be-
 l, who had passed through the black re- publican days of the reconstruction
 period and knew what negro government
 was. knew what the negro uncontrolled
 and supported in ideness was and what
 negro dominance was, told their leaders
 and the scalawags and carpetbaggers
 that these things should not be; that such | conditions would not only destroy prop erty, but labor; nothing could foster and
 improve under 1t; that we must have the
 reign and protection of the law; that we
 must have our highways so that any lady, 1 any child, anybody, could go in safety
 wheresoever he pleased; that the great properties of the state had the right of l protection of the state and 1t should be
 accorded them. While 1t is true that it
 cost the state $70,000 to restore order, a protection was secured that democracy was right in giving-a protection that was l best for all, not only for property, but for labor. The present improved condi-
 tlons of the labor and property of the
 Birmingham district is a satisfactory ev- 1 idence of the correctness of my conduct at that time. While the cost was high and conditions looked bad. the price was
 cheap and the conclusions best for all
 l will say to the labor union in the dis trct that this was done without any relevance to the union; that 1 believe
 that labor has right to establish unions and to conduct unions, but under the
 guise of a union fight no lawless parties
 have the right to establish lawless con-
 ditions.
 There has been some complaint in this city and county about your tax assess ments. and some bubble that the asses sorS should go back to the farmers of the
 state and make them pay more. Gentle
 men of Birmingham, of Jefferson county, It is true that your tax assessment is very much larger than that of any other county in the state, but you must re-
 member that you aggregate a large pari
 of the wealth of the state. It has been
 the purpose of this administration to equalize taxes; to see that the small man
 did not escape his just share and at the
 same time see that the big properties pay their just share. I will remind you big property holders, big corporations, that
 just as the state stands ready to protect
 you in your rightful ownership, just so you should stand, not complainingly, but
 willingly and justly by the state and it's tax needs.
 ut Stdlt ilhS cApSHutu 1dIBely creased money on it's eeemosynary in stitutions, on it's old soldiers and on education; perhaps more than it could we'll afford, but this has met the ap- proval of every class of citizens and should, If possible, be maintained.
 "The pensions to the old soldiers dur ing my administration have been in- creased from $475, 900 to $S61 ,000 a year.
 It Is true there has been a deficit in the last quarterly payments, but this de- felt was not caused by n-payment of the appropriations; not by diversion of the funds to anybody, to anything else, but on account of the multiplica- tions In the pension roll. First class pensioners have been increased from 176
 to 2,20o, and the number of pensioners
 from 15,500 to 17,900 This Is what has
 caused the shortage in the last quarter | ly payment. I wish to say to the old l soldiers that this legislature and this administration was just as true and l generous as could be to them MT. Chair man. in this most public manner, I wish to say that the statements made dur ing the amendment campaign attempting to prejudice and poison the minds of | these old soldiers against a democratic legislature and democratic administra- ton that had searched the treasury for their benefit and that could not, under democratic laws made by democratic legislature, take the pension money and | give 1t to anyone else, were the worst kind of lying. It was sought to make
 these old gray-haired men hate the state, the state laws and the state constitu- ton, for the passing purpose of prej-
 uGicing and controlling their vote. And I wish here again to say that such lying as that was inexcusable and the state will suffer for it I fear, in many ways. Tt Is claimed that our temperance | laws were ahead of the preparation and
 morals of the people. I was not an original prohibition advocate. My ad-
 ministration did not favor statewide bill, but after 1t was passed, I believed then and I believe now, that every power of the state should be used in it's proper execution and maintenance. No one feels more humiliated than I do that the liquor and brewers association should have | beaten down the temperance laws of our l state and set back the moral advance ment of our people, no man can say
 how far. have been told that the 1 liquor question would not be discussed | in this campaign. It reminds me of story I read sometime ago of an old negro preacher from the Black Belt who drifted east and went into church, | He saw there a little band of chorsters dressed in white coming down the aisle | singing, the leader swinging an incense
 burner. He was<impressed with the wor-
 ship and introduced it into his own | church. At one service the preacher no- | ticed that the leader did not have the | incense burner, so leaning over to the chorsters and chiming in with the song
 he asked, Where is the incense burner?" To which, in the same tone, the choirsters
 sang back, "Got so damn hot, left it
 behind" So, fellow citizens, for the time
 being it is claimed that this great temp
 erance question has gotton so hot that
 it is advisable to let up on the discus | sion, but I wish to say now that l be- lieve in emperance-state-wide temper
 ance-and I believe that however it may
 effect the older part of our population ] it will benefit the states chiefest asset
 the boys and girls. And here again we
 would follow the leadership of your il- lustrious father, MT. O'Neal. It was the
 that signed the law making imperative in our public schools the teaching of the evils of intemperance and liquor. We
 should one and all, leader and citizens,
 inculcate the doctrine that temperance is best and saloons the worst. Liquor is the greatest law-breaker in the world. It has no respect for any law, any govern ment, or any family or condition. Along
 with liquor go those other great evils,
 gambling and the red-light-all of which debauch any man, and any citizenship,
 and I can conceive of no greater evil that could befall our state than the rule of liquor.
 "Our present state tax equalization laws after thorough examination Of the tax flaws of the different states were writ