The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-19

| people of Alabama in the exercise of their
sovereign power of self-government saw
proper through their legislative depart
nient to revise, modify or repeal them.
Condemns Certain Provisions
Yet l did not hesitate in my public ut
terances to condemn those provisions OF
the present statutes which invaded the
iralienable privileges of the individual
as secured by the bill of rights, which
sought to overthrow the right of trial by
jury-which changed the burden of proof
as established by the common law and
secured by the constitution; which Gre
ated arbitrary and violent prescriptions
of guilt, based upon facts equally, if
not more consistent with innocence
which unduly enlarged the powers of
courts of equity and undertook to SUBJ
stitute government by injunction for the
usual and ordinary processes of law,
which under the guise of inspection sub
| 1ected the citizen to unreasonable
searches and seizures, which vested in
prosecuting attorneys selected by private
individuals powers which alone should
be exercised by the prosecuting officers
elected by the people, which legalized
perjury and put premium on false
swearing.
Whatever may have been its effect
on my political fortunes l did not hesitate
to declare that IL nominated and elected
would recommend the repeal of these
unjust and arbitrary en,lctments, and 1
am justified in believing that my nominal
ton was an Endorsement of my criticism
and command by the party to carry
out the pledges 1 then made the peo-
Pile If the policy of statewide prohibition
is to be maintained we must purge from
the statutes those provisions which in
vade constitutional guarantees and vio-
late well established legal rights. 1
therefore today reiterate and renew every
pledge and promise I made the people.
But whatever may be my individual
views or pledges you alone are commits
stoned by the party to make its platform
and promulgate its principles That YOU
Will act wisely, conservatively, avoiding
all extremes l have no doubt. but what
ever may be your decision on these i'm
pCrtant issues I shall as a loyal demo-
crat bow in cheerful submission to the
combined wisdom of the accredited rep
resentatives of my party. Whatever may
be my individual views or opinions / shall
subordinate them TO the will of the only
sovereign l recognize-the sovereign voice
OF the democratic party in convention as
sembled Your platform shall be INV
platform. I will advocate and defend If
before the people and plant the banner
WHICH you nave placed in my hands in
victory on the citadel of the opposition.
Responsibility of Convention
gentlemen of the Convention: The re-
sponsibility is yours-whatever NAV be
your decision on the important issue. let
II be SO clear, so explicit, so unambigu-
ous-that nosone can mistake your inten-
ton or meaning. No great question has
ever yet been settled by equivocation. by
subterfuge or by meaningless platitudes.
Fresh from the people, voicing their
sentiments, you will give expression to
the calm, deliberate Judgment of the state
and the party you represent. You are the
final court of appeal, to whose verdict ev-
cry loyal democrat will give cheerful and
ready acquiescence. We should not for
get that in this state we owe our security
not to law and order leagues, to a swarm
of paid spies and reformers, to an armed
constabulary but rather to that majes-
tic supremacy of the law in which alone
may be read the progress of a state
whose institutions are founded on the
rights and fortified by the intelligence OF
the people.
ut is not the province of the executive
officers of the state to determine what
laws shall be enforced. Every law on
the statute books, whatever may be our
views as TO their justice or wisdom,
should be impartially and faithfully ex-
ecuted. Lord McCauley wisely said that
the experience of mankind had uniformly
shown that the violation of even the most
unreasonable law tended to make a ma
ton altogether lawless
Gentlemen of the convention no state
in the Union possesses such resources, or
offers such generous opportunities to en-
terprise and labor as Alabama. With
soil capable of producing In the greatest
abundance every variety of product
known to the temperate zone; with a eli
nate eaualling in salubrity and mildness
new world; with unrivaled timber and
mineral wealth, with navigable streams
penetrating all portions of our territory,
and water sources furnishing in 10 great
est abundance the power which will DOM
mate the commerce of a future-so ra-
diant with promise, we must not forget
we are yet in the infancy of our material
and industrial development I reiterate
the declaration I made on this subject
when I announced as a candidate for the
office of governor, and which was as fol-
lows:
Attitude Toward Capital
|. ITO develop our enormous resources,
and to insure steady employment of la
Dor. we need more capital To induce the
ders, we must guarantee to citizens of
other states investing here the same
rights and the same protection accorded
to capital invested by our own people
no more and no less. I believe that the
next democratic platform to be adopted
in this state would correctly express the
| sentiments of our people should it pledge
| not only to citizens of this state, but to
citizens of all other states, that all CAPT.
tai invested In legitimate enterprises in
Alabama, whether foreign or domestic
| corporate or private. shall have the equal
protection of the laws and the friendly
consideration of those who administer the
laws HfN
But not only should capital invested